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Gluten-free and good
Boulder's Gluten-Free Bistro expands to grocery stores
By Aimee Heckel Camera Staff Writer
Julie McGinnis, Kelly McCallister and Barb Verson, founders of Gluten-Free Bistro, will be selling their products at Whole Foods and Ideal Market in Boulder. (Cliff Grassmick)Barb Verson walks down the aisle at Whole Foods and points at different gluten-free products.
"White. White. White," she says. "There's another white -- whatever."
To Verson, of Boulder, all of this whitewashing means two things. Unhealthy. And disgusting.
Even as a certified nutritionist running a gluten-free business, she has to admit: Her kids wouldn't touch most gluten-free products; they're often dry and bland. Quite comparable to cardboard. And Verson says she wouldn't feed those products to her children, anyway. To her, the whiteness is a sign that the food is nutrient-void, packed with white flours, starches and preservatives, she says.
She says she wanted food that her whole family could -- and would -- eat together, despite her gluten intolerance.
"Something that if I brought to a party and never told you it was gluten-free, you would still like it, and I wouldn't have to go around explaining that it's gluten-free," Verson says.
She wanted it. So she created it.
And now more than 80 restaurants in the Rocky Mountains and Midwest have it, including nearly all Nick-N-Willy's Pizza chains. It hits grocery stores next month.
Verson, along with Boulder dietitian Julie McGinnis and Kelly McCallister, who has a background in the local restaurant industry, joined together two years ago to create The Gluten-Free Bistro.
The local company makes gluten-free pizza, fresh-style pasta and an all-purpose flour blend. The products are made out of whole grain flours, instead of starches, so they are rich with protein, fiber, minerals and B vitamins.
The recipe was not easy to create, says McGinnis, who also has a master's degree in nutrition.
She says she and Verson got the idea nearly a decade ago, shortly after McGinnis learned that gluten was making her suffer from a ration of health problems, including gastrointestinal pains, nose sores and skin rashes. As soon as she cut out the ingredient, she says her overall health improved.
But her menu didn't. Back then, gluten-free was an anomaly.
"I wondered why can't I go pick up a gluten-free pizza from Nick-N-Willy's?" she says. "This is ridiculous. I live in Boulder, where everyone's on the nutrition bandwagon. It's a food hub, but I can't believe I can't get a descent pizza."
They began exploring recipes, but then both Verson and McGinnis got pregnant and put the mission on hold. Several years later, McGinnis says her friend, McCallister, was having gastrointestinal issues, migraines, nose sores and other problems. Once again, it looked like gluten intolerance. It was McCallister's self-diagnosis that rekindled the original idea.
After eight months of playing around to find the "perfect blend of flours" and meet the three women's high standards for taste and nutrition, they launched their product -- a "revolutionary" 76 percent whole grain, 20 percent starch -- in the north Boulder restaurant, Radda.
"I knew we made a really great product; we weren't going to put anything out that didn't taste phenomenal, and we had to do it very clean," McGinnis says. "When people started eating it, we were getting amazing feedback. We knew it. We knew it would be amazing."
In two years, The Gluten-Free Bistro products spread quickly -- and so did the gluten-free industry, as a whole, up 38 percent every year.
Experts say it's expected to be a $5 billion industry by 2012.
"It's insane," McGinnis says. "And it's not going anywhere."
The Gluten-Free Bistro products, including a new dough ball for $4.99, are expected to appear on Boulder Whole Foods' shelves starting April 1, and within a few months, at Whole Foods in the entire Rocky Mountain region.
In addition to the dough ball, the 10-inch frozen pizza crust is $5.99; 6 ounces of fresh pasta (penne and fettuccine) are $6.49; and a 13.5-ounce bag of flour is $5.99.
McGinnis says some people question whether gluten-free foods are a fad, like the low-carb diet. But McGinnis says it's not the same.
The Mayo Clinic estimates that one in 100 people in the United States have Celiac disease, an immune system reaction to gluten. That's four times more common today than in the '50s, and not just because it's being tested more, the clinic reports.
In addition, some estimate that as many as one in six Americans have a non-Celiac gluten intolerance -- although the legitimacy, without a doctor's diagnosis, is still somewhat controversial. In January, the American Journal of Gastroenterology published a study saying there was evidence that non-celiac gluten sensitivities do exist.
"People have been sick with a laundry list of things that no one knew what from," McGinnis says. "Now that the diagnosis is being pin-pointed back to gluten... they can't go back. ... They feel a lot better, period. I can never go back to eating it."
