Anyone In Ma?

[lifeasart]

Here's a shout out from a Bostonian Celiac.

I'm hoping to open a T-accessible, gluten-free/specialty bakery & store this year in the Boston area. (Davis Square seems like a good target.) I'm in the process (with another Celiac baking enthusiast, and various contacts) of collecting research and finding investors.

For the sake of this research and money-raising:

1) How many of you would visit such an establishment?

2) How frequently?

3) How far would you be willing to drive?

4) Suggestions?

Thank you!!

This will be a very exciting and rewarding business venture. Convincing folks that it's a real need in the community hasn't been difficult so far, but receiving your responses will be very helpful.

I love Whole Foods, but sometimes I just dream of sinking my teeth into a freshly baked, oozing chocolate chip cookie in an environment where I know that I anything I pick out will be safe! Even my gluten-guzzling pals have expressed interest in hanging out at a place like the one I'm concocting.

Email me at glutenfreeboston@yahoo.com. I can't wait to hear from you!

[cmzirkelbach]

This is the website of a good support group in MA, they typically have quarterly meeting at Mass Bay CC in Wellesley Hills. They always invite vendors who sell or sample new products. People come from as far as

Worcester, MA.

Open Original Shared Link

[francelajoie]

Are you going in October?

I'm definatly interested. Hope I don't forget.

[ebrbetty]

This is the website of a good support group in MA, they typically have quarterly meeting at Mass Bay CC in Wellesley Hills. They always invite vendors who sell or sample new products. People come from as far as

Worcester, MA.

Open Original Shared Link

thanks for the link, wellesley is not far for me, I grew up in Needham and live in Franklin now.

theres a great little store in Needham, called New Leaf, they have some wonderful products, many you can only get online.

Open Original Shared Link

BTW, how do I go about going to a meeting? can anyone go, do I need to sign up and pay a fee? I just looked at the site, it seems there are 2 meetings that day, which is the one you all would go to?

thanks Betty

[cmzirkelbach]

If you check on www.healthyvilli.com, on the right, click on Not a Member? Join today! There is a $25 membership fee per year.

It is a really big group of people and very informative. They have had Lee Tobin from Whole Foods Gluten Free Bakery and Beth Hilson from Gluten Free Pantry in the past.

[ebrbetty]

thank you, once I'm a member is there anything else I need to do to go to the meeting? do you go to both on the same day?

[cmzirkelbach]

If I remember correctly, they email members annoucements about the meetings and ask that people register so they can gage how many food samples/coffee&tea/information packets.

They hold three meetings a year, January, April and October and the new member meetings precede the general meeting, so you do not have to make the drive twice.

They are having a new member meeting on October 22, starting at noon, then the general meeting follows for all members.

The phone number is 617-262-5422. You can also email members@healthyvilli.com

[ebrbetty]

thank you very much for the help, i'm very shy and a little scared to go

[cmzirkelbach]

I understand. Start with an email to the members@healthyvilli.com first. The people I have met there who run the group are very friendly and eager to share information. Plus, if you go to the new members meeting, you will not be the only new person there. Feeling like everyone knows everyone else and you are the only new person can be very disconcerting. (It happened to my husband at a PTA meeting a couple of weeks ago, and my husband is not shy at all).

The nice thing about a celiac support group is you walk into a room full of people who 'get it' and you instantly have something to talk about with anyone that is there.

So, you will not be the only new person at the meeting, and will have something in common with everyone that attends the meeting, and you should be able to sample all the food offered.

They had one caterer that made these awesome chocolate covered peanut butter balls and another that made amazing lemon squares to sample.

[ebrbetty]

thanks for the help, I'm really interested in going, my hubby wants to go too, he keeps up with everything involving my health, having him with me will make my first visit a little less painful lol

happy 4th..have a good weekend

[lpasko2]

Hi Melissa,

I'm North-West of Boston...where exactly are you moving? I have lots of suggestions for stores around here.

there is a bread and circus in hadley right near northampton try mapquest to find the exact exit

[cowrdlyon]

I am moving in a few weeks outside of cummington/northampton I think. ( I have found a job but not yet gone to get an apartment!) I have family south of boston, so I will probably be through there a lot. I would love to know places to shop, I am so used to being 2 minutes from whole foods that I am a bit nervous! Are there any active support groups in MA?

m

Hey Melissa,

I live in Holyoke Mass which is only 20minutes south of Northampton. My wife and I are up there all the time. There are several stores within a 15minute drive from Northampton that you can get decent food at. There are Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Cornacopia at Thornes Marketplace right in downtown Noho and the Stop & Shop in Noho has some stuff. Welcome to Ma!

