Gluten Free Raleigh Dispatch: 10-2-2009

Gluten Free Raleigh Dispatch: 10-2-2009

• Reminder: Gluten Free 101 Class taught by yours truly tomorrow (10-3) at Rosie's Plate. There are two or three spots left - call Rosie's Plate @ 833-0505 to reserve your spot. Click here for other classes.
• Reminder: In just a little over 2 weeks, I'll be presenting my online Food Allergy poster petition to the Raleigh City Council (10/20/09). Please see here for more information and here to sign the petition (almost 400 signatures and counting). Please click here for more information on entering your poster design.
• Click here to download a FREE "Thanksgiving 101" e-book from Celiac author and expert, Jules Shepard. The 34 page e-book contains great information on having a great Thanksgiving; including tips, a planning time line and 20 recipes. Valid until October 5th. Use coupon code "thanksgiving" when checking out (a $12.95 value).
• I've written in the past about a Gluten Free play-dough called Soy-Yer dough. The founder of that company (a Purdue University senior) named Sawyer Sparks was on the ABC show called Shark Tank this past week. He was seeking an investment of $125,000 for a 25% stake in his company. He ended up getting $300,000 from the Sharks and said he was offered $500,000 from Play-Doh. This is a great sign that the Gluten Free market is extremely viable. FYI - my daughter has been playing with this stuff for 6 months and loves it.
• Some updates on the Gluten Free food marketplace - 1,000 new products introduced in 2008 and another 552 through July 20, 2009. General Mills research shows that up to 12% of US households are interested in reducing their Gluten intake.
• Check out the new official blog from Bella Monica Gluten Free Flatbread Company - http://www.glutenfreepizza.typepad.com/. A pretty funny post is at the top which shows a video of Lee Tobin (Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakehouse Chief) saying that Bella flatbread's are "Awesome". That's saying something, especially since Lee sells his own frozen pizza crust.
• Here is a good article with 10 easy steps on eating successfully Gluten Free at restaurants. Very in depth!
• Check out an upcoming meeting (Tuesday, November 3rd) on Food Hypersensitivities/Allergies hosted by the Raleigh District Dietetic Association. The meeting will be held at 5:30pm at Meredith College (101 Ledford Auditorium) and will feature special guest speaker Ellen Karlin, MS, RD from the American Dietetic Association. Please contact Lindsay Hecht if you have any questions about the meeting. $10 fee payable at the door.
• An interesting blog post from Twin Cakes Bakery on why they bake the way they do.
  

Useful Resources: Soy-Yer Gluten Free Dough

I'd like to share a recent discovery with all of you out there with children who are Gluten Free. For those of us on a Gluten Free Diet, it is important that we stay away from conventional modeling dough/clay like Hasbros' Playdough - it contains gluten. Same with Crayola's Dough product.

But playing with Playdough is like a childhood requirement, right? I have been searching for some time for a Gluten Free Dough product without much luck. We're lucky that Hasbro and Crayola actually tell us anything about the ingredients of their products - they are pretty secretive with the formulas.

Back in January, I read a New York Times article featuring a Purdue University student named Sawyer Sparks who had stumbled onto a Gluten Free Dough product after failed attempts at making Gluten Free Beer. The product was originally called Soy-Doh but has recently been changed to Soy-Yer Dough - I guess a play on his name and the fact that Soy is the main ingredient. I began emailing with Sawyer Sparks in January after reading the article. I wanted to post about this great product then but I had difficulty getting my hands on some. Sawyer seemed a little overwhelmed by all the press and I think was swamped by Gluten Free consumers looking for his product. Also, at that time, there was not a user-friendly way to order the product. Sawyer let me know that some changes were underway and that a brand new Web site with an easy ordering system was coming soon.

The brand new Web site is now available at http://www.soy-yer.com. Soy-Yer Dough comes in 11 different colors/scents like Blue/Blueberry, Yellow/Banana or Pink/Watermelon. Each 6 oz. container runs about $2. You also have the choice to buy a variety pack which includes all 11 varieties for $20 - a cost savings of $2. I ordered this variety pack and played with it yesterday. The dough has the same look and feel as normal Playdough and the scents are a nice added feature. In addition to their Gluten Free dough, Soy-Yer also comes in a Soy free version as well.