Gluten Free Wine Dinner at Bella Monica - Sat 8/11 730p

Bella Monica Restaurant to Host Gluten-Free Wine Dinner

ONLY A FEW SPOTS REMAINING!!!

Date: Saturday August 11th, 2012
Time: 7:30pm
Location: 3121 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27612

Come on out on Saturday August 11th for a night of gluten-free goodness at Bella Monica Restaurant! Hang out with the team from Delight Gluten-Free Magazine and enjoy a 4-course family-style wine tasting menu prepared by Chef Corbett Monica!

Dinner is $75/per person (inclusive of tax and gratuity) and includes assorted gluten-free bruschetta, caprese salad, portobello mushroom lasagne, lobster risotto, veal meatballs with fontina polenta and tiramisu.

Register now by calling 919-881-9778 or by emailing Trevor Chambers at trevor@bellamonica.com.

Bella Monica Restaurant is located at 3121 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh, NC 27612

NHL All Star Weekend - Gluten Free Raleigh Style

As you may know, this weekend Raleigh will host the NHL showcase event All Star Weekend.  If you are from out of town visiting Raleigh, see some tips below to help you have an excellent Gluten Free weekend, Raleigh style.

Gluten Free Wine Dinner @ Bella Monica This Sunday

Here is a quick reminder from an earlier post about the upcoming Gluten Free Wine Dinner @ Bella Monica this Sunday (May 16th).  I was informed that there are only a few spots remaining and that tickets for the event have been very popular.  If you have been procrastinating for some reason, I'd suggest you call Bella Monica now to get one of those last few tickets.

Click here for more details or call Bella Monica @ 919-881-9778

North Carolina Governor Declares May Celiac Disease Awareness Month

Media Release

North Carolina Governor Declares May Celiac Disease Awareness Month

• Triangle residents can participate in a gluten-free food drive at various locations or make a monetary donation to help stock the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina
• Bella Monica Italian Restaurant is hosting a six-course gluten-free dinner prepared by Vanessa Maltin, food and lifestyle editor for Delight Gluten-free Magazine
• A top food allergens poster is available for restaurants to download to educate their staff about these items, including gluten

Raleigh, N.C., USA, April 30, 2010 – The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog has announced Governor Beverly Perdue has declared May 2010 “Celiac Disease Awareness Month” in North Carolina. The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog and Pat Berger, leader of the North Raleigh Celiac Sprue Association (CSA) Support Group brought the petition to the Governor’s office regarding the awareness month.

Celiac Disease is a genetic autoimmune disease that affects one in 133 people in the United States. It interferes with the absorption of nutrients from food and can cause gastrointestinal and neurological issues, infertility, skin rashes and cancer. The only treatment for Celiac Disease is lifelong, strict adherence to a gluten-free diet.

“The Governor’s proclamation paves the way to further educate the community on Celiac Disease and helps to create a positive impact on the quality of life for people living with this condition,” said Zach Becker, creator of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog. “It’s my goal to help raise awareness so those living with this disease can safely eat out at restaurants and have easier access to gluten-free food.”

In an effort to educate, raise awareness and give back to the community, there are a number of gluten-free events scheduled during the month of May.

• A gluten-free food drive will be held on Saturday, May 8 to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina. Special discounts at the drop off locations may be available in exchange for your donation. Bins are set up in each of these locations to accept the packaged gluten-free non-perishable food items:
o Rosie’s Plate – N. Person St., Raleigh
o Bella Monica Italian Restaurant – Edwards Mill Rd., Raleigh
o ZPizza – Falls of Neuse Rd., Raleigh and Cornerstone Dr., Cary
o Mellow Mushroom – W. Peace St., Raleigh
o Whole Foods Market, Raleigh – Wade Ave., Raleigh
o Earth Fare – Moncreiffe Rd., Raleigh
o Harmony Farms/Café Harmony – Creedmoor Rd., Raleigh

• A virtual Gluten Free food drive will be held all month to benefit the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina with gluten-free food. The link to donate can be located at the top of the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog.

• On Sunday, May 16, beginning at 5 p.m., Bella Monica Italian Restaurant will host a six-course gluten-free dinner prepared by Vanessa Maltin, food and lifestyle editor for Delight Gluten-free Magazine and Corbett Monica, head chef at Bella Monica Italian Restaurant. They will be preparing dishes from Maltin’s gluten-free cookbook entitled The Gloriously Gluten-Free Cookbook: Spicing Up Life with Italian, Asian and Mexican Recipes. Copies of the cookbook will also be included. Tickets are required for this dining event and can be purchased by calling Bella Monica Italian Restaurant at 919-881-9778.

