Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop

It's the time of year to enjoy ice cream, Italian ices and other tasty treats. Check out my post about the dessert options around the Triangle. It talks about Dairy Queen, Baskin Robbins, Cold Stone Creamery, Goodberry's, Rita's and Carvel.

Thanks to Lauren over at Gluten Free Chapel Hill for doing the digging on Ben & Jerry's Gluten Free options. Ben & Jerry's has 3 Raleigh locations - 3801 Hillsborough Street (NCSU), 4217 Six Folks Road (North Hills) and 7490 Creedmoor Road (Stonehenge).

From Lauren's post - the following is a list of gluten free options that you can get in a cup at Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop:

Ice Cream
Butter Pecan
Cherry Garcia
Chocolate Fair Trade
Chocolate Macadamia
Chunky Monkey
Coffee Fair Trade
Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz Buzz
Mint Chocolate Chunk
New York Super Fudge Chunk
Orange & Cream
Phish Food
Strawberry
Triple Caramel Chunk
Vanilla Fair Trade
Vanilla Heath Bar Crunch

Yogurt
Black Raspberry Swirl LF Yogurt
Strawberry Banana LF Yogurt
Vanilla LF Yogurt

Sorbet
Berry Berry Extraordinary
Lemonade
Mango Mango
Strawberry Kiwi

No Sugar Added (NSA)
NSA Vanilla Fudge Chip

Ben & Jerry's say that you should let your ice cream scooper know if you have food allergies so that he or she can take any extra precautions to ensure your safety. Also, according to the website the hot fudge, caramel, and butterscotch sauces that the scoop shops serve are completely gluten free.

You can go here to read Ben & Jerry’s allergen statement concerning their ice cream that can be bought in grocery stores.

Rosie's Plate Update - Allergy Free Cakes

I recently received the following email from the folks over at Rosie's Plate.
It looks like Rosie's Plate is now offering 18 in. by 12 in. Sheet Cakes ($65), 8 in. yellow Layer Cakes and Chocolate Cakes ($40) in addition to their yellow and chocolate cupcakes (which are yummy). You have your choice of 4 frosting varieties to choose from as well (white, chocolate, light green or corn-free sugar glaze). This should help with those difficult birthday cake issues we all deal with.

*Birthdays* School Parties *Events *Holidays

Finally an allergy free cake that looks, tastes and feels just like a regular cake! Everyone will enjoy it whether they have diet restrictions or not...in fact no one will be able to tell the difference!

Rosie's Plate offers delicious gluten-free yellow cake and gluten, egg and dairy free chocolate cake and cupcakes for every occasion! Check out our website for details www.RosiesPlate.com.

We look forward to helping you with your next celebration!

Check out their cake page here for more information.

Twin's Kitchen - Full Service Gluten Free Company

I have briefly mentioned Twin's Kitchen in some previous posts but would like to go a little further this time. I first discovered the Twins when I stumbled onto their Twin Cake's Bakery items at the Moore's Square Farmer's Market in Downtown Raleigh this summer. The Twins (twin sister/business partner/best friend duo), also known as Lori and Michelle Corso, have been living Gluten Free for the last 2 years after experiencing medical issues for most of their lives. They are not medically diagnosed as Celiac but are 100% committed to living the Gluten Free Lifestyle. I tried a few of their delicious dessert items (chocolate cake, cupcakes, brownies, cookies, etc...) and was blown away. I have tried just about all the GF dessert options from grocery stores in the area (I have a huge sweet tooth) and was NOT impressed. On most occasions, I can immediately tell when something is Gluten Free just by its taste and texture, especially dessert items. This is NOT true for Twin Cakes Bakery items. Click here for a sample menu of what they offer. It seems like they can make just about anything to satisfy your sweet tooth.

I have had the chance to meet the Twins on several occasions and have had interaction with them via email and phone conversations. They told me in a recent conversation that "Twin Cakes came about when we noticed that there really was no place here in Raleigh or the surrounding areas that baked fresh, natural, allergy friendly desserts. Although we cannot accommodate every allergy, our bakery's focus is always to provide gluten, egg, dairy and peanut free desserts, as well as using only natural sugars (nothing processed) and providing some soy free items. We wanted a place where anybody, food allergies or not, can come and find something that they can enjoy. Even non-allergy suffers have enjoyed our delicious treats. We bake our goods in small batches while using high quality ingredients that have been approved by the twins. Our state inspected kitchen is a dedicated gluten, egg, dairy and peanut free facility!".

