Little disclaimer here—I don’t have celiac disease but in addition to being allergic to wheat, I am also allergic to milk, corn, and soy. Needless to say I don’t get to try baked goods very often. While WF has done an amazing job of expanding their Gluten Free Bake House, they have yet to come up with a single GF baked product that I can eat.

I didn’t hold out much hope I’d be able to eat anything baked at the class but I was excited about the opportunity to talk with a chef about ingredients that in addition to being safe for celiacs might also work for me. Best find of the day: vegetable shortening that’s made from palm oil and trans-fat free.

Better than the cookies (which I HEARD were delicious) was the opportunity to learn about WF’s commitment to celiacs and people who face other food challenges. Chef Susan has three more GF classes scheduled around the city in October and the folks at the North Halsted store seem willing to explore hosting some other cooking classes for people like me who have multiple issues with food (and if I can eat it, there’s like a 99% chance you can eat it, so they’d work for celiacs too).

Talking with the WF staff, I also learned that each WF store caters to their surrounding neighborhood. This explains why what seems like a staple at one WF doesn’t show up on the shelf at another. Don’t despair, WF is happy to make a special order for you as well as give you a tour of the store to identify GF (or other) products that most suit your needs.

The event will offer delicious gluten-free goodies from 20 chefs picked from the upper echelons of the GF cooking community. Take a look at last year’s event for a taste of what’s to come.

The price for entry is a steep $150, but how many times can you go out on the town knowing everything in front of you is safe to eat? I’ll be there to report on (and enjoy) all the gluten-free offerings.

Even if you aren’t attending, it’s worth your time to peruse their site to learn more from one of the top celiac disease institutions in the country.

University of Chicago Celiac Disease Center Benefit

If we get 15,000 people like you to sign up for free dining cards, we’ll make a $10,000 donation in support of a national celiac disease awareness campaign. When we hit our goal of 15,000 dining cards in August, we’ll ask the gluten free community to help us decide which non-profit(s) receives the donation.

This effort dovetails with Celiac Snack’s effort to educate restaurants at all levels; from server to owner. Drop by their site today to order your free cards and do your part to raise Celiac Awareness.

$10,000 Challenge for Celiac Awareness [thanks Kelly]

Gluten Free Tea Party with Chef Sunshine of Rise & Shine Desserts
4:00–6:00 p.m. Free, Registration Required