• The Gluten Free Raleigh Blog worked with Sofia Noble of the design firm This Is Beautiful to create a poster featuring all of the top food allergens, including gluten. This poster is now available for download in English and Spanish at the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog. Wake County restaurant owners may use it to educate their staffs about these foods.

“Research indicates there are approximately three million people living with Celiac Disease in the United States and of those, only about 120,000 have been diagnosed,” said Alice Bast, founder and president of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA). “It’s great to see North Carolina working to raise awareness about this disease so perhaps others can be accurately diagnosed by their doctors. Zach Becker and the entire North Carolina Celiac Disease community should be commended for their leadership and successful advocacy efforts.”


About Gluten Free Raleigh Blog
Zach Becker was diagnosed with Celiac Disease in May 2008. He founded the Gluten Free Raleigh Blog in August 2008 and has created similar blogs across the state. He has recruited writers for these blogs so gluten-free information in those communities can be shared. The blogs contain restaurant and grocery store reviews, summaries of national news as well as highlight local companies that cater to the gluten-free community. Becker is an advocate for those living with Celiac Disease in the Triangle and donates his time to educate the newly diagnosed, local restaurants and government leaders on this condition.

Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group - November Meeting

The Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group has scheduled an upcoming meeting on Wednesday November 11th. See below for the details.

Join us for Parents' Night Out - an information session for parents/caregivers of children with Celiac Disease. We are meeting on Wednesday, November 11th, 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm at Bella Monica Restaurant. See the invite below for more information. Please RSVP if you can attend. Hope to see you there!

Please join the Raleigh Cel-Kids for a Parents' Night Out
Wednesday November 11th
6:30 pm - 8:00 pm
Bella Monica Restaurant

*Bring questions about being gluten free during the holidays
*Share ideas for packing gluten free lunches
*Helpful handouts on maintaining a gluten free or 'mixed' kitchen and surviving holiday parties will be provided

Please RSVP to raleigh.celkids@gmail.com

For directions and menu information
www.bellamonica.com

For additional information on Raleigh Cel-Kids
raleigh.celkids@gmail.com
www.raleighcelkids.com

Thanks!
Raleigh Cel-Kids

Bella Monica Flatbread Update

Check out this extremely in depth review of Bella Monica Flatbread Company Gluten Free Pizzas done recently over at FreezerBurns. Greg, a.k.a. "The Frozen Food Master" spends his time blogging/reviewing about all kinds of frozen foods. He lives in the Raleigh area and this blog is pretty awesome. In this episode, he calls in some reinforcements, his neighbor Ann who has Celiac Disease.

Check it out here.

There are also some other GF frozen food reviews here.

Have a GF frozen food you want reviewed by Freezer Burns? Contact Greg here.

Camp Kanata: My Day at Gluten Free Camp

On Tuesday, I had the pleasure of visiting Camp Kanata in Wake Forest, NC. As you may know, this week is a special week for the camp as it offers the chance for Gluten Free kids to attend a summer camp. This camp is one of two in the nation sponsored by the Gluten Intolerance Group (GIG).

This year's camp featured about 30 GF kids from all around the country. These kids would not normally be able to attend a summer camp due to their dietary restrictions. But thanks to Camp Kanata, the GIG and the great folks involved in running the camp, these kids can have a normal summer camp experience.

The camp does a wonderful job of making the GF kids feel normal. From my observations, they are mixed in with all the other kids (there were 200+ kids this week total), not only at eating time but also living arrangements. I sorta expected all the GF kids to be completely separate, but this just wasn't the case.

I spent the afternoon helping Trevor from Bella Monica Flatbread Company cook a couple dozen of their Gluten Free Margherita pizzas - which Trevor graciously donated. The camp does feature a separate kitchen to avoid cross contamination. After the pizzas were cooked, they were taken to the main dining hall to be served. It was an amazing experience to see the GF kids come up and be able to eat pizza like the non-GF campers! A huge thank you to Trevor for donating his time and pizzas to this great cause. FYI - click here if you'd like to follow Trevor and his Gluten Free Pizza adventures on Twitter.

