Category: Reviews

Nima Gluten Sensor; An Accessory for Dining Out

Tired of asking questions when dining away from home?  Try a gluten sensor.

Nima is the world’s first portable gluten sensor (according to their web site).  I have not tried this technology.  It is suggested to use this sensor any time you are eating away from home, i.e., restaurants, buffets, pot lucks, etc.  To test food for gluten, you place a small piece of food into a one-time-use capsule, and per the Nima web site, it takes approximately 3 minutes to determine if there is hidden gluten. Continue reading “Nima Gluten Sensor; An Accessory for Dining Out”

Best One Piece of Advice for Chefs and Restaurant Owners

Dear Restaurant Owners, Please Train Your Staff!

Dear Restaurant Owners:  Let me start by saying, I am a big fan.  I have tremendous respect for the creativity and the passion it takes to operate a restaurant.  You have a distinctive sense of hospitality and a love of food.  My husband and I share that love of food, and we love dining out.  It’s kind of our hobby!

But when I discovered that I needed to remove gluten from my diet, I thought our dining out days were over.  Soon I learned that with a little information and knowing what questions to ask, I could still eat a meal outside of my home.

Since then, we have dined at many restaurants from coast to coast. We’ve learned the gluten free knowledge of wait staff can vary greatly from restaurant to restaurant.  I have had the pleasure of dining at places with exceptionally well educated wait staff. Unfortunately, I’ve also driven home from dinners doubled over in pain, because our server was not well informed.

So, if I could make a request of all restaurant owners, it would be to educate your wait staff to be well versed in the gluten free items on your menu.  I make this request on behalf of the entire gluten free community.  With a basic knowledge of what ingredients go into the food you are serving and understanding which ingredients contain gluten; your staff can direct us with certainty.

There is a level of comfort to me, as a restaurant patron, knowing that my server understands what gluten free means, and that he/she can guide me through a menu.  And when I am comfortable, I become a regular patron.

Favorite Foods: O’Doughs GF Bagels Have Excellent Texture

Frozen bagels can be too bready whether they are gluten free or non-gluten free.  I love O’Doughs Bagels.  Of all the gf bagels that I have tried, O’Doughs bagels have the texture most similar to a non-gf bagel.  And they are thinner, so they aren’t too filling.  I’ve tried their sandwich thins which are also very good.  They have many products that I haven’t found in any of my local stores, but you can order from their website.  It appears they use a gluten free distributor as an e-commerce source.

Dream Sweets Baking Co. – A Hidden Gem in Upland

Last year, without a cake for my daughter’s birthday and without enough time to make one, I typed “gluten free bakeries” in a Google search.  Dream Sweets Baking Co. came up as an option.  I was thrilled to see that they make gluten free cakes (and they make BEAUTIFUL WEDDING CAKES!), brownies, pies, cupcakes, and breads.  The breads are not sandwich breads but “cake” like breads including zucchini, blueberry lemon, pineapple coconut, and banana to name a few.  I think I’ve tried most of them! Continue reading “Dream Sweets Baking Co. – A Hidden Gem in Upland”