The next meeting of the Northern New Jersey Celiac Support Group will be on Tuesday, June 23, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m. at the Dorothy B. Kraft Center, 15 Essex Road in Paramus, New Jersey. Ann Whelan, editor/publisher of Gluten Free Living, will be joining us for an insightful discussion on the current status of gluten free labeling. Ann brings together first-hand knowledge of celiac disease and extensive experience in journalism and publishing. She has worked for health-related magazines, helping to launch five publications before founding Gluten-Free Living. Be sure to come and hear this knowledgeable, thoughtful speaker share the very latest in the continuing labeling saga.

Also at this meeting will be certified chef Einat Mazor, founder of Bliss Fine Foods and author of the new cookbook Mastering Your Gluten & Dairy Free Kitchen. Einat will be bringing a delicious sampling of some of her specialties, as well as her book for sale. Bliss Fine Foods is designed for people who love food and great food experiences, but are sensitive to wheat gluten. Only fresh, organic, fair trade and seasonal ingredients are used - no preservatives and no hard to pronounce ingredients. The website is www.bliss-catering.com.
We will also have samples from CASA Your Body is Your Home LLC. CASA is a new company and they are making a delicious popcorn style chicken. Think real chicken pieces with real flavor and taste appeal. Their product has some spice to it, which makes it tasty (okay, rather addictive) and a stand-out among the current offerings. Something new, different and very yummy. You can find them on-line at www.casafoods.org ([masked]) and hopefully soon in some of the local health food stores.

We are delighted to welcome back Katz Gluten Free Bake Shop. If you missed them in the Fall you will certainly enjoy tasting and purchasing their delicious baked goods at this meeting. Katz Gluten Free Bake Shop is making chocolate dipped cookies, challah rolls, breads, sprinkle cookies, honey cake, black and white cookies, authentic tasting rugelah (think rolled dough cookies filled with chocolate or cinamon sugar and nuts) AND MUCH MORE. They are also perfecting a new bread with added fiber and nutrition – no mean feat in the gluten free arena. You can see their complete line on their website (www.katzglutenfree.com). Their phone number is [masked].

And finally we will have a sampling of the baked goodies for which Mr. Ritt's Gluten-Free Bakery is so well known. They have kindly offered to send along some of their delicious fare. If you have been looking for angel food cake, fabulous apple cake, artisan olive loaf and biscotti, you need to look to this great resource. Check out their website at www.mrritts com for a complete listing of their offerings. And get thee to 212 East Vine Street, Millville, New Jersey to their store for Boston Crème pie, lemon torte cake and other fabulous but fragile goodies – worth their weight in gold if you pre-order and bring along your cooler. They can be reached at 1-877-MR-RITTS (677-4887).

The popular Celiac Awareness magnets for the car will also be available for purchase.

We have returned to our previous $2 fee per adult (children free). Please RSVP your attendance for this meeting. To RSVP and for additional information, please call Susan at [masked] or e-mail Diane at [masked].

And please mark your calendars for our Fall meetings:

Tuesday, September 22

Thursday, October 22

The Kraft Center is a part of The Valley Hospital.