Another huge thank you must go out to Alanna Conder who is the local GIG volunteer running the Gluten Free portion of the camp. Alanna has been doing this for six years running! It takes a lot of heart, dedication and organizational skills to coordinate something like this. I was told the cost to feed these GF kids runs around $500 per day. Alanna is also lucky to have a dedicated group of volunteers to help her out - there were four of them there during my afternoon visit. Also, a special thanks to Debbie Jongkind who serves as the GF Dietitian during this week of camp. Debbie is also the blogger behind Gluten Free Durham.

I know some other folks from the Raleigh area were also involved in donating their GF products and services including Twin Cakes Bakery, Rosie's Plate and The Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse. I know there are others out there - thanks very much for your support of this week of summer camp. Also, a huge thanks for those of you involved in the Gluten Free Raleigh Run/Walk Fundraiser held this past June 13th, which raised $915 for this camp.

Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group - May Meeting

The Raleigh Cel-Kids Support Group has scheduled an upcoming meeting on Sunday May 31st. See below for the details.

Raleigh Cel-Kids Pizza Party on Sunday, May 31st at 1pm!
Enjoy gluten-free pizzas at Bella Monica restaurant in the Olde Raleigh Village Shopping Center (3121-103 Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh). This is a fabulous opportunity for your family to sample tasty gluten-free pizza donated by Bella Monica.

We hope to see you there, as always, please let us know if you can make it! (More info or RSVP to raleigh.celkids@gmail.com). Also, we are helping Bella Monica by providing feedback on pizza crusts, different tastes, what types of GF products families want, etc. so we really want families to come to contribute.

A big thanks to Trevor and Bella Monica for their continued support of the Gluten Free community.

Bella Monica Flatbread Company Update

I recently heard from Trevor at the Bella Monica Flatbread Company. He wanted to update me on the fact that their products are now tested down to 10 PPM Gluten! He also let me know that their pizzas have been picked up by Whole Foods Florida (16 stores) beginning next month. See my previous articles about Bella Monica Pizzas here and my post explaining 20 PPM here.

In addition to all of that, Bella Monica has teamed up with Empire Properties (an extremely successful Downtown Raleigh developer) to open a brand new Italian restaurant in Downtown Raleigh. The restaurant will be called Gravy and will open around the beginning of June in the former Riviera spot on Wilmington Street. See this article from the Triangle Business Journal for more information. There is also a write-up about Gravy over at newraleigh.com. Too early to tell what the menu will consist of, but we'll see if I can work on getting a few GF items on there! Stay tuned.

Bella Monica Flatbread Company Update - Earth Fare

More exciting news for Bella Monica Flatbread Company and their fans...

I wrote previously about Bella Monica pizzas being available in the Raleigh and Cary Whole Foods store in addition to Harmony Farms.

I have just received word that their Gluten Free Pizzas are also now available in all Earth Fare stores in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina and Tennessee. Earth Fare has one Raleigh location in Brier Creek in NW Raleigh. The other NC locations are Asheville, Charlotte, Boone and Greensboro.

Thanks to Trevor and his company for getting this product out there for us to enjoy.

See my previous posts about their GF Pizzas here.

Jules Shepard/Earth Fare Event Update

Just wanted to toss out some quick updates about the upcoming Jules Shepard/Earth Fare Gluten Free Raleigh Event.

• There are 11 days remaining until the registration cutoff date on 2/23
  

• There are only 8 spaces remaining out of 30

• Trevor from the Bella Monica Flatbread Company will be at Earth Fare around lunch time with samples of their new Gluten Free Pizzas. The guided Gluten Free Earth Fare tour which begins at 11:30 AM will make a stop where Trevor is set up so we all can have some yummy pizza.

Spaces are going fast so if you want to sign up, please do so now!

Bella Monica Flatbread Company Update - Whole Foods Raleigh

More exciting news for Bella Monica Flatbread Company and their fans...

I wrote on Tuesday about Bella Monica pizzas being available in the Cary Whole Foods store.

I have just received word that their Gluten Free Pizzas are also now available in the Raleigh Whole Foods location on Wade Avenue in West Raleigh! The pizzas will also be sold for $10.99 at both locations which is a little less than the price at Harmony Farms.

Looks like the pizzas will also be making their way onto shelves at the Earth Fare Brier Creek location later this month. Stay tuned for those release dates! Thanks to Trevor and his company for getting this product out there for us to enjoy.