Read more: Gluten-free and good - Boulder Daily Camera http://www.dailycamera.com/food/ci_17690559#ixzz1HprKQ8Wr
DailyCamera.com
Sunset Magazine
Where the locals rock out
The Karp family, founders of Waterloo Records in Austin, Texas relocated here to open a live-music watering hole with beer, burgers, and BBQ. Waterloo rocks on Fridays and Saturdays with blues bands and country. $; 809 Main St.; 303/993-2094.
Hit the trails: The Coal Creek Trail is a fave for jogging, dog walking, or biking. Pick up rental wheels at Bittersweet Cafe & Confections (820 Main St.; 303/257-8955), then take the trail heading west from Louisville Community Park for foothill views. (bouldercounty.org)
A spa day on the cheap: The Lotus Day Spa came to life in a former mortuary turned Zen sanctuary. Nineteenth-century Tibetan pillars and candles will set the mood on your one to three-hour retreat. From $95; 844 Main St.; lotusdayspalouisvilleco.com
Shop for finds: Not your typical off-the-rack boutique, Found Underground Consignments is in a low-slung shop where owner Nancy Cooley offers bargain hunters honest opinions on what looks good. Recent scores: 7 For All Mankind jeans ($40), a Cynthia Steffe wool skirt ($32), and an Anthropologie silk blouse ($14). Closed Sun; 901 Main St.; 303/666-6900.
Hope you're still hungry...4 new eats in town
For pizza and beer: LuckyPie became a go-to when it opened in 2010. Farm-fresh toppings change with the seasons. Bonus: Try a pie with gluten-free crust. It's the best we've ever tasted. $$; 637 Front St.; 303/666-5734.
For date night: A fitting homage to Louisville's Italian mine-worker heritage, Zucca is a romantic candlelit dinner spot with pasta, risotto, and other favorites by fireside. $$; 808 Main St.; 303/666-6499.
For margaritas and tacos: In a former auto-repair shop, Cactus Wheel Taqueria offers street-food-inspired meat and veggie tacos with homemade salsas and guacamole. $; 701 Main St.; 720/620-4933.
For dessert: Sweet Cow ice cream shop fills the half of the old post office not taken up by LuckyPie. Look for 22 housemade flavors like oatmeal cookie and raspberry chocolate chip. 637 Front St.; 303/666-4269.
Tina Turbin
www.GlutenFreeHelp.infoThe Gluten Free Bistro- Fresh Gluten-Free Pizza Crust For You
Terrific gluten-free recipe using the GF Bistro crust is at your fingertips now!
I think we just died and went to “Pizza Heaven.” Take a look at these pictures, and you’ll see the kitchen at work testing The Gluten Free Bistro’s GF pizza crust.
The taste of this crust is light in texture yet hearty and healthy. I don’t know how they did it, but it’s good!
The whole grain vegan crust is artisan handmade, par baked and then frozen, packed on site.
The Gluten Free Bistro currently supplies these pizza crusts to Boulder- and Denver-area restaurants, enabling celiacs and gluten-sensitive individuals to dine in comfort and safety at local restaurants.
You can order online at www.theglutenfreebistro.com, and for a discount, enter www.glutenfreehelp.info
This company is a group effort involving three women with backgrounds in health, nutrition, and, as a result, food. Kelly, the only one to be diagnosed celiac after 15 years of severe symptoms, and her correct diagnosis changed her life.
Their products (they also have GF fettuccini) are unique for the combined interest of these women in nutrition. Each product not only provides flavor but also vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber. They aim to help the celiac rebuild after deficiencies through their healthy product line.
The bistro’s flour blend is brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, sorghum flour, tapioca starch, organic coconut flour, and xanthan gum—in their proprietary blend, of course.
As a side note, the package suggests taking the frozen crust and topping it with your own topping and popping it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. We changed the recipe slightly since we’re not a restaurant, and we placed the frozen crust on the oven racks and pre-baked the crust slightly for about seven minutes at 400 degrees. Then we loaded it up and popped it back in the oven on the pizza clay stone for about 15 minutes. The time really depends on how high you load the pizza and what toppings you use. See our recipe, images and details.
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The Daily Camera
Boulder, Business SectionBoulder's Gluten Free Bistro finds the right ingredients
The owners of The Gluten Free Bistro of Boulder are the first to admit that most gluten-free products aren’t always appetizing.