[cowrdlyon]

Hi I live in Holyoke and go to school in Northampton. There's plenty of gluten free stuff around here. Lots of restaurants are pretty informed about celiac and gluten free. There is a natural food store called cornucopia right in downtown Noho but it's sort of pricey but there's Whole foods and trader joe's real close in Amherst. Let me know what other questions you have and what I can do to help!

I live in Holyoke also. I was just diagnosed about 3 weeks ago. I didn't think there was as many of us as there are in Western Ma let alone Holyoke! Have a great day!

[ironic]

I'm from just north of Boston. I found out I had it in 2004.. but we got some mixed results and thought I didn't. Come to find out (just a few hours ago) I do.

I heard The Outback has its own Gluten Free menu, so I'm excited to go there.

How many of you belong to support groups and how often do they meet? Because none of my friends "get it". I was on the diet in 04, and they basically found it funny.. and couldn't comprehend that this was my diet *forever*. They were constantly asking how much longer I'd have to eat like that, and trying to get me to "just have one bite" of something *really* good. When the endoscopy came back neg. I was still almost 100% sure I had it, but I was so relieved to be off the diet I pretended that I didn't. Now I just want to feel better.

[kathy1]

The Christmas Tree Shop at the Holyoke Mall carries a variety of gluten-free products at bargain prices. For example- Blue Diamond Smokehouse almond nut thins are 2.89 at Wild oats and other such local health food stores, but everytime I go to the Christmas Tree Shops they sell the same thing for $1 a box. I usually buy 10 boxes at a time since its 1 and 1/2 hour drive for me to get there.They also carry alot of Thai items real cheap too. with so much of the gluten-free foods costing alot more money, I will stock up whenever I can!

[ironic]

What about the one heading into Boston. With the big restuarante shaped like a ship next to it? By, umm, Bobs and Jimmys (resturante)

[Kristen2Denise]

I live in Holyoke also. I was just diagnosed about 3 weeks ago. I didn't think there was as many of us as there are in Western Ma let alone Holyoke! Have a great day!

Cowrdlyon....do you know about Blue Moon Grocery in Easthampton??? I went there yesterday and got Bard's Tale Beer- which I don't like so it was sad, but I got this individually sized carrot cake which was unbelieveable...seriously amazing I could rave for days. They have a good amount of gluten free stuff..email me if you want more info! Take care..K

[Rykus0]

If you haven't already, you should check out Butternuts restaurant. I think it's in Hadley... My Fiancee is a celiac, and we both LOVE their food! The chef is great and really knows how to prepare gluten-free food the right way. We're even going to have our wedding reception there!

Other than that, we live in Southwick, currently, and my bride to be has been honing her baking skills and is hoping to possibly start a business providing gluten-free baked goods. If anyone is interested, let me know!

[Rykus0]

Oh, also there's a Whole Foods near there that has an excellent selection

[sallyterpsichore]

I live in Boston and haven't had any problems. I rarely eat out because I'm still "healing" and am playing it ultra safe, but there are gluten-free products all over the place. Even the supermarkets like Shaws/Star Market are starting to offer some gluten-free things like Tinkyada and Amy's frozen "good for you" junkfood! If you're moving to the city, I can tell you the places I know of that offer gluten-free beer and ciders (I drink out, but I don't eat out)

[GlutenWrangler]

I live in Westfield. It's cool to hear about others in my area. I figured everyone on here was out in the Boston area. There's definitely a good amount of stores in the area for celiacs. Trader Joes, Whole Foods, Cornucopia. Even Stop & Shop in Amherst has a lot of Celiac-Friendly foods. Welcome to MA!

-Brian