Gluten Free Reviews

While traveling on Cape Cod, we had the good fortune to try some gluten free products from Good Ju Ju Bakery. Yes, dear readers, the roll pictured above, Good Ju Ju Bakery's GF dinner roll, tastes just like the rolls we used to eat pre-Celiac. I practically cried when I bit into this crunchy-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside delicious dinner roll.

The good news: Judith Mann, the owner of the company, has an agreement with Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, NY. They will be taking over production of her fabulous GF products, with the aim of making them available on a much more national basis. The name of this new line of gluten free baked goods will be Do Goodie. If places like Whole Foods do their homework, after they get hip and carry Breads From Anna in every store they own, they'll add Do Goodie to their shelves. Keep your eyes peeled!

Meanwhile, if you happen to be on Cape Cod, you can purchase Good Ju Ju Bakery products from Ring Brothers Marketplace in South Dennis, MA. The Windfall Market in Falmouth used to carry them, but has discontinued doing so. I stopped by there this morning and suggested that they strongly reconsider bringing the line back into their store AND that they begin carrying Breads From Anna (I'm partial - I love her breads - they're all fabulous!).


Speaking of the Windfall Market, this is another NOT-TO-BE-MISSED stop if you're on Cape Cod and looking for a market that sells gluten free packaged foods (dry goods and frozen). Though a medium-sized market, their selection is vast. Everything you could possibly need, from a gluten free perspective, can be found at Windfall.

I was so excited to find that Windfall carries the Schar line of baked goods. I'd heard and read about Schar, but never tasted them. They're excellent. So far, I've tasted the Chocolate-Dipped cookies (reminded me of Pepperidge Farm cookies) and the Table Crackers - they were good on their own, but I'll love having some hummus spread on them for today's lunch.



And last but not least, let me tell you about yesterday's lunch on Martha's Vineyard. We took the ferry to Vineyard Haven and were picked up by the Vineyard Haven Public Library Children's librarian. After performing a morning children's concert, we had a little time before we had to catch the 2:30 ferry back to Woods Hole. We poked around Vineyard Haven for a little bit. They have an absolutely kick-ass kitchen store. I bought a triple french bread pan and will use it to bake some gluten free baguettes this weekend.

For lunch, we wanted to eat at the Art Cliff Diner, reputed to be an excellent stop for gluten free, vegetarian and vegan dining, but the wait was too long. And forget about the Black Dog Tavern. We could've been seated, but between you and me, their gluten free options are less than optimal. And forget about it if you're vegetarian or vegan. So, instead we wandered into a place called Tropical Restaurant. Bingo! I ordered a custom-designed lunch - it wasn't on the menu, but all the items were on the menu in some form or another. So, after asking questions that helped me figure out what was safe to eat, I ordered white rice with black beans and grilled veggies and homefries. It was perfect.

What did I learn? Sometimes even the most unsuspecting restaurants can be just what you're looking for, so be open to the possibilities. That actually is a good maxim for just about anything in life, don't you think?