Ravioli to go go

Ravioli was my absolute favorite pre-celiac disease food. It was completely unobtainable when I was first diagnosed more than 14 years ago.

In the last couple of year, great strides have been made in the GF frozen pasta department. Two New Jersey companies produce the only GF frozen (or fresh) ravioli that's easily obtainable in some grocery and specialty stores. They both made microwavable meals and ready to cook versions. Yum!




- Ceasar's  Pasta of Blackwood has been manufacturing gluten-free pasta for a few years, but its GF ravioli is still a rarity in some places. I sampled the goods at last month's Appetite for Awareness and was delighted by the taste, despite the pasta being a little harder than I normally like. (Maybe cooking a little longer would bring it closer to my personal preference.)

I expressed my affection for the product to the company representative on site. He revealed that Ceasar's is having difficulty getting large grocery stores to stock its ravioli and suggested I let my usual supermarkets know I'm interested. (ShopRite stocks it, Wegmans does not.) The company makes it easy with a form on its website that can be downloaded by customers to send. http://www.caesarspasta.com/where-to-buy.php 

- Conte's Pasta Company recently opened its dedicated gluten-free facility at its headquarters in Vineland. I ate the microwavable ravioli meal earlier this week. Although its texture was on the mushy side and the pasta broke apart too easily, the taste was fantastic and that's what matters most to me.

Both brands are sold through grocery retailers all over the Garden State. Check out their locations here:

http://www.caesarspasta.com/where-to-buy.php

http://www.contespasta.com/GF_RETAILERS_NATIONAL042009.pdf