Tuesday, August 24, 2021

Step Beyond Celiac 5K Set For Sept. 26


Beyond Celiac's Step Beyond Celiac 5K will be off and running at FDR Park in Philadelphia on September 26, 2021. The live walk/run starts at 8 a.m. and there is a virtual option available.

All participants receive a Step Beyond Celiac 5K shirt if they register before the t-shirt deadline. The race fee is $35 and registration ends September 24, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. EDT.

Register here and select Team Gluten Free Philly.

Beyond Celiac is closely monitoring the COVID-19 pandemic along with CDC and local health department guidelines. COVID-19 vaccination is encouraged; masks are required of all participants based on current City of Philadelphia mandates. Participants exhibiting any symptoms of COVID-19 are asked not to participate in this Step Beyond Celiac 5K. If it is determined that the event cannot take place in person, the 5K will become a 100 percent virtual event.

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

What's New at Expo West

Expo West, the annual gourmet, organic and specialty food show that takes place in California every spring, is happening virtually this year due to the pandemic. Nonetheless, there are several new gluten-free products being formally introduced at this year's event. 

Cappello's has launched three varieties of almond flour ravioli that can be found in the frozen aisle of Whole Foods Market locations across the country: Five Cheese, Butternut Squash and Spinach & Cheese. Five Cheese is a blend of ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, fontina and asiago cheeses; Butternut Squash; and Spinach & Cheese with ricotta. 


Taste Republic is expanding its line of grain-free refrigerated pastas with the addition of cauliflower gnocchi. Each pasta serving includes one serving of vegetables. It's sold at Target stores.


Lakeview Farms' newest line, Tribe Mezze Dips, is a collection of Mediterranean-inspired ready-to-serve refrigerated deli dips and spreads. Three feta-based dips include Red Pepper, Roasted Garlic and Spicy Tomato. The Original Style Tzatziki is made with Greek yogurt, cucumber and dill, while the Mediterranean Layered Dip is made with hummus, tzatziki, red peppers and herbs.

Hopefully, this fall's Expo East, slated for Philadelphia, will proceed as scheduled with lots of new products and, of course, samples!

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

What's New for Passover 2021

While COVID-19 is likely to again prevent families from gathering in person to commemorate the Jewish holiday of Passover, they can still have seders virtually using Facetime and Zoom.

This year, Passover begins the evening of Saturday, March 27 and ends the evening of Sunday, April 4. It's a time when many more gluten-free products are available at supermarkets. This grew out of the observance of certain segments of the Jewish population refraining from eating any wheat products during Passover. The packaging of many gluten-free products is expressly labeled as such, while others have a "non-gebrokts" notation. (As always, read the ingredient label before buying and consuming a particular item.)

I've been chronicling new gluten-free Passover items for many years (you can read prior posts here), and this year there additions to the Seder table, though the pandemic has curtailed the roll-out of many more. Locally, many Passover products can be found at ShopRite markets, particularly the one on Route 70 in Cherry Hill (Garden State Pavilions) and Wegmans stores.

Kosher food manufacturer Kayco, which owns the Manischewitz brand, will be introducing new gluten-free products under various brand names (you can find all of Kayco's gluten-free products here.) The best-selling gluten-free matzo brand, Yehuda, returns with Original, Everything, Egg and other varieties. Yehuda also has gluten-free matzo meal, cake meal and crackers.

This year, there are several new products under the Manischewitz label, including mini macaroons in coconut, chocolate and birthday cake flavors.


This year, also look for new Gefen-branded coconut S'mores, made with coconut, dark chocolate and tiny marshmallows.

Paskesz has two new gluten-free breakfast cereals for the holiday: Choco Fillos are crunchy cereal pillows that come in hazelnut and chocolate flavors.


Also check the frozen-food section of your local market for even more varieties of gluten-free Passover pizzas and pizza bagels, blintzes, knishes and other items.

About a week or two before the start of Passover, supermarkets receive their shipments of fresh gluten-free cakes and cookies from New York bakeries such as Oberlander'sLilly's Bake Shoppe and Schick's. Look for sandwich, black-and-white and rainbow cookies, cake rolls, decorative and layer cakes.

If you want to try "Mexican Coke" (made with cane sugar rather than high-fructose corn syrup), Passover Coca-Cola will be available in the Philadelphia area and other regions. Look for bottles with distinctive yellow caps.

Prices of some Passover foods tend to be higher than their non-holiday counterparts, so I suggest buying one of a particular item to see if you like it before stocking up. Keep an eye on Passover sections after the second night of the holiday, when markets tend to cut prices on whatever products are left.

Tuesday, February 2, 2021

CHOP Virtual Celiac Education Day Slated for March 7


Each year, the Celiac Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia provides children with celiac disease and their caregivers with a state-of-the-art, multidisciplinary educational program. While the 2021 event will look a little different — it’s all virtual — it will contain the same, high-quality presentations for families.

The 16th Annual Celiac Education Day is open to CHOP families from near and far who want to:

• Hear evidence-based lectures about celiac disease research and advances from respected experts in the field

• Learn about how celiac disease presents in childhood and adolescence

• Understand the importance of adhering to a gluten-free diet – and where to access support and resources if needed

• Learn how to safely eat gluten free in school and restaurants

Event Details

Sunday, March 7, 2021*

8:30 a.m. – Noon

To register or learn more details about this event, visit https://www.eventbrite.com/e/celiac-education-day-2021-registration-123510700831.

After you register, a link will be sent to your email the week before the event. Please do not share the link with others.

* The deadline to register for this event is March 4, 2021.

For more information or if you have any questions, please contact the Celiac Center at 215-590-3076 or email celiaccenter@email.chop.edu.