They went on to state "Our mission is to show others through our food and desserts that having a gluten, egg, dairy, and peanut free lifestyle can be full of flavor, variety, deliciousness and satisfaction. We want to show people, whether you chose or medically have to be gluten free or vegan, the meal options are endless. Not only will you be supporting a local company, but by incorporating more whole grains, fruits and vegetables (from local farmers), and eating less food out of a box, you will be saving the environment by creating less waste. Here at Twin Cakes, we use biodegradable containers and use local and organic ingredients whenever possible". Lori and Michelle have dreams of opening a retail outlet for their Twin Cakes Bakery at some point in the future.

As I did more research on their website, http://www.twinskitchen.com/, I discovered that the Twins also offered many other Gluten Free food services. They are for-hire Personal Chefs who will help you plan meals for you and your family, do the grocery shopping and actually prepare the meals in your home for you. In addition, I noticed that they also offer catering services for events like Birthday parties, Baby showers, Romantic dinners, Anniversaries, Holiday get-togethers, Fundraisers, Cocktail and dinner parties, Girls' night (Grey's Anatomy Night), Movie marathon, etc... They will take care of all the menu planning, shopping, cooking, set up and clean up.

They recently told me the following about their Twins Kitchen concept "We want to create an ultimate dining experience at home by creating dishes that use high quality ingredients. We offer different meal packages where a person or family can get a week, two weeks or even a month of prepared meals. Let us do the menu planning, grocery shopping, cooking, and provide all the dishes that are used for meal preparation, so you gain more time to do what you love or enjoy. Having a personal chef is a cost-efficient alternative to dining out. Have you ever calculated how much time and money you may spend eating out, picking food up, making trips to the store, and preparing food or throwing food away? Let Twins Kitchen create healthy meals that are individually packaged to provide a quick healthy alternative to your average food choices. We believe in high customer service where we do our best to customize our food offerings to each person's needs. We strive to make unique menus that can be enjoyed by all, not just gluten free, vegan eaters. We use gluten free whole grains, natural sugars, local and organic produce, and a variety of seasonings to create good healthy food that is uncompromisingly delicious".

Sounds good to me!

Here is a sample menu from their website for their personal chef option.

• Raw Thai coleslaw salad
• Sautéed spinach and mushrooms with garlic and crisp shallots on top
• Goat cheese arugula salad with roasted walnuts
• Roasted squash medley served with quinoa
• Butternut squash and chickpea stew served over amaranth
• Tarragon zucchini pizza with goat brie
• Lemongrass Risotto
• Mini spinach burgers

While I have yet to give the Twins Personal Chef or Catering service a try, I encourage you to try Twins Kitchen if you get the chance. This Blog is about providing exposure to local companies who cater to our specific dietary needs and this company seems to provide the most comprehensive services for Gluten Free diets in this area. If you have already tried them out or plan to do so in the future, please leave a comment about your experience. I will provide a follow-up in the future once I know more.

If you are wondering about their pricing (Personal Chefs sounds expensive doesn't it), see the following from their FAQ page.

Is it expensive? No. Compare the cost of grocery shopping combined with all the days you either eat out or grab fast food and food that ends up in the trash. Also take into account all the time wasted driving to and from the store or restaurant. By hiring Twins Kitchen as your personal chefs, you can relax and enjoy affordable home-cooked meals in the privacy of your own home.

Do you offer any discounts? Yes, we offer 20% discount off your first service with Twins Kitchen Personal Chef Service.

As I have mentioned before, you can give their Twin Cakes Bakery options a try at the North Hills Farmer's Market held each Saturday from 8am to noon.

Please contact the Twins for more information via email at customerservice@twinskitchen.com or call 919-306-5304. Feel free to also check out their blog at http://twinskitchen-news.blogspot.com/.

ENJOY!

Useful Resources - Gluten Free Desserts

One of the difficult areas of being gluten free is dessert time. Regular cakes, cookies, brownies, pies, ice cream cones and more are now off limits. This area can be a real drag. Luckily a few dessert goodies were not taken from us. For example, there are ice creams and Italian ices out there which are completely gluten free. Here is my listing a few places I have tried recently when hungering for that dessert snack.

