Category: News

Class Action Lawsuit Against PF Chang’s Restaurant and CDF’s Response

A class action lawsuit against PF Chang’s alleges that extra charges on the restaurant’s gluten-free menu violate the Americans with Disabilities Act. The lawsuit claims that celiac disease is a disability, and it is unlawful for a restaurant to force customers to pay higher prices for gluten-free dishes. The lawsuit was filed in California and is estimated in the millions of dollars.

The Celiac Disease Foundation (CDF) has issued a statement that doesn’t seem to support the lawsuit. Marilyn Geller, CEO of CDF, has this to say:

“The Celiac Disease Foundation recognizes that restaurants bear a financial burden for the employee training and other accommodations that are required to serve meals that are safe for those with celiac disease.”

Let us know what you think. Will this class action lawsuit hurt or help the gluten free community? Do you mind paying a bit more to eat out safely?

Pizza Hut Offers GF Pizza

multiple locations

Pizza Hut, working with Udi’s and GIG (the Gluten Intolerance Group) is now offering a gluten free pizza in about a third of all stores. The one size, 10 inch pizza, (6 slices) is $9.99 for cheese and $10.99 for pepperoni. Check for Locations here.
The Udi’s® Certified Gluten-Free crust is stored in a separate container, on a separate shelf in their fridge. The cheese, marinara sauce and pepperoni are stored in a gluten-free designated kit, and every gluten-free pizza is freshly baked on designated parchment paper in their ovens. Other toppings can be added, but there is no guarantee about these being gluten free.

In addition to these storage techniques, team members who make your gluten-free pizza wear gloves and even use a designated gluten-free pizza cutter to cut your pizza to perfection.

Disclaimer? Yes, (as many restaurants do), Pizza Hut has this to say:

“While Pizza Hut® is proud to offer pizzas with gluten-free ingredients, Pizza Hut kitchens are not gluten-free environments. Due to the handcrafted nature of our menu items, variations in vendor-supplied ingredients, and the use of shared cooking and preparation areas, we cannot assure you that our restaurant environment or any menu item will be completely free of gluten.”

Have you tried the new Pizza Hut GF Pizza?

Cooks’ Books Discussion Group 2015 Schedule

Cooks’ Books Club Events

Are you interested in all things gluten-free in the kitchen?
Perhaps your baking and cooking skills are being challenged by the gluten-free ingredients, processes, methods etc!
Join Eileen Simon and Mariann Offtermatt the hosts of our monthly gluten-free cookbook gathering.
We’ll share our personal cookbook experiences and learn tips and tricks from each other.
We’ll also serve up a tasting from the featured book too!

Plan on attending any of the free scheduled events and share the love of cooking with other g-f home chefs! Doors open at 6:30. Meeting commences at 7:00.
RSVP Now
Check with your local library to borrow the books if you do not already own them.

Where:

Garfield Hts. Library
5409 Turney Rd.
Garfield Hts., 44125
216-475-8178

When:

Monday – Feb. 23, 2015 CANCELLED
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Meeting Room A
Discussion Feature – Let’s focus on Magazines! We’ll have copies on hand of the current issues
of GlutenFree Living, Delight, GIG, Simply Gluten-free. Bring any others that you have success using.

Monday – Mar. 16, 2015
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Meeting Room A
Discussion Feature – Paleo Cooking from Elana’s Pantry by Elana Amsterdam

Monday – Apr. 20, 2015
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Meeting Room A
Discussion Feature – Blogs and More Blogs
Let’s talk about the Blog World – Who’s your favorite blogger? What have you made from their site? What sites have you tried and not had success with?

Monday – May 18, 2015
7:00 – 8:30 pm
Meeting Room A
Discussion Feature – Blackbird Bakery by Karen Morgan

 

Hanukkah Gluten Free

There are many traditional foods for Hanukkah (or Chanukkah) that can be made gluten-free and still taste like you remember. Latkes are an easy adaption. Take any latke recipe and substitute gluten-free bread crumbs for regular breadcrumbs. I recommend Kinnikinnick Panko Breadcrumbs for all breadcrumb substitutions.  Your latkes will taste great but, the heavy smell from cooking them will still fill your house.  I found the Kinnikinnick Panko crumbs at Earth Fare and Mustard Seed.

Streit’s Gluten Free Matzo Ball Soup mix is excellent and tastes exactly the same as the regular mix. I found it at Giant Eagle.  I always use a gluten-free chicken broth  or homemade broth and really haven’t use the broth that comes in the mix.  Everyone has had the matzoh ball that was like a hockey puck and to avoid that, follow the directions on the package carefully. I like to make small matzoh balls and lightly form them. I think not packing them tightly is the key.

I like the brisket recipes that call for beer, onions and  Heinz chili sauce. If you make sure the chili  sauce and beer and any other ingredients are gluten-free you should be fine. Make sure the beer is really gluten-free! The secret to great brisket is to add lots and lots of onions, more than the recipe calls for,  and to cook it the day before. Chill it over night and slice it while cold then before serving warm it in the oven in its own sauce.  If you are going to someone’s home for brisket you might make them a care package of the gluten-free ingredients then you can safely eat it or offer to make it and bring it to them.

One last note last Passover there were GF Passover products for sale that are made in Israel that had no directions on them. I also tried their website with no luck.  With that said the Gluten-Free  Matzo I bought was good.