Saturday, May 7, 2011

Today I Went to Market...a Celiac Market!

I took my daughter today to the 2nd Annual Calgary Celiac Market. It was the first time we had gone, having missed the one last year. Though there was not a large number of vendors, they were more than enough- the quality and variety of product and services offered were fantastic. They also had one thing in common no matter what they were offering- good tasting food that happens to be for celiacs. (I should note that there was a spa and a makeup line too- dedicated to going above and beyond the gluten free status.) I will apologize ahead of time for not including all the vendors in this post. I had not planned on making a post about my visit until after the fact, and there was no vendors list that was available. So that being said, here are some of the highlights.
The first table we came across was JorDan distributing. They specialize in gluten free pasta imported from Italy. It is made with a rice and corn flour combination. This pasta looked good even in the packaging. The vendor sold us though when he said that the texture was even better than the corn or rice pastas on the market that we were familiar with. When we came home from the market, my daughter set to work at making herself a pot of her new gf pasta. The first thing she noticed was that the water did not look as murky, nor did it even become sludge-like while cooking. When rinsed, the pasta did not yield the customary grit either. With eager anticipation she added butter and dove in...with a "wow" soon after. I then sampled a bite- it was nearly indistinguishable from regular pasta. I think it may be better. It was not mushy, not gritty, and had a pleasing spring in the bite that is much like good non gf al dente pasta. http://www.glutenfreepasta.ca/
Another notable is a newbie...literally- officially in business for a week! Edible Rebellion makes very yummy gluten free granola. My daughter is not a fan of granola, but she loved this granola. She is still raving about it! Look for them on facebook or twitter. 
Next stop is The Gluten Free General Storehttp://glutenfreegeneralstore.ca/index.php A friendly husband and wife team who have personally tried all the products that they sell. But better than that, they deliver to your home if you live in Calgary and area- charging only $3.50 for delivery for orders under $200. Food prices are also very competitive, often less than grocery store prices.
At the table across from the GF General Store was the author of Gems of Gluten Free Baking, Wendy Turnbull. Though I did not get the opportunity to meet her (as she was talking to someone about her book), it was explained to me that her recipes are made with her own gluten free flour combination that incorporates whole grains for nutrition, and provide an excellent consistency to the final product. While adding this from Amazon.com, I noticed that it has excellent reviews too. People rave at how good the end result tastes, as well as having excellent texture. In the book she also provides the flour recipe for baking success. Will let you know with an update when I try a recipe or two out!


Here are a few other vendor mentions:


Judy G gluten-free: Amazing tasting gluten free pizza! http://www.judygfoods.com/g/Judy_G_Gluten_Free
Mia Bella Beauty: Gluten free makeup made with natural minerals and soy protein. miabella@telus.net
Community Natural Foods: http://www.communitynaturalfoods.com/ Have Calgary locations and sell online.
Calgary Gluten Free Store: www.calgaryglutenfree.com
Lakeview on 90th: Fresh gf baking. glutenfree90th@gmail.com
Jam Goddess: jamgoddess@shaw.ca
Gluten Free Marketplace: http://www.glutenfreemarketplace.ca/
Effective Health Solutions: www.effectivehealth.ca Shop, clinic and spa- that is very celiac friendly on all fronts. Holistic Nutritionist, Marie-Claude Beaulieu is a Celiac herself. She seeks to provide a whole health experience for visitors- celiacs included!
Coco Brooks: www.cocobrooks.com Yummy pizza for all, with a large selection of frozen gf pizzas. My daughter bought one for herself to try. Will let you know her verdict. I have eaten their non gf pizza before, so I have confidence that the gf ones will be good as well.
GF Patisserie: I have a particular soft spot for this bakery- they are in my backyard! (Cochrane, AB) Their flour mix is phenomenal, and works well for substitutions that call for non gf flour. Other than that, all I can say is yummy- from gf goodies to gf staples, we have never been disappointed. They do birthday cakes too that my son(a non celiac) says are better than regular cake. http://www.gfpatisserie.com/ We missed the cupcakes though that they were bringing to the market- got there too late before they were all gone...
For anyone that I missed (and I know there were more)- please comment and add yourself to the vendors that I have listed here. Or comment on my facebook page if you like. Hope to see all of you and more next year! Thank you for a terrific market for Celiacs. 


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Welcome! I look forward to any feedback, suggestions, tips, or experiences you may have living as (or with) a Celiac. Please share!