“Texture was lacking, taste was lacking, nutrition was lacking and I really got sick of buying products and throwing them in the garbage,” said Julie McGinnis, who founded the company with Kelly McCallister and Barb Verson.
All three are gluten intolerant and simply wanted to be able to go out to eat with their families.
The company got started in April 2009, launching its first product last summer with a sale to Boulder’s Radda Trattoria. From there, The Gluten Free Bistro has continued to grow, selling pizza crusts and pasta to more than 30 restaurants, most of which are in the Boulder area.
The Sink, located at 1165 13th St. on University Hill, has been carrying the pizza crust for nine months, according to chef Scott Baptist. Baptist isn’t gluten intolerant, but enjoys the taste of the crust. That taste, he said, separated The Gluten Free Bistro from the competition.
“As soon as they walked in the door, I knew it was a great product,” Baptist said. “I had already tried somebody else’s (crust) and it was OK, but this is much better.”
That taste comes from hours spent in the kitchen trying out different recipe variations, the company’s founders said. While the experimental process led them through ingredients like corn, dried milk and almond flour, the three owners ended up with a product that uses no major allergens.
In the kitchen, they discovered coconut flour as a replacement for the dairy and nut flour that would be allergen-free. The coconut also gives a much-needed texture to the food.
“What it was with the coconut flour is that it’s so absorbent,” McCallister said. “It really draws in the moisture and gives a textural component to it that a lot of other gluten-free products are missing out there.”
In addition to taste, McCallister and her colleagues focus on cutting down the time it takes to make the gluten-free dishes. The pizza crusts are partially baked and then frozen to cut down on baking time, and their pasta cooks in one-fifth of the time that it would normally take.
In the coming months, the owners are hoping to move their products into the retail market, but currently both the pizza crusts and pasta can be bought from the company’s Web site.
The crusts are also available at Radda Trattoria, Nick-N-Willy’s at 801 Pearl St., and all of the Pasta Jay’s locations.
McGinnis and Verson have backgrounds in nutrition, so they said their products are not only good tasting, but good for the body.
“This is full of B vitamins and minerals. It’s high in protein and fiber and it’s just really well-balanced,” McGinnis said. “You’d want to give your family this.”
Click here to view the article
Glutenfreeville’s ReviewThe Gluten Free Bistro Pizza Crust now at CO & Utah Nick-N-Willy’s – and more
The awesome Neapolitan style medium-thick, chewy crust that I made this pizza on from The Gluten Free Bistro is now available on your gluten free pizza at all Colorado and Utah locations of Nick-N-Willy’s (15 locations.) They hope to launch in Nick-N-Willy’s in the Midwest, Texas and West Coast next year.
You can order this whole grain vegan crust online that is hand-made, par baked, frozen and packaged on site. This crust cooks up perfectly with a balance of textures similar to a traditional Neapolitan-style pizza.
OR enjoy it at one of the many restaurant locations that now offer gluten free pizza using The Gluten Free Bistro crust. This is some of my favorite gluten free crust and they have been adding many locations and there are more to come.
Click here to read article
Waylon Lewis
Elephant JournalElephant reviews: Gluten-free Bistro Pizza that’s tolerant of Yumminess.
Here’s my review: this stuff was awesome. I didn’t notice it was gluten-free—it was yummy. I don’t have a photo of it, ’cause I ate it all up in a few scrumptious bites. That’s all I gotta say. ~ ed.
{Some background: We got this email from the good folks behind the Gluten-free Bistro, from whence the yummy pizza came, gratis}
Hi Elephant Magazine,
Of course the owners of The Gluten Free Bistro are big fans of Elephant and when it was print I would read it cover to cover every night before bed!
{Well played. Now I can guarantee you a good review.}
We are 3 local, gluten-intolerant women who wanted better gluten-free food to buy and eat in the restaurants. We are currently in 20 locations along the Front Range [Colorado] and customers are raving about our gluten-free pizza crust and fresh-style fetticini.
The Gluten Free Bistro provides gluten-free food that is modern, healthy, divine and uses a proprietary flour blend free of GMOs. Our gluten-free pizza crust and fresh-style fettucini are like no other on market and contain organic ingredients, are high in protein, B vitamins, minerals and fiber. Our products are free of all major allergens (both contain coconut flour and the pasta contains egg) and are all natural with no added phosphates, preservatives, additives, hydrogenated oils or sodium.
