Welcome to Gluten Free in SD (San Diego)
The goal of Gluten Free in SD is to provide useful and accurate information about living gluten free in San Diego. Also included are resources that provide additional information about celiac disease and gluten-free diets. Comments, suggestions, and recommendations are encouraged to keep this website up-to-date and as useful as possible. Please use the Contact Us section of the website – all input will be greatly appreciated.
The following are some of the events that will occur or news items that have been reported within the last month (dates indicate when the information was added). The most recent or most urgent are in red type.
- Cooking Class: Thursday, March 8, 10:30 am at Great News! Cookware & Cooking School in PB. "Gluten Free Favorites" taught by Chef Katherine Emmenegger will talk about adjusting recipes and understanding the variety of flour substitutions. $54. More info.
- Dinner at Trail Eatery: Saturday, March 10 at The Trails Neighborhood Eatery. Every second Saturday in 2012 they are featuring a 4-course prix fixe menu. On the second Saturday in March (the 10th) they will be featuring Chef Betsy G's gluten-free creations and "great gluten-free ales".
- Cooking Class: Thursday, April 12 at 10:30 AM at Great News! Cookware & Cooking School in PB. "Gluten Free Baking Basics", taught by Chef Katherine Emmenegger will demystify the often puzzling experience of baking gluten-free. $54 More info.
- Ask a Doc Series: The GlutenFreely website has started an "Ask a Doc Series". Dr. Stephano Guandalini from the University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center is shown in short YouTube clips answering commonly asked questions concerning celiac disease. 1/21
- GF Beer Review: Read a negative review of GF beers on Chow.com: "Gluten-Free: Not for Beer Geeks". 2/1
- Paris GF Bakery: Read about the first all-gluten-free bakery in Paris on a cookbook author's website. Helmet Newcake. 2/2
- GF Summer Camp: July 20 - August 3 at Camp Fire USA Camp Nawakwa in the San Bernardino Mountains near Big Bear. For ages 7 -15. This is the first summer camp offered by the Celiac Disease Foundation that is based in Los Angeles. $400 per camper, some sponsorships available. All food gluten-free. Space limited. More info or call the CDF office at 818-990-2354.
- CSA Mentoring Program: The CSA San Diego Chapter Mentoring Program is up and running again. Read more about how you can receive one-on-one guidance with the tricky gluten-free diet, or how you can sign up to be a mentor.
(also see "Resources - Cooking" and "SD Resources - Food")
- Kid-Friendly Gluten-Free Recipes: Living without has downloadable ebooks, many of which are cookbooks. One of these books is titled "Kid-Friendly and Gluten-Free Recipes, which costs $8.95 to download. 1/27
- Gluten Free Streusel Topping: See a recipe for it on GlutenFreeHelp.info. One person on the celiac listserv site reported it as "to die for". 1/21
(also see "SD Restaurants" and "SD Resources - Food")
- Boston's Pizza & Sports Bar: Encinitas. Don B. reports that this restaurant is now closed. 1/31
- Restaurants by area: Restaurants in the San Diego area that directly address gluten-free on their menus are now listed by general area. This is partially due to the large number of restaurants that are doing this. Yay! See SD Restaurants by Area. 1/27
- Chick-fil-A:Their recent press release discusses the new gluten-free kid's meal that contains grilled chicken nuggets. See a discussion of this and the new Buddy Fruits Blended Fruit To Go on the Truimph Dining blog.1/26
- Legoland: Read a blog about a recent tourist's visit to Legoland, which includes photos of their GF meals. Gluten Free Living Now Blogspot 1/12
- Del Mar Rendevous: Del Mar. "I had dinner at Del Mar Rendezvous in Del Mar Plaza last night.
Excellent Chinese food by any measure. Very attentive service. They have a large gluten free menu with 20 items or so, including several noodle dishes and soups. Plenty of seafood, chicken and beef choices. No pork, as all their pork is cooked with traditional soy sauce. I also did not notice any duck on the gluten free menu. I didn't look at their menu with gluten items. We both were very pleased with the available selection and the quality of the food." Tim Mc. 1/6 More info.
