The Gluten Free Food Allergy Fest in Tampa brought new food, new friends and beautiful Florida weather. The Gluten Free community filled the Lakeland Convention Center to eat gluten-free food and attend cooking demos and lectures.
Let’s start with the food!
The newest find at the fest where the Toufayan gluten-free Scoop-able pita chips. These are literally less than two weeks out from production. The pita chips come in three flavors: Salted Caramel, Sea Salt and Chili Lime. These pita chips taste like the real thing, have excellent texture and are perfect for your next dinner party or get together. These aren’t even in stores yet, but will be soon.
The great restaurant find goes to Burger 21. This is a Florida chain of restaurants that create crafted burgers, fries and shakes in a low-key atmosphere. They have an extensive gluten-free menu that includes burgers with buns and they have a dedicated fryer for their regular or sweet potato fries. They also have a ton of sauces that are clearly labeled as gluten free. We had the pleasure of visiting Burger 21 during our visit and we were very impressed.
Flour and Spice Boutique is a gluten-free, dairy-free and vegan bakery in the Melbourne, FL area that creates tasty treats. Some of their creations included pound cake, cupcakes, brownies, and macaroons. Their booth constantly had a line.
Jules from GFJules not only rocked the demo stage creating gluten-free Cuban bread, she also sold out of her awesome all-purpose flour blend. I love her flour and use it as a cup-for-cup substitute in my recipes.
DeLand Bakery has been in business for over 25 years. They create gluten-free baked goods like bread, cookies, granola, cakes and brownies. You can find them in health food stores in the southeast or place an order online.
Baking mixes from Mina’ Purely Divine Gluten-Free were a popular item. Mina had plenty of samples to showcase her tasty mixes. The pumpkin bread was a personal favorite.
The dairy-free crowd was treated to products from Luna and Larry’s Organic Coconut Bliss and So Delicious. Coconut Bliss had frozen desserts, think ice cream, to sample. The salted caramel and chocolate flavor was very impressive. So Delicious had all their dairy-free coconut milks available to taste.
Demos and Lectures
The demo stage had family friendly cooking, Cuban bread, baking with pretzels and lentil recipes. People raved about all the great tips and recipes.
Lectures helped attendees learn about label reading, food for benefits, feeding gluten-free families, and a teenager’s perspective about living gluten free.
The GFFAFests are just getting started for 2015! Check out the schedule of upcoming Fests including our next stop in Columbus, OH!
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