San Diego CSA Meeting Notes
5/22/10
Over 30 persons attended the meeting, with several newly diagnosed individuals.
Jan Pruitt led the meeting. Several announcements were made, including:
- The next Celiacs Dining Out event will be a luncheon buffet at the California Cafe at the Four Seasons Aviara Resort in Carlsbad. Michele Vargas is the coordinator for this event in June.
- The YouTube video, The Faces of Celiac Disease, that was filmed at our group meeting 2 months ago has been a great success. Over 3,000 people have viewed it already, and that number continues to climb. The feedback is that it is educational, concise, and gives a positive message for the newly disgnosed and those wondering if they have celiac disease. Roxie suggested that when anyone views the video to click on "Like it" and also make a comment. This helps raise it in the standings on YouTube for even more visibility.
- Jan introduced Vicky Keyser as our group's Librarian. All members were encouraged to check out books from our "library" of books free of charge.
- Jan encouraged everyone to join the national CSA organization as it helps our group and you receive their educational quarterly newsletter.
- Kim announced that our next meeting on July 24 will feature Dr. Wangen as our guest speaker. Dr. Wangen is an author and director of the IBS Treatment Center in Seattle, Washington. Dr. Wangen has a fresh perspective to celiac disease, gluten intolerance, and their treatment. His most recent book, Healthier Without Wheat, discusses these topics and more.
- Many persons brought GF food to the meeting to donate to some clients being seen at the Warren Celiac Center who are also using a local Food Bank. We are definitely following the CSA motto of "Celiacs Helping Celiacs"! The Food Bank at this time is unable to meet the needs of gluten-free persons. Shawna McNally, the dietician for the Warren Center, is coordinating with the Food Banks to train them in filling food baskets for future needs of persons needing GF foods.
- Our group's mentoring program has been discontinued at this time. Sharon Kumpf, the coordinator of this program, will no longer be able to continue heading the program. Jan asked for a volunteer to head this very helpful program for the newly diagnosed. Sharon will be available as a consultant.
- Roxie reported that there has recently been a rapid increase in the number of restaurants providing GF menus, or providing GF pasta. She warned that we must continue to be ever-vigilant in asking questions concerning ingredients, preparation, cross-contimination, etc. Some of these restaurants may not be well-educated on the intricacies of the GF diet but want to jump on the gluten-free bandwagon as it is the largest growing trend in the restaurant business.
Our guest speaker was Jana Huff, the Personal Chef at The Pantry Door. She demonstrated/spoke about several simple, delicious, inexpensive recipes using Trader Joe's Brownie Mix and Trader Joe's Pancake mix. Everyone was given a copy of the five recipes. Jana believes that GF food does not need to be tasteless and with poor texture. She also generously brought delicious samples of some of the recipes for everyone to enjoy.
Jana has several services availaable, including personal chef, catering, and cooking classes. At present she is not licensed to cook in her home, but will come and cook in your home. She hopes soon to be able to use a commercial gluten-free dedicated kitchen. Check out ther website for all her services, photos of some of her cooking creations, and more.
The meeting was adjourned to enjoy all the wonderful gf treats and fellowship at about 3:50 pm.
