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- Local blogger Valerie of City|Life|Eats stopped by to visit with me and Diane of The W.H.O.L.E. Gang
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- My gluten-free dinner at Eat Write Retreat Street Food Dinner done by The Madison Hotel
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- My dinner companion’s plate at The Madison Hotel dinner
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- Johnna of 52 Sweets is an Udi’s ambassador and brought her own GF bread for the photo shoot
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- A buckwheat shortbread hockey puck for dessert
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- McCormick & Schmick’s worked hard to cater to all of our dietary restrictions
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- Chef Giacomini introducing Diane to rhubarb
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- “If we take the rice off the plate it will be gluten free.” “It doesn’t look like it has any gluten in it.”
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- My cupcake loving roomie had to stop at Hello Cupcake for a gluten-free treat.
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- Banana Split Cocktail Dessert
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- The DC Food Tour had more history and architecture than food for the gluten-free attendees
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- The bounty of the farmers market
I was watching an old episode of Chopped a while back and saw something that reminded me of my feelings about gluten. One of the competing chefs cut up a raw chicken on her cutting board, cooked the chicken and returned it to the same cutting board. Watching the faces of the judges when this beautifully prepared dish was set before them was the same one I make and I see other celiacs or the gluten intolerant make when confronted with possible gluten-contamination.
So just imagine someone in food service saying to you, “I don’t think it has salmonella in it.” Or how about, “I think that is the salmonella-free dish.” Does that inspire confidence in you? Would you eat something served with those words? How about if a cooking school told you they didn’t realize that salmonella could hide in the cuts in the classroom cutting boards and contaminate the food you will be using to prepare a dish? Or what if a server tells you that they will just remove the salmonella tainted food from your plate so you can eat what’s left? When you change the word gluten for the word salmonella, I think anyone can understand why the gluten free get that queasy, uncomfortable look when they are confronted by maybes and not a definitive “Yes, that is safe.” I pretty much spent the weekend in a cloud of maybes when I expected yeses.
How did this happen? How did this happen at a food blogging conference in a city recently voted one of the most gluten-free friendly cities in the country? It seems to be a first year blunder for every conference from BlogHer Food to IFBC. The second year run was much better and it was because they took advice from those with dietary restrictions and learned from them. Eat Write Retreat organizers fell for the sweeping, “Sure, we can do gluten free” from the hotel, the DC food tour and the restaurant chain, McCormick & Schmick’s, with widely varying degrees of success. It didn’t matter that Casey had confirmed with all of them that they could provide safe food for the gluten-free, dairy-free and vegetarians in the group. It didn’t matter that she was on her cell phone confirming our meals before we arrived. It seems that follow-through and understanding on how to feed us safely was open to a wide interpretation.
Let’s start with the hotel. They get high marks for an omelet station with no gluten in any of the ingredients. Having a safe breakfast that is filling is so important for a conference and starving at IFBC last year was a low point. Dinner, however, was a lot of “I think” and confusion. Nothing was labeled or separated and servers kept offering me things at the pre-dinner gathering, but had no clue what gluten was or what they were serving. Finger foods from the sponsors were not clearly labeled and it took some detective work to get any kind of answer. BlogHer Food took the criticisms of their first year to heart and every single thing that was edible was clearly marked throughout the conference the second year.
Lunch at McCormick & Schmick’s was better. Much better. First, they closed the restaurant for us. The chef and his staff were at our table and talked us through each course. They had individual servers in charge of attendees with special diets. It worked pretty well for the most part except when I was served a dish with gluten. The chef had described what we were getting, so I did know something was wrong as soon as the dish landed in front of me and it was whisked away immediately. I did suggest to the chef that gluten-free diners do not need exact replacements for glutinous foods like his swap of a buckwheat shortcake for the wheat flour shortcake. It was his first time baking with buckwheat and gluten-free bakers know the first time with gluten-free flour can be disappointing. Rather than experiment, I suggested just making something naturally gluten free that he already made with success.
