Episode 46: My Gluten-Free World Expo, Gluten Free in SLC, USA Today's 10 Best Awards, and Halloween

It's GLUTEN-FREE HALLOWEEN TIME! Jules and Erica are dressed up and ready to talk about tricks, treats, and spooky scary skeletons that send shivers down your spine (ex. gluten-reduced beer and wheat starch). Jules and Erica recap their time in Salt Lake City for the Gluten-Free Expo (My Gluten-Free World Expo 2023), and visiting local eateries like Tres Gatos Cafe and Tsunami restaurant. Jules shares her favorite Halloween recipes and Erica shares her Teal Pumpkin Project candy choices. They both recap the recently-announced USA Today's 10 Best awards including Best Gluten-Free Bakery and Best Gluten-Free Beer.

RESOURCES
My Gluten-Free World Expo
Tres Gatos Cafe
Tsunami Restaurant Salt Lake City
gfJules Pumpkin Hummus recipe
gfJules Gluten Free Gingerbread House recipe
gfJules Halloween Recipes
gfJules 2023 Halloween Candy List
FARE's Teal Pumpkin Project
USA Today's 10 Best Gluten-Free Pizza Restaurant
USA Today's 10 Best Gluten-Free Bakery
USA Today's 10 Best Gluten-Free Beer

Contact/Follow Jules & Erica

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• Find us on IG @CeliacandTheBeast & @gfJules
• Follow us on FB @gfJules & @CeliacandTheBeast
• Email us at support@gfJules.com
• Find more articles, recipes & info at gfJules.com & celiacandthebeast.com

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Transcript

Erica [00:00:13]:

Hey. I'm Erica.

Jules [00:00:14]:

And I'm Jules. Most people have at least 1 thing that they can't or won't eat.

Erica [00:00:19]:

Now we're definitely like that.

Jules [00:00:21]:

When we started this podcast to talk about the gluten free food industry,

Erica [00:00:25]:

Like new products and some of the stories behind your favorite brands.

Jules [00:00:29]:

And living life with especially diet and also some important health care topics.

Erica [00:00:33]:

Since we're basically both broken inside,

Jules [00:00:36]:

you had me at 8. Just love your ears.

Erica [00:00:47]:

Good god. Hi. Hello. Welcome to another episode of You Had Me At Eat. For those of you who are listening, you're missing out because we're we're our Halloween costumes. I'm, someone who likes to get drunk at the Enchanted Tiki Room, so I'm wearing a tiki shirt and tiki ears.

Jules [00:01:08]:

And that's not really much of a costume for you. That's honestly who you actually are. It's your inner spirit animal.

Erica [00:01:13]:

Daily Mhmm. Daily wear kind of thing. Yeah. And this is, Jules, who is a cat. Meow.

Jules [00:01:20]:

Wow. Yeah. So good. Meow. So good. Yes. I I am definitely a cat mom, so I'm wearing my little cat ears.

Erica [00:01:31]:

I love it. It's Halloween soon.

Jules [00:01:32]:

Thank you.

Erica [00:01:33]:

We'll be talking about that in a hot second. But just in case you are worried by what you saw,

Jules [00:01:38]:

in front of you Yes.

Erica [00:01:40]:

And this is what's also lovely is, Jules, do you wanna raise your shoulder? Yes.

Jules [00:01:46]:

I can look look what I can do. Look. I have range of motion on my shoulder. I know it's amazing.

Erica [00:01:52]:

Jules. Very, very excited. During the break, Had the audacity to go have shoulder surgery.

Jules [00:01:59]:

So I know. Right? Yeah. That's very exciting. That I will say that that hurt, But I'm happy to say that I can do it. So yes. For

Erica [00:02:08]:

those of you who forgot, Jules On Christmas? Is it Christmas? Christmas Day. Christmas Day. Christmas Day. Took a tumble down the stairs, Like some sort of Netflix murder mystery. And while she wasn't murdered, by her own audacity of falling down the stairs to rush to get a picture of her child, she broke a million different things. So

Jules [00:02:33]:

Yeah. She

Erica [00:02:33]:

finally got shoulder surgery, and here she is.

Jules [00:02:36]:

And and It's forever memorialized on another episode of You Had Me at Eat. We can see all of the bruising and the Slangs and me in a boot and all of the fun stuff. Yeah. That you could go back in time and watch that anytime you like on YouTube. So, yeah,

Erica [00:02:54]:

it's tough. Story is good enough to hear again. So, yay, we're so happy that Jules had surgery and is recovering And is Yeah. In a constant state of recovery because shoulder surgeries require a lot of physical therapies.

Jules [00:03:10]:

Mhmm. Yes. Very much so. It's like another job.

