Archive for March, 2008
A word about “Louder than Words” & the rest of my overdue book reports.
[I don’t want this to get buried in the comments: View Jenny on Larry King Live.]
I have SO many overdue posts to post! I had in mind a whole series of, like, book reviews. (I say “like” because I also want to include Dr. Pietzak’s DVD, Understanding Celiac Disease…, so it’s not just books.)
Anyway. Blogs are weird, the whole chronology thing throws me. Read the rest of this entry »
*
I think we’re blessed with a special angel in charge of PR. How else can we explain this terrific article on us in The Forward Jewish newspaper?
Keeping Kosher Gluten-Free - Forward.com”
Elissa Strauss, the writer, is a celiac currently living in New York, writing for The Forward obviously, but her mom who is also celiac lives here in LA, and the two came here together last time Elissa was in town. That’s how we explain it, on this plane….
***
Our bagels in The Forward! OMG, my zaidy would be so proud!! Thanks Keren Greenberg for the photo.
This has to be a quick post, but we must have gotten 10 calls in the last week about Matza, especially after the discussion of Matzo on Gluten-Free by the Bay.
Gluten-Free Bay: New Source for Gluten-Free Oat Matzo
Anyway; No we are not set up to do matzo, and it’s one of those things I’d really hate to do wrong. (It’s a good day when we can get pizza out of this place!)
So this is what I’m telling people:
Western Kosher will have gf-oat matzo.
444 N. Fairfax Ave, LA
It’s over $30/box yikes!
They don’t have it ’till next week but
CALL NOW AND RESERVE!
(323) 655-8870.
And yes, I did forward them the information that GF-btB posted about the Lakewood matzo factory, but they had not heard about it yet, so I don’t know if they’re going to be able to get any this year. They will have the British kind, but RESERVE! Reserve, reserve, reserve.
Meet David. He’s a real sweetie. He’s our new mashgiach - the guy who makes sure everything is kosher around here. Except for the lettuce, that’s actually not such a complicated job, but he is absolutely happy to fill in wherever he might he useful.
For example, I’ll tell you a story. Last week, a woman ordered cupcakes to be delivered to her in Glendale for her son’s birthday party in school Friday. We shipped them UPS on Wednesday expecting a Thursday delivery, totally routine. Except I got an e-mail Thursday night, the woman never got her cupcakes. For the first time EVER, UPS messed up - they said the address we gave them was wrong, when it wasn’t.
Previously, there would be nothing I could do. Glendale on a Friday? Don’t even think about it!
But last week David had come to the rescue on a more than a few deliveries & errands - his very first day he’d rented a truck & picked up 1,000 pounds of flour from Authentic Foods, while I went and got a root canal. (Truth.) So when I called the woman to confirm her address, I told her, “We’ll bring you the cupcakes tomorrow before your son’s party.”
And David, indeed, delivered on my promise. Here is what the woman wrote to me later that day:
I am so thankful that you did what you committed last night. You complete the party of my son. May God Bless Your Heart…
Maria M., Glendale, CA
Hey, it’s only been two months since we started serving lunch. For us, that may be a record of some kind, to get it all finalized and published in such a short amount of time. So, as simple as it is, we are proud to present… (drumroll, please…..)
These are incredible but we can’t sell this batch. Stupid me; I asked Guadalupe to make them out of the vegan cookie dough, and then I told her to put an egg wash on them. (What was I thinking?) But we’ll have more next week and the week after, boxes of 4 for $8. (I know it’s outrageous, but they are a lot of labor. Be grateful they ARE vegan - the price of eggs seems to have doubled in the past two weeks, so eggy ones would be even more!)
My suggestion always is to buy the cookie dough because not only is it half the price (1.25 pounds for $15); making the cookies becomes a great family activity, the memories of which will last a lifetime.
(Has anyone seen my violin??)
Reminder that the next support group meeting of the CDF Westside Connections will be this coming Sunday, March 9th at 2:00 and 4:00 at our bakery in Culver City. We’ll be providing tea and sandwiches and other Sensitive Baker goodies.
$10 donation to the CDF is appreciated.
Edited to say: We are totally booked! Let Suzanne know if you’d like to get on a waiting list:
Suzanne Frieder
CDF Connections Leader, West LA to
sfrieder@earthlink.net
We hope to see you there!
It was the best of breads, it was the worst of breads….
Ah challah, that fluffy, rich white bread; golden braided loaves peeking out from under the covers Friday night; perfect for French toast Sunday morning. If breads were people, challah would be a Malibu surfer with hidden depth. {Scroll down this Wikipedia article on “Challah” to learn about challah’s spiritual side.}
For a long time it was considered impossible to make a gluten-free challah - rice doughs are like cake batter, too wet and runny to shape into braids.
