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Celiac.com 04/15/2016 - Among the winners in the eighth annual British Pie Awards in Melton Mowbray, The Rutland Pie Company, based in Pillings Road, Oakham, was highly commended in the dessert pie class. Rutland's head pie maker Ian Curtis also won a gold award for his steak, ale and mushroom pie; silver for a cold chicken, ham and leek pie, and bronze for his gluten-free steak, ale and mushroom pie. Curtis said: "This is only our first proper year of trading so to be recognized at the British Pie Awards is fantastic - I'm really proud. I was particularly pleased my gluten-free pie was recognized. It took a lot of effort to get the recipe right - using a mix of rice, tapioca and potato flours. It's great that local pie makers are getting the recognition they deserve." Matthew O'Callaghan, chairman of the British Pie Awards, was full of praise for those who earn a crust producing top quality pies. He offered his "sincere thanks to all involved, including our judges, sponsors, volunteers and of course, all our wonderful pie makers." Winning chefs wowed a panel of top pie experts, including TV chef Andy Bates, food critic Charles Campion and chef Rachel Green. Meanwhile, those in the Oakham area looking for a good gluten-free pie might want to stop by the The Rutland Pie Company in Pillings Road. Read more at the Stamfordmercury.co.uk.

Celiac.com 01/20/2014 - Word is out that Kobe Bryant is looking to help the Los Angeles Lakers shed weight with high protein, gluten-free, Paleo-style diet plan that is high in healthy fats. In an interview with the Healthy Home Economist, LA Lakers trainer Gary Vitti says that Kobe's diet is rich in grass-fed beef and free-range eggs, and that any food containing corn syrup or gluten is strictly forbidden. The article quotes Vitti as reciting the dangers of a low-fat diet, and saying that "Kobe is not following the USDA Food Pyramid – in fact, he’s following the inverse." Says Vitti, Kobe is focused on "getting traditional fats into his diet and the wrong fats out." The Lakers even have a name for their plan. It’s called PRO Nutrition, short for Performance, Recovery and Orthogenesis. The diet has many Laker players boasting of faster injury recovery, and less joint soreness than last season. So will the gluten-free, high-fat, high protein diet pay dividends for the Lakers? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below, and stay tuned. Source: http://www.examiner.com/article/kobe-bryant-helps-lakers-shed-weight-with-high-protein-gluten-free-low-carb-diet

Update: Dunkin' Donuts has released the following statement to Gluten-Free Living: "In 2013, we tested a gluten-free Cinnamon Sugar Donut and Blueberry Muffin in select markets. We are currently assessing the results of this test, as well as feedback from our guests and franchisees, and we do not have plans to launch these products nationally at this time. We are continuing to develop additional gluten-free products for future tests, and we remain committed to exploring ways to offer our guests gluten-free choices." Celiac.com 01/30/2014 - Why is Dunkin' Donuts taking so long to debut gluten-free versions of its famous treats? First came the whispers of test marketing and then the official announcement, but then…? For more than a year, donut lovers who avoid dietary gluten due to celiac disease or other conditions have been eagerly awaiting the chance to sink their teeth into a gluten-free donut from Dunkin'. For its part, the company seems intent on getting gluten-free right. They have spent a great deal of time, and I assume money, creating a reliable, safe gluten-free production and distribution chain. From source materials to dedicated gluten-free production facility to special production methods, to comprehensive training and service, Dunkin' looks to be taking its gluten-free donut rollout with the utmost seriousness. For a more detailed account of Dunkin's much anticipated gluten-free donut rollout, Venessa Wong has an excellent article in Bloomberg Businessweek.

