2013 DC Gluten Free Expo Recap

On Sunday I attended my second DC gluten free expo – this one at the Doubletree in Bethesda, which was a slightly bigger venue than last year. It still couldn’t contain the hoards of hungry celiacs and gluten-free friends who crowded the ballroom for free samples. I could barely move my arms above my head to get this snapshot:

One of my favorite things I tried were the allergen-free bars and sugar cookies from T.G.I.G.F (Thank Goodness It’s Gluten Free). They were so chewy and buttery, even though they didn’t have butter.

Some other highlights were:

1. Seeing the fabulous ladies of Sweet Nuttings. The last time I saw them at the DC Grey Market they didn’t have packaging, and now they had a beautiful display, brochures, and a new hazelnut flavor!
2. Meeting Pam Jordan from I’m a Celiac and buying one of her “Gluten makes me sick” t-shirts. Can’t wait to look super cool rocking that shirt out to brunch soon.
3. The chocolate truffles from Dear Coco. I usually stay away from truffles since most have cross contact issues (Lindor and Godiva, for example). Dear lord these were good. And beautifully presented. The peppermint was amazing! If your wife or girlfriend is gluten free you should buy these for her immediately.
4. Pete’s Apizza delivered again this year with a summer pasta dish with corn, cheese, and some kind of green sauce. My friend went back for a second bowl, even after we were stuffed to the gills.
5. I finally got a gluten free Pop-tart from Glutino!
6. The Bard’s Beer spokesman is my favorite. I met him last year and I’m convinced that he has the best job in the world. He bursts with passion for the product, and is generous with the samples 😉

After trying dozens of samples and loading up our bags, we headed over to Lilit Cafe to throw back a cold one and talk about the day.

I met some great new people, and loved the energy in the room. I wish the expo happened more than once a year! I might have to start doing some road trips around the east coast to get to a few more.