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: :
: Excerpts from the Westchester CS Support Group :
: ---------------------------------------------- :
: newsletter: Feb. 2000 Leslie Elsner and Sue Goldstein, editors :
: newsletter: Sep. 2000 9 Salem Place :
: newsletter: Nov. 2000 White Plains, NY 10605 :
:....................................................................:
Foods by George
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When George Chookazian and Cecilia Mahoney started dating in 1989,
George had been a stockbroker for over 8 years and Ceil had been
coping with symptoms diagnosed as "irritable bowel syndrome." They
shared enjoyment of good food, especially a meal that included a loaf
of fresh baked bread. Ceil jokingly says, "The more we saw of each
other, the sicker I got!" Within six months, Ceil's health had
deteriorated substantially, and she was finally diagnosed with Celiac
Disease. Actually, this was a rediagnosis, for Ceil had been
diagnosed when she was three years old, and like all "banana babies,"
was told she would outgrow it.
George and Ceil were dissatisfied with most of the gluten-free foods
available and felt overwhelmed with the thought of living without
tasty pasta, bread, and sweet baked items. George, who had been
experimenting in the kitchen for years, was convinced he could develop
gluten-free foods that could be enjoyed by individuals with and
without Celiac Disease. Tired of the financial industry, George
entered the food industry with a position in a company that
manufactured Italian foods. Before long, Ceil encouraged George to
start his own food business. "George had the newfound spirit of an
entrepreneur;" says Ceil. "He spent countless hours in the library
researching the interaction of various types of non-gluten flours
that, when combined in specific proportions, would simulate the
properties of gluten. He also spent many hours in the kitchen
experimenting with ingredients and developing recipes." Within a few
months, he developed four different gluten-fee mixes for cakes,
cookies, muffins, waffles, and mo re, which were introduced on the
market under the Shiloh Farms label in November 199l.
In order to expand his baking skills, George started a 30-week baking
and pastry program at the Culinary Institute of America in August
l992. On weekends, he and Ceil promoted the mixes at support group
meetings in the region. Within a month of graduating from the CIA,
George leased a small space in a health food store in River Edge, NJ,
named "The Happy Carrot". He began manufacturing several varieties of
ravioli and fettuccine, which became instant hits at support group
meetings. It was not long before George was driving a 520-mile loop
through New England and delivering his pasta line to 30 health food
stores. In December 1994, Garden Spot Distributors began to carry the
pasta products, ending George's long treks. Unfortunately, the pasta
line was phased out a year later due to the repetitive stress on
George's arms and hands. By July 1996, Foods by George was strictly
manufacturing baked items, including English muffins, blueberry and
corn muffins, cookies, and pecan tarts. These were distributed
through Garden Spot, by mail order, and by direct sale to several
health food stores. In the meantime, George and Ceil continued to
promote their products and delight celiacs by catering pasta and
pastry parties sponsored by support groups. George made pasta
specifically for these occasions.
In June l997, George and Ceil married and became partners in life as
well as business. Foods by George moved to a larger kitchen in Glen
Rock, New Jersey the next November, and Ceil left her job to work full
time with George. In 1998, Foods by George started producing fresh
frozen pasta cuts again--spaghetti, macaroni, elbows, gnocchetti, and
thin egg noodles-in addition to their popular prepared manicotti and
lasagna. They also introduced a second type of English
Muffin--Cinnamon Currant. They introduced personal size ready-made
pizza in 1999, which quickly filled the tummies and freezers of many
happy celiacs.
It became apparent that Foods by George would become unable to meet
increasing demands for their products. In December 1999, they moved
to a much larger facility in Mahwah, New Jersey and bought
state-of-the-art equipment which allows them to substantially increase
production levels while continuing to maintain a high level of product
quality. Foods by George develops, manufactures, and packages all
their products in their totally gluten-free facility.
Foods by George products can be found in many health food stores from
Boston to Washington, D.C. Their goal is to increase distribution
across the country. Meanwhile, customers who do not find Foods by
George products in their favorite health food store in the Northeast
or beyond, can talk to the store owner or manager and ask them to call
George directly at 201-612-9700. Foods by George also mail orders
many of their products directly to customers throughout the
continental United States.
George and Ceil say their business is more than a business--it's their
passion. "We feel blessed to be doing something that we enjoy
immensely and that other people also enjoy."
-=-=- -=-=-
GF Communion Wafers: Ener-G Foods now sells communion wafers. The
cost is $2.99 for a package of about 50 wafers. The ingredients are:
Ener-G Soyquik (toasted soy flour, gum arabic), sweet rice flour,
methycellulose, Ener-G baking powder, shortening, and water. For more
information, call Ener-G at 800-331-5222, or visit their website at
http://www.ener-g.com.
