Gluten-Free Travel: April 2016

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Fresh Kitchen, Gluten-Free in Florida

Fresh Kitchen (Gluten-Free in Florida)

4447 4th Street N #2

St Petersburg, FL 33704

Phone: (727) 835-8991

http://www.cicciorestaurantgroup.com

There’s a new restaurant in town! Well, in St Petersburg actually. And it’s 100% Gluten-Free so I just had to try it. I had heard it was one of those ‘bowl’ places so I didn’t honestly have any great expectations. Boy was I pleasantly surprised!

Absolutely everything on the menu is Gluten-Free! And dairy free – there’re only one item with dairy. And sugar free – there’s only one item with sugar! Do they know anything about Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance…probably not. Do they care about Celiac Disease or Gluten Intolerance…probably not. Does it matter…probably not since everything is naturally Gluten-Free so there’s little chance of Cross-Contamination.

But they do care about serving fresh, clean, REAL food fast! At Fresh Kitchen all the ingredients are garden-fresh, which is a good thing, considering the name. All meats are antibiotic and hormone free. The cold-pressed juices and dressings are made in-house daily. FK takes its mission seriously. Apparently the staff does as well as they all work wearing T-Shirts that proclaim loudly…Give a FK…on the back.

The concept has four simple steps:

Choose your Base; WARM – Brown Rice, Sweet Potato Mash, Chef’s Base, Perfect Spice Rice. CHILLED – Summer Salad, Kale Slaw, Sweet Potato Noodles, Vegetable Quinoa

Pick your Proteins; Grilled Chicken, Chia Seed Teriyaki Tofu, Baked Almond Chicken, BBQ Chicken (Sugar), or you can add Grilled Steak or Tuna Poke for a slight Up-Charge

Add some Veggies; Parmesan Broccoli (Dairy) Roasted Brussel Sprouts, Roasted Mushrooms, Buffalo Cauliflower (Nuts) or Local Seasonal Veggies

Top it with Sauce; Creamy White Ginger, Coconut Sriracha, Herb Balsamic Vinaigrette, Cucumber Jalapeno, Holy Kale (Nuts)

I played it safe my first visit…Brown Rice, BBQ Chicken, Roasted Mushrooms and Creamy White Ginger Sauce. It was delicious! I LOVED the White Ginger Sauce. And the BBQ Chicken was wonderful. I'm looking forward to going again :-)

CarolAnne Le Blanc

Gluten-Free Naturally: https://glutenfreeforlife1.blogspot.com

Gluten-Free Travel: https://glutenfreeinflorida2.blogspot.com

FaceBook: http://www.facebook.com/glutenfree.inflorida

Gluten-Free for Life is a section 501(c)3 charitable organization.

All gifts and donations are tax deductible in accordance with law

"A Copy of the Official Registration and Financial Information may be obtained from the Division of Consumer Services by calling toll-free within the state. Registration does not imply endorsement, approval, or recommendation by the state."

1-800-Help-Fla (435-7352) Www.Floridaconsumerhelp.Com

Wednesday, April 13, 2016

Gluten-Free for Life Expo - Largo, FL

Gluten-Free for Life Expo - 2016

It’s no secret…this year our attendance was an incredible 1,200 guests! WOW! With an additional 110 children under 12 who joined in the fun. Along with another 78 wonderful Volunteers. The date for our sixth annual Expo has already been confirmed – March 25, 2017 so you can plan on joining us as we do it again!

Because of you, our Fund Raising efforts were impressive - Food pantry $257.00, Raffle $817.00, Teens Tables $650.00, and $360.00 from T-Shirt sales. Along with our Ticket Sales that means that you brought in enough to donate $2,500.00 to Sponsor children at Camp Weekaneatit. And your contributions allowed the Gluten-Free Food Pantry to leave with a generous supply of Gluten-Free food for needy families in the area. We’ll also be donating an additional $1,000.00 in Gift Cards from Publix Groceries to help the pantry keep the shelves stocked through the lean months this summer when kids are out of school. Along with $800.00 in funding to the Gluten-Free in Florida Support Group.

Our Expo is unique in that it’s run by the Celiac, Gluten-Free Community, for the Community. And we do this through a 501(c)3 non-profit. Our Venue, the St Pete Coliseum, is a beautiful Historic Treasure. We keep our Vendor costs low, so that local small businesses can take advantage. We have no paid employees, everything is done by Volunteers. And our Volunteers work tirelessly to make the Expo a reality, so we work hard to treat them well and reward them for their efforts. Our ticket prices are reasonable, and every effort is made to insure none are turned away. It’s not unusual for some of our Guests to pay it forward and purchase an extra ticket or two for someone else to enjoy. All profits remaining after expenses go right back into the Gluten-Free Community as donations to the Tampa Gluten-Free Food Pantry, Camp Weekaneatit in Georgia, and the Gluten-Free in Florida Support Group.

Just in case you were wondering what you get for your $10.00 ticket donation:

3 incredible, well known Speakers, who offer 45-minute presentations and then remain on the Vendors Floor throughout the day so you can speak to them personally.

3 wonderful, local Teachers who offer smaller classroom sized 15-minute talk sessions every hour offering tips, tricks, and information on staying Gluten-Free for Life.

50-60 fantastic, local, national and international Vendors who will be offering free tasting samples, and selling some of the newest products available at discount prices.

All together in one of the most beautiful Venues here in Florida.

And if you were wondering if it's worth the drive, worth spending the weekend, worth the time and effort of spending a Saturday afternoon...ask yourself this: How would you like to spend time with up to 800 other people, (Mom's, Dad's, Friends, Family, Children, Teens) who all walk in the same shoes you do every day?? These people get it! They understand.

A slideshow of our day, plus many of our Vendors and incredible Speakers will be uploaded on the Website if you’d like to take a look. Our Vendors will remain listed on the site until October when we begin to get ready for next year. We appreciate all of you, and thank you for helping us work for our Celiac & Gluten Free Community!