The Gluten Free Bistro donates a percentage of sales in product to the House of Neighborly Service in Loveland, Colorado (www.honservice.org). This organization is the new test site to help establish Gluten Free Food Banks across the nation. Feeding gluten-free families in need is an overlooked cause that needs to be addressed now as the diagnosis of celiac disease and gluten intolerance continues to improve.
Sincerely,
Julie Kreloff-McGinnis, MS, RD
The Gluten Free Bistro
Click Here for more
Elisa Bosely
Food Editor, Delicious LivingWhat's next for gluten-free foods?
Gluten-free foods is still one of the hottest food categories around, with thousands of people recovering from longstanding, unexplained ailments by forgoing gluten (a protein found in wheat, barley, rye, and some cross-contaminated grains). After the first batch of crumbly, unappetizing gluten-free foods nevertheless found a market, the next challenge for manufacturers was to create good-tasting, pleasantly textured gluten-free versions of favorites like bread, pizza crust, cookies, and crackers.
And they did. The problem was that many of these early GF options relied heavily on less-nutritious ingredients, such as white rice flour, potato flour, and refined sugar. I don't begrudge that; as the mom of a gluten-intolerant college-age son, I can attest that any good-tasting GF options were and are a wonderful boon to those who cannot or choose not to eat gluten.
But now I’m seeing some gluten-free food manufacturers adopting a higher mission and standard: making products that not only 1) taste great and 2) have a good texture but 3) are actually healthy for anyone. I’m calling it Gluten Free 2.0: products that incorporate nutrient-rich ingredients, such as flours made from amaranth, quinoa, and millet, as well as ground flaxseed, hempseed, chia, and nuts, to make products nutritionally valuable AND delicious. Two of my new favorites: Gluten-Free Bistro frozen pizza crusts, made with brown rice flour, coconut flour, and sorghum (they also sell their own proprietary flour blend), and Purely Elizabeth cookie and muffin mixes, made with ground flaxseeds, chia, hempseeds mixed with organic, whole-grain, and non-GMO flours. Read labels when buying gluten-free foods; you’ll see a difference.
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Sara Snow
Review of Bistro All Purpose Gluten-Free Flour BlendRecipe of the Week: Gluten-Free Gingered Banana Bread
Recipe of the Week: Gluten-Free Gingered Banana Bread
I started (slowly at first) eating a gluten-free diet about five years ago. I noticed that I was having trouble digesting wheat and would get a rash along my jaw line each time I ate it, particularly if it was a white flour roll straight from the bread basket of some Italian restaurant. You know the type!
In the meantime I have tried countless gluten free crackers, pastas and baking/flour blends. Some are great. Some, frankly, aren’t.
The Gluten-Free Bistro is in that “great” category. And it’s because the three ladies eat the foods themselves. In an interview recently published in Boulder’s The Daily Camera, co-founder Julie McGinnis said of other gluten free products, “Texture was lacking, taste was lacking, nutrition was lacking and I really got sick of buying products and throwing them in the garbage.” Julie started GF Bistro with friends Kelly McCallister and Barb Verson who since have found great success selling their products (pizza crust in particular) to a growing list of restaurants.
Well, I too hate seeing food go to waste which is why this week’s recipe, pairing overly ripe bananas with the Gluten Free Bistro flour blend, is perfect.
Gluten-Free Gingered Banana Bread
INGREDIENTS
* 4 ripe bananas - mashed
* ½ cup butter
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
* 2 eggs
* 2 tablespoons buttermilk
* 1/2 scant cup of sugar
* 1/2 cup brown sugar
* 2 cups Gluten-Free Bistro flour blend (or whole wheat flour if not making GF)
* ¼ cup ground flax seed
* 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 1 teaspoon nutmeg
* 1 tablespoon cinnamon
* ½ cup raisins
* 2 tablespoons grated ginger
* ¼ cup chopped candied ginger
* 1 cup slivered almonds
* 1 teaspoon dried ginger
* 1 tablespoon honey
DIRECTIONS
Grease a standard size loaf pan or 4 mini loafs and pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Beat together banana, butter, vanilla and eggs until well blended and light. Beat in buttermilk and sugars.
In a separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, baking soda, nutmeg and cinnamon.
Slowly add to wet mixture and mix until well blended.
Stir in raisins, and gingers.
In a bowl toss together almonds, dried ginger and honey.
Pour mixture into a loaf pan and sprinkle with tossed almonds.
Bake for 1 hour or until knife comes out clean.
Enjoy!
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