-=-=- -=-=-
Schick's Bakery, best known for their premium Passover products, now
produces gluten-free cakes and cookies. Their cakes include chocolate
chiffon, marble loaf, sponge loaf, apricot roll, candy brownie,
chocolate nut roll, rainbow marzipan, railroad, raspberry roll, and
seven layer. Cookies include chocolate chip, bon bons, krakovsky,
leaves, fudge cookies, and mini rum balls. Orders can be shipped to
your home or business. Write to 4710-16th Ave., Brooklyn, NY 11204;
phone 718-436-8020; fax 718-438-8244; e-mail
[log in to unmask]; or visit http://www.schicksbakery.com.
[Ed. note: Passover is April 8, 2001. Many of these Schick's
products could be available about 3-4 weeks before Passover at One
Stop Kosher, 25050 Southfield Road (northeast corner of Southfield &
10 Mile Roads), 248-569-5000. As we go to press, however, One Stop
Kosher is uncertain of which, if any, products will be carried in the
store this year.]
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: :
: Excerpts from _KC Gluten-Free Advocate_ :
: --------------------------------------- :
: Oct. 2000 Diane Anderson, editor :
: Greater Kansas City Chapter of CSA/USA :
: 6317 Goodman Drive :
: Merriam, KS 66202 :
:......................................................:
Living Healthy with Celiac Disease
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by Wendy Wark
a book review by Rebecca Nash
A few months ago on the internet, I ran across an advertisement for a
new book on the Celiac condition. It was described as a good starting
point for a new Celiac. I read the synopsis and the comments by
others who had bought the book, and I decided to purchase it myself.
As advertised, this little book is an excellent reference guide for a
newly diagnosed celiac patient. It is in paperback form and is
organized in two sections, each 44 pages long. The first section is
called "Getting Started". After giving a description of the symptoms,
diagnosis and effects of celiac disease, the author goes on to provide
tips on eating out and grocery shopping. The book contains a wealth
of information, including lists of mail order companies, resource
books and cookbooks, available support groups, useful Internet sites,
and other helpful references.
The second section of the book is called "Recipe Box". Included are
descriptions of different gluten-free (GF) flours, tips for baking
with GF ingredients, and about 90 easy-to-make recipes. The
collection of recipes covers the basic baking areas needed to be
replaced when living a gluten-free lifestyle: Cakes & Cookies,
Muffins, Pie Crusts, Bread and Rolls, Pizza Crusts, and Pancakes. Ms.
Wark comments that these recipes use as few ingredients as possible in
order to make them easier and less intimidating.
I would recommend this book as an excellent source of information for
the newly-diagnosed patient, or to someone who is trying to understand
and accommodate for a family member. A suggestion I would make to a
new patient is to consider buying it for their extended family
members, to help them when hosting dinners in their homes.
To order the book, send a note requesting "Living Healthy with Celiac
Disease" and a check or money order for $12.45 to AnAffect Marketing,
115 Andover Drive, Exton, PA 19341. Allow 2-3 weeks for delivery.
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: :
: Excerpts from the Washington Area CS Support Group :
: -------------------------------------------------- :
: newsletter: Early Winter 2000 Joany Janicki, editor :
: 5410 Connecticut Ave., NW #408 :
: Washington, DC 20015 :
:..................................................................:
Product Warnings
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* Health Valley's most recent gluten-free list includes vegetable
stock. However, barley is one of the ingredients listed on the
label; therefore it is off-limits for celiacs.
* Centrum Vitamins, made by Whitehall-Robbins (888-797-5638) are not
all gluten-free. The company advises that bottles listing the
ingredient "lutein", an anti-oxidant, are NOT gluten-free.
-=-=- -=-=-
Publications for Diabetic Celiacs
---------------------------------
* The Canadian Celiac Association has a comprehensive publication to
help with the special dietary requirements of celiac disease and
diabetes. To order A Guide for the Celiac Diabetic, make a check or
money order for $19.45 Canadian payable to the Canadian Celiac
Association, 5170 Dixie Road, Suite 204, Mississauga, ON L4W 1E3,
CANADA. [Ed. note: The cost is in Canadian dollars. It may be
converted to US dollars before writing the check or money order, or
a credit card may be used (Visa or Mastercard) and the credit card
company will do the conversion. This information is also available
on their website at http://www.celiac.ca under "Products".]
* Cooking with the Diabetic Chef is a new cookbook by the American
Diabetic Association for those with both celiac disease and
diabetes. It uses a minimum of grains, or those that can easily be
substituted or omitted, and artificial sweeteners. The book is
written by Chris Smith.
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