CHOP's 10th Annual Celiac Education Day Set for March 15

(Photo credit: Children's Hospital)

Join Children's Hospital of Philadelphia on Sunday, March 15 for the 10th annual Celiac Education Day, hosted by experts from CHOP's Center for Celiac Disease. Patients and families will learn about celiac disease and gluten-free diets at this free event.

News & Notes: January 16, 2015

Pizza Hut's new Pepperoni Gluten-Free Pizza

Pizza Hut is bringing gluten-free pizza to more than a third of its U.S. locations beginning January 26. Customers will be able to order a Cheese-only or Pepperoni Gluten-Free Pizza at select restaurants nationwide.

Backed by an in-store training process designed by the Gluten Intolerance Group, Pizza Hut is utilizing Udi’s Gluten Free crust for the new products. The Cheese-only and Pepperoni Gluten-Free Pizzas are 10 inches and cut into six slices. Pricing starts at $9.99.

First Draft: Ground Breaker Brewing

By Chris Betz

Much has changed since I reviewed three beers from Harvester Brewing last April. The company has a new name, new brews, and has tweaked recipes of old favorites. Ground Breaker Brewing, based in Portland, Oregon, uses ingredients like Willamette Valley chestnuts and Indie hops to brew a variety of beers. Ground Breaker currently has four beers available year round and three seasonal beers, all available in 22-ounce bottles.

Dark Ale (4.5% ABV): A gold medal winner at the 2014 Great American Beer Festival, the Dark Ale features a reformulated recipe using roasted lentils instead of gluten-free oats. While I can't do a side-by-side tasting of the oat-based recipe to the new one, I can say that this beer certainly maintained its body and roasted flavor. The flavors of cocoa nibs and coffee are great in this cold weather. If you are fan of Glutenberg's Red Ale, be sure to give this year-round beer a try.

News & Notes: January 9, 2015

Blue Duck Sandwich Company in Northeast Philly (2859 Holme Ave., 267-686-4687), which received a favorable "two-bell" review this week from Inquirer food critic Craig LaBan, offers sandwiches on gluten-free bread.

Newtown, Bucks County has a few more gluten-free-friendly options. Italian restaurant La Stalla (18 Swamp Rd., 215-579-8301) serves gluten-free pasta prepared in fresh water, as does Friends Bar & Grill (2821 S. Eagle Rd., 215-579-2970). In fact, Friends notes about a quarter of its menu as gluten free, including pizza. The pizza is also available to-go at sister restaurant Dolce Carini, which shares space with Friends.

Scouting for Cookies

As I reported as an exclusive in the November/December 2014 issue of Gluten-Free Living magazine, Girl Scouts of the USA are debuting two gluten-free cookies for this year's cookie sale, which begins this month. In a press release, the organization announced yesterday that the cookies will be available nationwide from most Girl Scout councils. The two new gluten-free offerings include Toffee-tastic - buttery cookies with toffee bits, and Trios - made with real peanut butter, chocolate chips and whole grain oats. Both are certified gluten free. These are different than the chocolate chip shortbread cookies that were test-marketed last year.