- New GF Subway sandwiches: These GF sandwiches are not yet available in San Diego, but will probably be coming if they do well in other parts of the country. The following is a comment from someone in Oregon. " The taste is good, but the price was not a good deal. For a sandwich the size of a bagel, you are charged for a 6-inch sub, and then they add another dollar for being gf bread." 2/1
- Rim Talay Thai Cuisine: Oceanside. "Found a wonderful gluten-free friendly Thai restaurant in downtown Oceanside. The menu reads: 'Please request that your dish be cooked with gluten free sauces, vegetarian style, or without nuts.' A friend had their GF red curry special and I had GF chicen pad thai. Delicious and great presentation." Carol H. to SD GF Food Expo Facebook wall. 1/12 rimtalayoceanside.webs.com
- AubreyRose Tea Room: La Mesa. Michele Wright wrote:
"If you haven't been here you need to go!! The food is amazing! It is a tea lunch which includes sandwiches, fruit, tea and yummy desserts." The San Diego "Enjoying Life Without Gluten!" meetup group is having an event there in February. 1/11 AubreyRose Tea Room
- Legends Bistro at the La Costa Resort and Spa: "“Who knew they had a gluten-free menu? No one, because they
don’t seem to advertise it anywhere. However, if you ask for it, you can a great menu with better
selections than the regular menu. I enjoyed a chicken pasta dish that was delicious!” Debbie Toon, 1/13 For Debbie's complete review, see her blog "Gluten Free in San Diego"
- Cohn restaurants with GF menus: From Debbie Shumaker, Representative for the Cohn Restaurants: "The following locations have separate Gluten Free menus:
Corvette Diner,
Indigo Grill,
Bo-beau kitchen +bar, Gaslamp Strip Club-A Steak Place, La Jolla Strip Club-A Steak Place, Island Prime/C Level." All of these restaurants now have their GF menu online as well as at the restaurants, except the two Strip clubs. And they are working on it.
"The following restaurants have GF marked on the menus both at the restaurants and online: 333 Pacific and The Prado." 1/5
- Five Guys: From Victoria Cerminaro, Customer Service Rep ror Five Guys: ". . . you CAN get a burger without a
bun! Our cooks would be more than happy to meet this request for you. Also
know that our buns are toasted on a separate grill, so the risk of cross
contamination is prevented to the best of our ability.
. . . our French fries are cooked in a fryer that
is NOT shared with anything else. Our French fries are gluten free as they
are simply fresh cut potatoes soaked in water, then fried in refined peanut
oil.
Please be aware however that there is always a risk of cross contamination,
so be cautious. For your convenience the kitchens at our restaurants are
always open so you may watch your food be prepared." 1/5
Misty F. found out more info on 1/10: "Went to Five Guys in San Marcos last night. They do not use any seasonings on their burgers and the Cajun Spice for the fries is McCormick and it is gluten free from the ingredients on the back. They were very helpful and the meal way delicious. I do not know if all of them operate the same way. Make sure you check your location before you order." 1/11
(also see "Product Updates" and "SD Food Stores")
- Conversation Hearts: Necco brand Sweethearts Conversation Hearts (for Valentine's Day) are GF. www.necco.com/faqs
Brach's: On their package labeling they state: "Milk, wheat and soy may be present in the manufacturing or packaging area."
- Nathan's Hot Dogs: They are now labeled "Gluten Free" on their packaging. 1/21
- Grocery store rec: "The place that I have found with the most reaonable priced GF food is the Grocery outlet in Chula Vista." Angelica R. to the SD GF Food Expo Facebook wall,1/12
- Three Senses Gourmet video: Watch an interview on YouTube with the founder, Amy Phillips, at the San Diego Gluten-Free Food Expo. Amy discusses her beautiful and delicious dessert products, including a frozen chocolate souffle that you cook at home, brownie pops and Chocolate Smoothers. www.3sensesgourmet.com 1/12
- Mary's Gone Crackers: See a video of Mary's son Jacob at the San Diego Gluten-Free Food Expo talking about these GF, vegan and organic snack products. 1/5
This website was created by Roxie Johnson and "tech wizard" Ken Loomis using the software program Dreamweaver. Ken Loomis has since passed away, and is greatly missed. This website is not sponsored by or affiliated with any specific group, organization, or company.
Both myself (Roxie) and my then-16-year-old daughter (Karen Lynn Johnson) were diagnosed with celiac disease in 1998. This website contains information I have gathered over the years, and also links to what I consider to be many reputable resources for further information. I am not in the medical field, so please consult a physician before acting upon any information provided in this website.
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The information, including opinions and recommendations, contained in this website is for educational purposes only. Such information is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. No one should act upon any information provided in this website without first seeking medical advice from a qualified medical physician.