The food tour of the Capitol Hill District was a failure on several levels. Despite repeated assurances that they had us covered, each restaurant we went to had no clue what gluten free was and there was discussion and debate at each stop. I take that back. At one of the stops the tour leader just simply avoided the high-need table and left us to fend for ourselves. No, I take that back. He avoided eye-contact at another stop and let the poor restaurant owner try to communicate. Since two of the restaurants had language barriers, it was even more difficult. I have to say right now that I am spoiled in Columbus with Bethia Woolf and Columbus Food Adventures. I have been on three food tours with Bethia and she knows our city, its food, and its restaurants well and if she has someone like me on a tour, she has the answers and the facts before we set foot in her tour van. Imagine my surprise to find a food tour company in our nation’s capital taking on a large tour group with multiple dietary restrictions and the staff was completely clueless. What they lacked in food knowledge, they did make up for in history, architecture and a good feel for one neighborhood in DC. Getting away from the hotel and actually seeing parts of the city on foot made the weekend more interesting, but sitting in a large group of happy diners with only a glass of sweet tea is pretty miserable. I would have preferred the tour company just say they couldn’t do it and go off on my own for dinner at one of the fabulous DC restaurants that do gluten free well like my buddy Diane did with her very cute hubby.
The sponsors that were chosen were almost all gluten free and excellent choices for those of us with only gluten-free restrictions and the Tanka Buffalo sticks came in handy to stave off hunger when there weren’t safe options.
Organizers of any conference or gathering where special meals are requested should take note of how varied the success of our meals at Eat Write Retreat were despite assurances from all the food providers. Casey and Robyn have enlisted the help of attendees for their next events to ask all the right questions and make sure the food is safe. It really does take someone living gluten free or with other dietary restrictions to get involved and oversee the process. We know what questions to ask to see if a restaurant or tour company really does know what they are promising and what procedures could be used in a cooking class or photo shoot to keep cross-contamination issues controlled.
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The first two paragraphs of this blog post are the best explanation I have ever read. Thank you for that! (And your hockey puck description made me giggle. It’s quite accurate.)
I hesitated over the hockey puck because that chef was so darn sweet. Then I realized that if he had consulted a gluten-free expert blogger type like the ones in the room, he would have saved himself time and money and effort. We need to make it clear that we just want good, safe food. It doesn’t take a lot of expense or effort if they go with naturally gluten-free food, prepared with some attention to cross-contamination. Thanks for a great weekend, Johnna.
Great descriptions of our eating adventures for the weekend and that look we often get on our faces when people are not sure. I know before I started living gluten free there was no way I could totally understand. I think it’s wonderful that Casey and Robyn tried so hard to get us safe food but it really does need a person living that way to ask the questions. It would be like having a guy explain giving birth. He may have seen it but until you experience it there is no way to explain.
I’m guessing next year’s conference will have more food to eat for us gluten free attendees. Yes I did sneak out for a date with my cute hubby to Ceiba in DC. I talked over the menu and ingredients with our server and then shared the ingredients on their menu I wouldn’t eat and couldn’t eat. Then I let the chef make what he wanted. I had wonderful Shrimp Enchiladas topped with lobster. I wish you could have joined us for dinner. Oh and an great dip I’m working on getting the recipe for to make.
I love the photos you shared and the one of the two different plates showing what others were eating along with what you ate. It was fun to share the weekend with you.
Hey, I lost three pounds with all the walking and doing, so I’m not complaining, but there were some in our group who needed the calories.
I never expected to go to a food conference and come home lighter, but it happened. Perhaps this is the next fad diet…I need to find about 10 more conferences to attend if that’s the case.
You are too funny. How about 52 Conferences as the next blog?