Celiac.com 06/03/2011 - The folks at Disney are earning major kudos from people with celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and other food allergies. That's because for more than a decade, Disney has worked to provide information and options for guests with food allergies. In 2011, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts received an award recognizing its leadership and commitment in the area of food-allergy awareness by the Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network. Disney's journey from a provider of traditional food offerings to a leader in best practices for food allergies began 12 years ago when a Disneyland Resort chef received phone call from a mother concerned about gluten-free options for her child. Since that time, Disney has worked to craft an extensive food program that offers meals to suit the needs of guests with food allergies and other dietary preferences. According to Disney network chief executive officer, Julia Bradsher, Disney's Parks and Resorts operation has the most extensive program that she is aware of. She adds that the parks have "been doing this for quite some time, so I think they were ahead of the curve." Disneyland Resort recently set up a web page that lists comprehensive information to help guests make informed decisions about where they can find food in the parks meets their needs. The company has also set up a special hotline number where park guests can call ahead with specific food requests. That number is 714-781-DINE. If you’re planning a trip to Walt Disney World and would like to call ahead to discuss special dietary needs, guests may call 407-824-5967. Certified executive chef Bill Orton says that “the resort helps thousands of visitors" with their dietary needs, and handles most needs immediately.

Celiac.com 10/21/2010 - Jolly Pumpkin master-brewer Ron Jeffries just took home a gold medal from Denver's annual Great American Beer Festival. This is important, because the beer, Jolly Pumpkin's Belipago India Pale Ale, won in the "Specialty Beer" category against beers made with traditional malted barley. That's right, a gluten-free beer won in a respected competition against beers malted with barley. For beer lovers, and gluten-free people, and gluten-free beer lovers that is an earth-shaking achievement. Since their debut, Jeffries and Jolly Pumpkin have racked up a slew of awards for their unique, oak-aged artisanal sour beers, including a gold medal for their Oro De Calabaza, a strong Belgian ale brewed in the Franco-Belgian tradition of a Biere De Garde. However, Jeffries will tell you that path of Jolly Pumpkin was not an easy one. "It's still difficult to sell sour beer, it was even more difficult seven years ago when we first opened," says Jeffries, fresh off winning a gold medal at the Great American Beer Festival for his Belgian-style, gluten-free India Pale Ale, "Belipago." Jolly Pumpkin has been well received over the years at the GABF. The fact that Jolly Pumpkin's prizes are a reflection of the beloved following the beer has developed among its legions of fans, seems like the icing on the cake for Jeffries. "It wouldn't be a lot of fun if we won all these awards but then everybody said, 'We just don't like your beer,'" Jeffries says. "It's fantastic to have everyone enjoying the beer than to have that validated, if you will, by a group of judges. That feels pretty nice too." Jeffries says he created Belipago as a beer for anyone to enjoy, not just a specialty beer for people with celiac disease and gluten intolerance. The challenge was finding a recipe that yielded a great beer without using malted barley or wheat, traditional brewing ingredients, which contain the protein gluten. They started small, and slowly developed and improved the recipe, Jeffries says, in part because "brewing gluten-free was all new to me. I didn't really enjoy the flavor of other gluten-free beers out there. It was important to me to brew something that craft beer drinkers could enjoy." In the end, Jeffries devised a recipe for a dry hopped, Belgian-style IPA, that incorporated sorghum, agave, chestnuts and other components. The resulting beer, Golden Manatee Belipago has a more pronounced floral hop character than most other Jolly Pumpkin beers, with hints of spice. According to official tasting notes, the beer pours with a golden brown color with a white head, and features a huge and citrusy aroma, medium heavy mouthfeel, with an explosion of citrus and flower notes followed by a nice bitterness. The yeast was very pronounced too, very nice. Finish had more citrus and some spice. A refreshing and very good Belgian-style IPA. On his victory, Jeffries says "I think we succeeded in accomplishing what we wanted to do with the beer. To win against regular malt beers with a gluten-free beer, that was very satisfying. I wanted to make sure that people wouldn't say, 'Well, that was good for a gluten-free beer.'" Jeffries plans to first grow distribution for Belipago through local drafts before he moves to bottling. He explained that small technical issues remain before they can begin bottling the beer commercially, but they are working to make that happen as soon as possible. "We have had a lot of interest about Belipago," Jeffries says.