Dairy Queen
DQ has a page on their website specifically for GF goodies. You can have their Chocolate, Vanilla or swirl soft serve as long as you get it in a plastic cup. No cones or waffle cones allowed. If you so please, you can also get the following toppings on your soft serve ice cream; Chocolate, Hot Fudge, Marshmallow, Butterscotch, Strawberry or Caramel. DQ also usually has a freezer with take home frozen goodies. The following frozen treats are also GF; Fudge Bar, Vanilla Orange Bar and Dilly Bars. DQ also goes on to list that many of their Blizzard choices are GF but I usually stay away from these because there is only one machine used to make Blizzards and a non-GF Blizzard (like cookie dough) could have been mixed just before yours. There are six DQ's in the Raleigh area (2 in Cary, 3 in Raleigh and 1 in Clayton).
NOTE: None of DQ's ice cream cakes are Gluten Free.

Baskin Robbins
Baskin Robbins is a favorite of mine (especially when attached to a Dunkin Donuts). I have loved their Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream my whole life. Luckily for me, it and many others are gluten free. See Baskin Robbin's Allergen page here for more information. A good thing to remember here is to have the person getting the ice cream get a new scoop or thoroughly clean the scoop they are about to use to avoid cross contamination. There are 11 locations around Raleigh (6 in Raleigh, 1 each in Knightdale, Cary, Morrisville, Clayton and Fuquay).
NOTE: None of Baskin Robbin's ice cream cakes are Gluten Free.

Cold Stone Creamery
Cold Stone is relatively new to the Raleigh area compared to the first two places in the list. I got the chance to experience their regular products before I was diagnosed Celiac. Everything I had tried previously was excellent. This is the place that will take an entire candy bar and mix it into your ice cream of choice. Cold Stone's Allergen fact sheet can be found here in pdf format. It looks like they may update this regularly so in case that pdf changes, their Nutrition Information page is located here. They again have a lot of yummy choices available. It's also a good idea at Cold Stone to ask them to clean or get new scoops and ice cream utensils before preparing your treats. There are 5 locations around Raleigh (2 in Raleigh, 1 each in Cary, Apex and Garner).
NOTE: None of Cold Stone's ice cream cakes are Gluten Free.

Goodberry's
Goodberry's is a local creamery that serves up frozen custard in a variety of flavors. From this page about their ingredients, you can clearly see they are all about only the best ingredients along with not adding anything unnecessary to their product. Their simple ingredients list is milk, cream, eggs, pure cane sugar and honey. Naturally you can see all of these things are Gluten Free. Where to watch out at Goodberry's is their products and toppings that contain items like cookies or brownies. Same goes with their scoops here as well. There are 7 area Goodberry's locations (3 in Raleigh, 2 in Cary, 1 in Garner and Wake Forest). They also have their product available at the RBC Center during Carolina Hurricanes games.
NOTE: Goodberry's frozen custard cakes are made to order and can be GF. Call to inquire.

Rita's Italian Ice
Rita's is a little bit different but just as yummy. They feature Italian Ice, Cream Ice, Custard or a mix of Ice and Custard called Gelati. All are extremely tasty. I first discovered Rita's while visiting family in the North Eastern U.S. during summer time. But recently, several Rita's have opened here in the Raleigh area. Rita's Ice Nutrition page can be found here. There is a link on that page to Allergen Information in pdf format that can be found here. All their Italian Ice and Custard flavors are Gluten Free. Just watch out for some of the Cream Ice flavors like Birthday Cake and Cookie's n Cream. Rita's has the following area locations; Raleigh (coming soon at The Shoppes at Oberlin Court), Knightdale, Apex and Cary.

Carvel
Carvel also offers a ton of tasty ice cream goodies. Since they do not have any retail stores in this area (except at RDU Airport), I will focus on their ice cream cakes. Their ice cream cakes can be found in just about any grocery store in Raleigh. They have the following FAQ page about Gluten where you can clearly see which of their items are Gluten Free. From this page Carvel states...

"Most of our ice creams are gluten-free. However, the chocolate crunchies that are found in our ice cream cakes and the sprinkles put on top are not gluten-free. If you contact a Carvel retail store nearest you, they will be more then happy to substitute the crunchies for something else, such as fudge. They will also be more then happy to not put any sprinkles on the cake."

As you can see from the above, Carvel seems to be the most flexible in making special order ice cream cakes without crunchies and sprinkles. To bad they don't have any retail stores in the area in which to order from. So the word on these cakes if you see them in the grocery store is to stay away, they are NOT Gluten Free.

ENJOY!