A One-Stop Gluten-Free Tour of the Garden State

Photo/GFGardenState

The Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expo in Secaucus is done for 2015, and we're already looking forward to next year.

(BTW, it'll be held Oct. 15-16, 2016. Mark your calendars NOW.)

We've attended enough gluten-free expositions to know what to expect, in general. There are many vendors offering on-the-spot tastings of their wares and some provide take-home samples to try later. There are beauty products, travel companies and medical professionals, all looking to serve the gluten-free community. And it works.

Local Gluten Free Festival is back

Photo/GFGardenState

ShopRite of Medford is hosting its second annual Gluten Free Festival on Saturday, Sept. 12.

Held throughout the store, from 11 am to 3 pm, the event will featurs samples of more than 60 gluten-free foods. There is no cost to attend.

This family attended last year's festival, not knowing what to expect, and left viewing it as a small expo. Many familiar players were represented, including Schar, GardenLites and Enjoy Life foods, and everything offered for tasting was available for purchase (of course).

New products, old favorites coming to NJ expo

It's that time of year again. To some, the most wonderful time of year.

I'm talking, of course, about the Gluten Free & Allergen Friendly Expo.

This year's event will be held Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4, 10 am to 4 pm both days, at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus. Its a whirlwind of vendors, offering samples of their wares, selling products and sending visitors off with swag. Whether your on a gluten-free diet or a diet free of the eight most common allergens, including peanuts, there's a cornucopia of options for you.
I've been to more than a few of these types of events over the past five years or so, and every one is exciting. Since being diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998, the gluten-free/allergen-free industries have come a very long way. Those who are newly diagnosed and dealing with daily frustrations will be thrilled to find an entire exposition hall full of foods they can eat. That was me at my first expo. It's still me.

According to organizers, there are many returning vendors, including Schar, Udi's, Enjoy Life, Garden Lites and Luce's Gluten Free Artisan Breads, and some newcomers, like Cheerios, WHOs Gluten Free and the Minute rice company.

My recap of last year's roster of new products can be read here. 

The two-day event also features seminars and information sessions relating to gluten-free or allergen-free diets, as well as celiac disease. (And during last year's event, there was even a marriage proposal!)

To buy tickets or learn more about the expo, visit the organizers website: www.gfafexpo.com

Through Sept. 2, the expo is offering 30% off tickets. But first, try for a free ticket by entering the Gluten Free Garden State raffle:

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

What we ate at Celiac Education Day

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia hosted its annual Celiac Education Day on Sunday. Informational sessions aside, we learned there was a lot to love about gluten-free foods.

It started with breakfast.

I most enjoyed the warm Sweet Note Bakery bagels. Warren and I are big fans of the "ET" (or "everything") bagel, and we slathered ours with cream cheese. Our daughter loved the plain bagel. We all may have gone back for seconds. (Thank you, Brittany!)

The ShopRite Greek Yogurt was another hit with my little party. My daughter LOVED the vanilla, while I preferred the strawberry. Udi's muffins also went over well with Warren and I especially enjoying the blueberry, but the chocolate also was delicious.The muffins were soft and flavorful without falling apart, like so many gluten-free products.

New products EXPOsed

Photo/GFGardenState: Schar's new pasta line

The Gluten Free & Allergen Free Expo held last weekend in Secaucus was a great opportunity for visitors to see products soon to be released to the public or already making their way to grocers.

Samples weren't available for many of these recent additions, but judging by their companies' reputations and appearance of the items, we're looking forward to trying them.

Here's an idea of what's coming or has recently been made available.

Expo highlighting gluten-free products

The Gluten & Allergen Free Expo returns to the Garden State Sept. 6-7 in Secaucus. If you haven't already, be sure to get your tickets because you're going to want to be there.

In full disclosure, Gluten Free Garden State is an "official blogger" for the expo. Although unpaid, this blogger is attending for free and raffling off tickets to GFGS readers. However, I do not falsely endorse any product or event. If I didn't love it, I wouldn't promote it or seek to attend.

After attending expos organized by other groups, I was excited to attend my first Gluten & Allergen Free Expo last year. It met and succeeded all of my expectations. Imagine walking into a exhibition hall FULL of gluten-free foods. It's heaven!

Totally baked

My Christmas baking marathon is complete, and I think I need at least a week to recover. I've prepared enough goodies (both gluten-free and not) for the army of relatives and friends I'll be seeing over the next week. Throw in a couple of store-bought treats, and we celiacs can't ask for anything more.

Here's a sampling of what's on our holiday dessert table:

Candy Cane Cremes: Made by Mi-Del, they are a limited edition version of the company's Oreo-type cookies. The box says they're "perfect for those with gluten sensitivity." I say they're perfect with a tall glass of milk or dunked in hot cocoa.

For those feeling a little more adventurous, try mashing up these cremes (or the traditional version), mix with cream cheese and roll into balls. Dip them in chocolate and refrigerate. Mmmmmm .....

Tri-State answers gluten-free call

Gluten-Free Chicken Enchilada Soup

The Tri-State Food Expo wasn't supposed to be a research opportunity for this blog. It just turned out that way. 

Held last week at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, the event was intended to highlight emerging trends, the latest innovations and new products within the food industry. I was happy (but not so surprised) to learn that "gluten-free" is one of the biggest trends in the grocery and food service industries. 

Representin' Jersey

I was fortunate to meet many great people at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Secaucus, earlier this month. Some were homegrown entrepreneurs. Others came from great distances. All were friendly, informative and offered tastes of delicious gluten-free foods.

The first part of this round-up focuses on the products and people of New Jersey. The second, coming tomorrow, showcases some of those from out of town. 

Schar

Photos/Gluten Free Garden State

Leaders of the pack

We tasted wonderful things at the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo, and were excited to find so many new and new-to-us products. Here's a list of 10 foods/beverages, in no particular order, that got us excited.

1. Ravioli by Contes Pasta: I've had these several times in the past, and they're awesome. Full of flavor, the pasta part has a nice texture that's moist without falling apart. I'm a cheese aficionado, so the seasoned ricotta is right up my alley. Sold frozen and heated in the microwave, the ravioli is packaged with tomato gravy. The props for marinara sauce, however, goes to Hoboken Farms, which is perfect for dipping in a piece of their gluten-free bread.

Photo/Gluten Free Garden State

Expo Hangover, Part 1

The first day of the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo is in the books, and it was a fabulous one.

Sure, my feet are aching from circling the Expo floor multiple times and I ate way too many samples. But, I met interesting people, was excited by some new gluten-free products and learned a thing or two in the classroom.

My day started off with other bloggers, and it was fun to see people in person who I had only "met" previously through social media. We all were treated to an introduction to Holy Crap cereal before the doors even opened to the public.

One of the first things I did once the Expo started was hit the beer garden. It was less about my love for beer and more about the fact that it was at the back of the convention floor and completely devoid of other people. I got to easily talk to the vendors and sample the wares.

Yes, I was throwing back beer at 9:15 a.m. So, what?! It was for research purposes. You'll thank me later.