See my previous posts about their GF Pizzas here.

Bella Monica Flatbread Company Update - Whole Foods Cary

Exciting news for Bella Monica Flatbread Company and their fans... I have just received word that their Gluten Free Pizzas are now available in the Cary Whole Foods location on Waverly Place in Cary! This is good news that they are expanding and will become more widely available to Raleigh area consumers. This is a sign of a successful product! Looks like they will also be moving into the other Raleigh area locations very soon - Stay tuned for those release dates!

See my previous posts about their GF Pizzas here.

Bella Monica - New Gluten Free Menu Now Available

I am very excited to share with you some more great Gluten Free dining options from Bella Monica. I mentioned in a previous post about the new pizza choices from The Bella Monica Flatbread Company, that the affiliated Bella Monica restaurant was working on a brand new Gluten Free menu. The menu is now available!

Please see the following link to view the menu. You'll be surprised how much is being offered! FYI - I have been granted special access during the creation of this menu and helped advise Bella Monica on how to safely prepare these items for folks dining GF. Special consideration has been taken in preparation and cooking of the items on this menu. If you have any questions, please email me or go directly to the source, Corbett Monica the Bella Monica chef/owner.

PIZZAS
Where to start... how about those wonderful pizzas! Yes, all 3 varieties will be available in the restaurant as well. The pizzas served will be the exact ones you can buy now at Harmony Farms (Whole Foods coming soon). FYI - if you have not yet tried these pizzas and would like to, please contact Harmony Farms before going to make sure they are in stock (they have been flying off the shelves). The pizzas are intentionally not made at Bella Monica to prevent cross-contamination with the wheat pizzas which are made at the restaurant. The good news is these taste like fresh pizza anyway so no big deal there. The pizzas are cooked in an oven on wire screens which are dedicated to GF Pizzas to also prevent cross-contamination issues during cooking.

ENTREES
In addition to the pizzas, Bella Monica will also have a wide variety of entree dishes they normally serve which can be modified to be Gluten Free. For example - Eggplant, Portobello, Chicken or Sausage Parmigiana can be modified to replace wheat pasta with either spinach or Gluten Free Linguine. All GF pasta will be cooked in separate cookware with separate utensils to ensure no cross-contamination occurs.

Other items like Shrimp Scampi and Shrimp & Grits will use Polenta as a substitute. There are two additional items, Pork Piccatta and Chicken Balsamico which need no substitutes at all. Another item (which I was lucky enough to taste test while Bella Monica was creating this menu) is the Gluten Free Stuffed Shells. If you are familiar with Conte's Pasta then you'll be excited that these are available on the menu. Both the stuffed shells and the GF Linguine are from Conte's. The GF Stuffed Shells are baked in an oven (top rack) and covered with foil to prevent splatter from other items.

APPETIZERS/SALADS
In addition to these wonderful entrees and pizzas, Bella Monica can also offer several appetizers and salads for your GF dining pleasure. Garlic Soup sans croutons, an antipasta plate with gluten free "crostini" (toasts), Portabello with cheese and tomato plate, Polenta, Fresh Mozzarella plate and Chicken Breast skewers are the great sounding appetizers. Salads include House, Caeser, Spinach, Chopped, Arugula and Pear/Goat Cheese salads all served with no croutons.

BEER
In additional to everything above, Bella Monica will also have RedBridge Gluten Free Beer in stock for your beer drinking pleasure. They also have a huge wine selection available if beer is not your thing. I myself prefer Chianti when dining Italian.

OTHER ITEMS OF NOTE
Bella Monica will be serving GF food on special Green plates. The plates will serve as a constant reminder to all kitchen staff and wait staff to take special consideration while preparing your meal. Bella Monica also has a computerized ordering system in which the Gluten Free Diet can be noted. A ticket with this designation will follow your food throughout the preparation and cooking process.

MY TRIAL RUN EXPERIENCE
I dined at Bella Monica recently for my birthday and ordered the GF Stuffed Shells and a Spinach and Tomato GF Flatbread pizza. Both were excellent in taste and I pretty much demolished the entire meal by myself. It was very exciting to be able to dine out on my birthday - something which I didnt really think I could do again (without extreme stress).

