Fall is officially here—and it’s busy already! I just hosted my first in-person celiac speed friending event last weekend and am flying to Salt Lake City tomorrow for the Gluten-Free World Expo this upcoming weekend.
Ahead, I’m sharing more about my celiac speed friending event, the upcoming gluten-free expo, and more happenings in the gluten-free community. Let’s catch up!
Table of contents:
Celiac speed friending recap
Upcoming gluten-free expo
New gluten-free bakery alert
New book by a celiac author
Gluten-free products I’m loving right now
My top-performing newsletter content
Celiac speed friending recap
On Sunday, September 21, I hosted my first IRL event alongside two of my fellow Beyond Celiac ambassadors, Camille and Emma. Close to 30 celiacs showed up to Central Park for a fun afternoon of speed friending.
Attendees loved the speed friending concept so much that we’re planning on hosting a follow-up event later this fall—so if you have celiac disease and live in NYC, stay tuned for that!
Additionally, we’re launching a free private online community for celiacs in NYC to keep the momentum going. Right now, we’re only accepting new members if 1) you attend one of our in-person events so we can verify you’re a real human, or 2) if one of the moderators or existing members already knows you IRL and can vouch for you.
In the community, you can expect conversations about the gluten-free lifestyle along with more meetups, including a monthly gluten-free dinner club that I’ll be organizing!
If you’re interested in staying up-to-date on upcoming events and our online community, share your email address with me here.
Upcoming gluten-free expo
Gluten-Free World Expo is hosting its eighth annual event on Friday, September 26, and Saturday, September 27, in Salt Lake City. I’m attending and speaking on a panel about my gluten-free journey on Friday.
Nicole Kessler, the founder of The Celiac College Guide (I interviewed her previously and am a board member) will also be there and speaking on both Friday and Saturday. After the expo, I’ll do a rundown of my favorite gluten-free brands from the event.
New gluten-free bakery alert
I get excited anytime a new gluten-free bakery opens in NYC—so I was pumped when I came across the Instagram account for Bub’s Bakery.
Melissa Weller, author of A Good Bake and Very Good Bread, is bringing her baking know-how to the allergy community with this allergen-free bakery that opens this Thursday, September 25, in NoHo.
Everything is free of gluten, soy, nuts, dairy, and other top allergens. I can’t wait to check it out and give you the full scoop in a future newsletter.
New book by a celiac author
Earlier this year, I published a Q&A with Amanda Goetz, entrepreneur and mom of three, about how she thrives with celiac disease. Now, Amanda’s first book, Toxic Grit: How to have it all and (actually) love what you have, drops October 21, and I’m so excited to read it!
In her book, Amanda reframes what it means to be ambitious and shares strategies to help women succeed at work and in life without burning out. You can preorder the book here.
Gluten-free products I’m loving right now
Queen Street Bakery recently gifted me with a few of their products—and I’m obsessed! I’ve written before about how gluten-free breads and other packaged foods are lacking in fiber (and also generally taste pretty nasty).
Enter Queen Street Bakery, which offers high-fiber gluten-free breads that actually taste good. I’ve been eating the English muffins for breakfast (either with butter and jam or with eggs and cheese) and they have a very nice texture when toasted.
Plus, I like that they contain 8 grams of fiber per muffin, thanks to the inclusion of ingredients like sorghum flour. I also enjoy the bagels, especially the chia and flax seed superfood bagel, which has 9 grams of fiber.
Find a store near you here.
My top-performing newsletter content
If you’d like to read any of my previous work, here are my five most popular newsletters since I launched:
What are you most excited for this season? Let me know in the comments!
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The speed-friending event was amazing, Christina! I'm so glad I went!
Congratulations on the speed friending event- it's so wonderful!!