Re: Mangiamo in Windsor - My GF Happy Birthday

[Guest guest]

Hi Caitlin,

I'm so glad you had a good GF experience at Mangiamo. I lead the North

Bay celiac support organization (www.northbayceliacs.org) and do free

consultations for local restaurants interested in providing

celiac-safe GF options. Chef Guy Giordanengo ( " Gluten-Free Guy " ) is

the chef who developed Mangiamo's popular GF menu when he worked

there. He no longer works there, but he is kind enough to volunteer

with our group and so we work as a team with restaurants, including

Mangiamo under its new ownership. His experience in preventing

cross-contamination and developing recipes is invaluable. It's great

to get positive feedback so thanks for spreading the word!

- Iscol

>

> Today is my birthday and on my way up north from San Francisco my

> parents took me back to Mangiamo's in Windsor as they have a GF menu

> which we have talked about before here.

>

> I had great GF salad, pizza and chocolate cake and am still very full

> At the end of the meal the owner came over to my table and said he

> heard we had ordered a GF meal and wanted to know how it was, and talk

> to me about Celiac Disease(What a nice birthday present that was!)

> Anyway, he said that he just bought the restaurant a few months ago

> from the family that had started it and they wanted to keep GF items

> on the menu. He said I was the third person of the night to order a

> GF meal. They also own Langley's which is a few doors down and he

> said since they don't serve lunch at Langley's they make the GF dough

> there in the clean kitchen and then bring it over to Mangiamo. The

> woman who runs the Celiac support group in Sonoma County (not sure if

> they're in this group or not) I guess came in and went over restaurant

> procedures and cross contamination issues with them as well (though it

> isn't a fully dedicated GF kitchen).

>

> All in all it was a lovely birthday and I thanked him for making the

> effort so people like me can enjoy a nice, fun meal out and be

> virtually worry free about it. So if you are on your way through wine

> country Mangiamo (or even Langley's due to the affiliation) is a great

> place to stop. I told him I'll be back and I'll send some GF friends

> in too

>

> It really was a happy birthday!

>

[Guest guest]

What a great resource you are providing ! Do you know if you have a counterpart who works with restaurants on the Peninsula / South Bay? We are in Palo Alto where there are about 300 eating establishments of various types, and not many seem to know much about GF food prep. We've had good luck with a couple places, but we certainly could use more choices!

Thanks --

From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of IscolSent: Tuesday, July 01, 2008 5:20 PM Subject: [ ] Re: Mangiamo in Windsor - My GF Happy Birthday

Hi Caitlin,I'm so glad you had a good GF experience at Mangiamo. I lead the NorthBay celiac support organization (www.northbayceliacs.org) and do freeconsultations for local restaurants interested in providingceliac-safe GF options. Chef Guy Giordanengo ("Gluten-Free Guy") isthe chef who developed Mangiamo's popular GF menu when he workedthere. He no longer works there, but he is kind enough to volunteerwith our group and so we work as a team with restaurants, includingMangiamo under its new ownership. His experience in preventingcross-contamination and developing recipes is invaluable. It's greatto get positive feedback so thanks for spreading the word!- Iscol>> Today is my birthday and on my way up north from San Francisco my> parents took me back to Mangiamo's in Windsor as they have a GF menu> which we have talked about before here. > > I had great GF salad, pizza and chocolate cake and am still very full > At the end of the meal the owner came over to my table and said he> heard we had ordered a GF meal and wanted to know how it was, and talk> to me about Celiac Disease(What a nice birthday present that was!)> Anyway, he said that he just bought the restaurant a few months ago> from the family that had started it and they wanted to keep GF items> on the menu. He said I was the third person of the night to order a> GF meal. They also own Langley's which is a few doors down and he> said since they don't serve lunch at Langley's they make the GF dough> there in the clean kitchen and then bring it over to Mangiamo. The> woman who runs the Celiac support group in Sonoma County (not sure if> they're in this group or not) I guess came in and went over restaurant> procedures and cross contamination issues with them as well (though it> isn't a fully dedicated GF kitchen). > > All in all it was a lovely birthday and I thanked him for making the> effort so people like me can enjoy a nice, fun meal out and be> virtually worry free about it. So if you are on your way through wine> country Mangiamo (or even Langley's due to the affiliation) is a great> place to stop. I told him I'll be back and I'll send some GF friends> in too > > It really was a happy birthday!>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

I don't know of anyone who is working with restaurants on the

peninsula in particular.

However, Clare O'Brien, the " Unglu'd Chef " from the Culinary Institute

of America's Napa campus, is the new Northern California rep for the

National Foundation for Celiac Awareness' GREAT program for training

restaurants. http://www.celiaccentral.org/Volunteer/GREAT/492/. Here's

Clare's blog: http://www.ungludchef.com/ She's coming out with a

cookbook this year entitled " The Unglu'd Chef: Revolutionizing

Gluten-Free Cooking.

So if you know of a restaurant that is very interested in creating a

GF menu, Clare might be able to help you work with them. GREAT charges

the restaurant $300 to get certified.

Guy Giordanengo and I are also happy to share the free materials we

have developed if anyone wants to work with a restaurant in their

area. It's slow going working with restaurants, and the restaurant has

to be truly committed to deal with the cross-contamination issues,

create separate storage space, a separate work space, dedicated

equipment and ongoing staff training. I usually start the discussion

using the economic angle; how prevalent celiac is, and how many people

there are (celiacs, wheat allergy sufferers, others on a GF diet, and

the families and friends who dine with them) who have money to spend

if they have a safe and delicious place to eat.

Best wishes,

> >

> > Today is my birthday and on my way up north from San Francisco my

> > parents took me back to Mangiamo's in Windsor as they have a GF menu

> > which we have talked about before here.

> >

> > I had great GF salad, pizza and chocolate cake and am still very

full

> > At the end of the meal the owner came over to my table and said he

> > heard we had ordered a GF meal and wanted to know how it was, and talk

> > to me about Celiac Disease(What a nice birthday present that was!)

> > Anyway, he said that he just bought the restaurant a few months ago

> > from the family that had started it and they wanted to keep GF items

> > on the menu. He said I was the third person of the night to order a

> > GF meal. They also own Langley's which is a few doors down and he

> > said since they don't serve lunch at Langley's they make the GF dough

> > there in the clean kitchen and then bring it over to Mangiamo. The

> > woman who runs the Celiac support group in Sonoma County (not sure if

> > they're in this group or not) I guess came in and went over restaurant

> > procedures and cross contamination issues with them as well (though it

> > isn't a fully dedicated GF kitchen).

> >

> > All in all it was a lovely birthday and I thanked him for making the

> > effort so people like me can enjoy a nice, fun meal out and be

> > virtually worry free about it. So if you are on your way through wine

> > country Mangiamo (or even Langley's due to the affiliation) is a great

> > place to stop. I told him I'll be back and I'll send some GF friends

> > in too

> >

> > It really was a happy birthday!

> >

>