INFORMATION
Bella Monica Italian Restaurant
3121 Edwards Mill Rd Ste 103
Raleigh, NC 27612

Note - Please call ahead for reservations and indicate you will be dining Gluten Free to allow the staff at Bella Monica to prepare for your GF meal.

Phone: 881-9778

Hours:
Monday - Friday - Lunch: 11- 2:30pm
Saturday - Lunch: 12- 5pm
Monday - Thursday - Dinner: 5- 10pm
Friday and Saturday - Dinner: 5- 11pm

Web site
Gluten Free menu


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Gluten Free Pizza Update

Gluten Free Pizza is usually a hot topic for people living GF and recently there has been a lot going on with Gluten Free Pizza in the Raleigh area. Keep watching this blog for more detailed information over the next few days/weeks!

Just a couple of quick updates/recap of events...

1. Bella Monica Flatbread Company pizzas were released in December... See posts about it here.
2. Bella Monica Italian Restaurant in NW Raleigh will soon have a brand new Gluten Free menu which features a ton of GF items including the pizzas mentioned above. Should have the final menu and a review of the restaurant posted very soon.
   
3. Rosie's Plate will begin offering Gluten Free Pizza in February.
4. ZPizza (Raleigh and Cary) is now offering Gluten Free Pizza. I have spoken with the ownership of both locations and will be tasting/reviewing the pizza early next week. I have discussed the prep of the pizza and have lots to share that should make people feel safe eating this new pizza.
5. UNO Chicago Grill released GF Pizza nationwide this month, including their Raleigh location at Brier Creek. I plan on tasting/reviewing this pizza as well as soon as possible. I have not yet had discussions with the local ownership (have spoken with corporate folks) about the prep process and my opinion on whether it is safe for GF consumers.

More to come on all of this! Stay tuned.

Bella Monica Update - Facebook Group

I heard from Trevor at the Bella Monica Flatbread Company about the creation of a Facebook group. The group is called Bella Monica FlatBread Company - Gluten Free Pizza and is designed to gather feedback about their products. Check it out if you are a Facebook user.

Bella Monica Flatbread Company - Pizza Tasting

I heard from Trevor at Bella Monica Flatbread Company. He wanted me to know that there will be a tasting of their new Gluten Free Pizzas tomorrow (Saturday 1/10/2009) from 11am to 2pm at Harmony Farms in North Raleigh.

See my previous post about these wonderful pizzas here.

Local Product Spotlight - Bella Monica Flatbread Company

Let's kick off 2009 with a bang! I had teased this in my last post of 2008 - sorry to keep you waiting (I have been enjoying my vacation).

I'd like to be the first to introduce the Bella Monica Flatbread Company. They have been working on creating the best tasting Gluten Free Pizza around for the past several months. I have had the privilege to be one of the first people to taste the retail product and to provide my input. The pizzas are made with Domata Living Flour and made on a dedicated Gluten Free production line which is tested using ELISA to have less than 20 PPM Gluten. Bella Monica Flatbread Company is affiliated with the longstanding Bella Monica Italian Restaurant on Edwards Mill Road in Northwest Raleigh. Stay tuned for more information in an upcoming post about a brand new Gluten Free Menu at Bella Monica. I have sampled the items and was blown away. I've also had the chance to provide the owners/operators with advice on how to safely prepare the new menu items to avoid cross-contamination. STAY TUNED!

The pizzas will be available in 3 different varieties - Margherita, Spinach & Tomato and Mushroom & Herbs in a 10" size. I have had the opportunity to try them all and I'm happy to report that they blow away the competition when it comes to frozen Gluten Free Pizza. My family has also tasted the pizzas and had trouble telling the difference from regular wheat pizza.

Here is what they look like out of the box

And after

As of now, the pizzas are available in Harmony Farms Natural Foods store located on Creedmoor Road in North Raleigh. They should be available on a few GF Grocery online retailers soon. They should also be available in Whole Foods by the end of January.

The following is from Trevor Chambers about how to get the pizzas at your local grocery store...

If your local grocer doesn’t carry Bella Monica FlatBreads then please voice your desire for the product with a manager. Suggestions really work – no matter the size of the stores. Let the manager know he/she can purchase it from United Natural Foods (UNFI) – a national distributor of natural food products. You can even print off their product information sheet located here and give it to the manager.

Stay tuned for more information about additional grocery locations where you can find these awesome Gluten Free Pizzas! And also more information about the new GF Menu at Bella Monica!