I like your analogy of Salmonella to the cross-contamination of gluten. Just recently, I was using the same analogy to try to impress upon the clueless how important it is for a Celiac to be gluten free. “If your daughter got Salmonella at a restaurant, would you just accept a mild apology from the server? Or would you talk in length to the manager, the chef, the owner, and the CDC? This is not just a stomachache and a little diarrhea….” Well, I know you understand. *sigh* And so, we continue with Celiac Awareness and what gluten-free means.
I do understand, Heather. And, yes, we just continue…
i second johnna’s statement about the first two paragraphs… brilliant. somehow the hockey puck didn’t make my plate… maybe they reconsidered by the time they got to me. so funny.
Oops. Do you think they did? That only left a strawberry rhubarb soup for you? Thanks for seconding Johnna on that description. It just hit me that if we could get people to change the word to one that was universally loathed and feared, they might get our reaction to gluten.
Hey Wendy! I love the new blog site! (Yeah, ok, I’m a little slow these days). Anyway, what a super-bummer to hear about your experience here…though I can’t say I’m that surprised…
Over and over again, doesn’t it seem that we relearn that we’re our own best advocates? Sigh…my cooler is still my best friend, even after all these years, and all the advocacy. I really applaud you for going out there and being open minded. We need to be. But you’re exactly right, experiences like these make us really appreciate the good, reliable food sources and knowledgeable people at home…
So good to hear from you , Emily. You have been off my radar for a while and I guess I’m off yours too.
I agree that I was even more impressed with my local food scene after that tour.
Hi Wendy!
I must say I’m surprised that you had such trouble at a food conference — I would not have expected that. But I think we’ve all had that experience of calling a restaurant and being told, “Oh, absolutely we can do gluten-free” and when you get there you discover (much to your dismay) they have no idea what they’re doing.
I especially like your salmonella analogy — that is perfect! It’s something everyone can grasp instantly, and doesn’t sound like we’re overreacting.
A great post that underscores the need for increased awareness and restaurant training. We’ll get there. Until then, I’m keeping a Larabar in my purse at all times!
I love it. Yes, Keep that Larabar in your purse! Unfortunately, emergency rations are still required.
Hi,
I live in Falls Church, Virginia, about 6 miles from downtown D.C. I just recently began a search for fresh gluten free baked goods in the area. With all the people in this area you would think that there would be at least one local bakery offering safe gluten free baked goods. Several of the cupcakeries advertise gluten free cupcakes but upon further investigation of their baking practices I find it questionable that the items are not contaminated. Even if you bake the cupcakes first in the morning, if you use the same facility, the same mixer and pans and then package them in boxes kept in the bakery near where you bake with gluten flours, how can these not be contaminated.
However, my search did lead me to The Triple Oak Bakery, in Sperryville, Virginia. I have made several trips to the bakery (about 65 miles one way) over the last two months. I’ve had apple turnovers, cinnamon twirls, scones, biscuits, dinner rolls and cake and brownies, all delicious and without that gritty texture so prevalent in gluten free baked goods. As the bakery only bakes gluten free products, and the owner/baker has celiac, I am confident that due care is taken in making the products.
Currently, I am trying to find retail outlets in the northern Virginia and greater D.C. area so that the bakery might profitably send a delivery truck here once a week. I really enjoy having a dinner roll with my salad, a breakfast pastry as a treat. I hope that anyone living locally reading this blog might contact me so that we can pool our orders for the bakery products, or maybe someone knows a buyer or owner of a store, coffee shop or restaurant that might try carrying the Triple Oak Bakery gluten free products.
If you plan a return trip, I’d be glad to let you know where you might buy the products. After several years as a pastry chef, and six years as the owner/ baker for Triple Oak Bakery, Brooke Parkerhurst has developed recipes using gluten free flour substitutes but not using artificial dough enhancers and food colorings.
Thanks
Ann
Thank you, Ann for the good information. I always wonder about mixed facilities, too. I usually just pass on them like you do.