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One of Two Parts:

Hi Everyone!

Although it was a rainy gloomy afternoon, we celiacs and parents/spouses 
got together for lunch and it brightened our day.  We met at Chili’s in 
South Charlotte and had another great dining experience.  I was a little 
nervous since I recently went to a Chili's in Michigan and when I asked the 
server for the gluten-free menu, she said, "Do you want the Braille menu?"  
Of course, I asked to speak to the manager and was served a wonderful and 
safe meal.  When I returned home, I received the GF menu from Chili's 
headquarters.  

So today, I arrived 30 minutes earlier than the group and sat down with the 
manager, Paula, to cover all elements of our condition.  Paula was very 
interested and attentive. They gave us our own section of the restaurant, 
so it was very private.  Everyone was so helpful and wonderful.  Although 
there was a little bump at first (like croutons on a salad), Paula 
immediately stepped into the situation to ensure the rest of the lunch went 
perfectly.  She even helped in the kitchen to personally prepare our 
meals!  We were all very happy, stuffed and even our little Andrew (age 5) 
got a chocolate shake.  Therefore, I think we would all say Chili's is a 
great restaurant and deserves our business.  They care about doing things 
right and are willing to go above and beyond to make us feel safe and enjoy 
the dining experience.  So, thank you Chili's for a great menu with lots of 
choices.  Also, thank you Paula for your positive attitude and help in 
making this a special afternoon.

We had one of our largest turnouts ever with lots of new members, 
including: Charlotte, Christy, Rose, Bill, Eddie and Lisa.  I apologize but 
we are growing fast and it's impossible capturing all of the 
conversations.  I ask people to jot down a couple of highlights but it 
pales to what the day really entailed.  You'll just need to come!  I think 
Carol said it best at the end when she said did you see the energy and how 
much conversation was going on everywhere.  I know I didn't hear one moment 
of silence! 

Some highlights include:

#1 - At the top of our list, has to be Susan Hinderaker's new "Gluten-Free 
Family Favorites" Cookbook.  Yes, Susan, one of our members actually wrote 
and published a cookbook.  This is wonderful in itself but on top of this, 
she is donating all proceeds to the University of Chicago Celiac Disease 
Program!  Of course, I try to support anything and everything related to 
celiac but I really didn’t expect the cookbook to be so wonderful!  The 
book is only $20 (+$6 for shipping) and it's over 200 pages.  It is bound 
in a spiral that makes flipping the pages and viewing it very easy.  When I 
scanned the recipes in each of the section overviews, they really look 
like "family" meals.  The best part, though, is that all the recipes look 
very simple and easy to make!  So, if you are interested in ordering a book 
and, importantly, supporting the celiac cause then click here for an 
overview and an order form http://www.charlotte-celiac-
connection.org/GF_Family_Favorites_Cookbook.html



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