Erica [00:03:13]:

Yeah. Which, you have to pay for. So it's actually, like, the worst job ever.

Jules [00:03:18]:

It is the worst job ever. Not great. Yeah. Yeah. I don't like it. I don't recommend it. So so here's the PSA for today. Kids use handrails when going down the stairs.

Jules [00:03:29]:

Seriously.

Erica [00:03:32]:

Yeah, man. That's that's a lot. We're we're happy you're back. We're happy to record again. And, actually, the day before she had surgery, we were both in Salt Lake City together. So you may have seen us at the, Jules

Erica [00:03:46]:

The GF Jules booth at, the My Gluten Free World Expo in Salt Lake City, the day before, The poor day before, she went in to have shoulder surgery.

Jules [00:03:59]:

Yeah. It was a lot. It was a crazy few weeks because the week The weekend before that was the Baltimore Expo. Mhmm. So there's Baltimore Expo, Utah Expo, shoulder surgery.

Erica [00:04:11]:

Recovery. And here we are. Recovery.

Jules [00:04:13]:

And here we are. Mhmm.

Erica [00:04:14]:

Yeah. I have been So

Jules [00:04:15]:

I just figured get

Erica [00:04:16]:

it out of the way. You know? Why not? Nothing else to do this time of year. I've been traveling as well, so we'll catch you up on those travels in a future episode. But right now, we want to talk about Salt Lake City Expo because that was just where we were at. We, we talked about it in the the previous episode that we are going to be there. So let's talk about it. How was it? Was it magical? Jules, I love Salt Lake City. You love Salt Lake City.

Erica [00:04:41]:

What a great place to be.

Jules [00:04:44]:

Oh, yeah. And the weather was amazing. Utah is just gorgeous and, met some beautiful people, and, It was it was a lot of fun. It was it was great having you at the booth. I always love getting to hang out with you and, like, make waffles together. No, ma'am. I'm here for Yeah.

Erica [00:05:02]:

So now we get to we

Jules [00:05:04]:

got to get our picture.

Erica [00:05:05]:

Yeah. In the Airbnb with the Airbnb. Let us let us thank the oven and the Airbnb for working so hard to Help us bake endless, endless Italian breads. It's 6 in the morning. The only thing you wanna smell instead of coffee

Jules [00:05:20]:

is Garlic. Roasted garlic. Yeah. That was, that was the smell that greeted us every morning. Yes.

Erica [00:05:28]:

I feel like I just smelled like a

Jules [00:05:30]:

a very nice that But you know what? You had to.

Erica [00:05:32]:

Yeah. There were 13,000 people. I think it was, like, 12,000 or whatever was the final count or 13,000. It was wild. And it was just nonstop people Mhmm. Saying, oh my god. This is the best. And I'm like, yeah.

Erica [00:05:45]:

Where have you been? Now why don't you know this? Of course, it's the best. It's amazing. It's GF Jules. And people were just so alarmed by how good Gluten free products could be from a mix, and I think that that, yeah, says so much about you because your products are so good. Your bread, You made the bread, your husband made the bread talk because you took the bread and you're like, yes. I can be squishy, and I'm not hard and scary.

Jules [00:06:13]:

He loves to do that.

Erica [00:06:14]:

It's amazing. Yeah. It was so much fun. And everyone loves seeing you. They're like, is that the real Jules? I'm like, yes. She's a real person. Here she is.

Jules [00:06:23]:

Yes. Yes. It's always fun doing those shows because, it you know, you you live in your silos. Right? You know? Like, I'm just I'm used to, you know, talking to people who obviously know my brand and, know me from social media or know me from my products or whatever. And so it's fun to do those shows and people walk up and, you know, they're like, what's GF Jewell's? You know? How can you not know? Like, it's just funny. Yeah. Like, they're most people don't. Right? And that's that's the beauty of of doing shows like that.

Jules [00:06:57]:

And it's fun because then you get to introduce people to something brand new that they've never been exposed to. And, And and I've heard from people since the show who, like, you know, bought a pancake mix or pizza mix or whatever, and they've, You know, I've gone home and made it, and I'm like, oh my gosh. Thank you so much for making gluten free taste great and, you know, making it easy and making life Normal and, you know, I just I don't know where you've been all my life or whatever, and that's like,

Erica [00:07:24]:

oh, I've been in Maryland.

Jules [00:07:27]:

Where? Where have

Erica [00:07:28]:

you been? It's wild. It's so wild because everyone's like, is this new? This is amazing. This is new. And I'm like, no. She's been doing this, since we were we babies.

Jules [00:07:40]:

Yeah. Yeah.

Erica [00:07:40]:

It's wild. We and I'm like, yeah, she's kinda like a big deal in the industry. She was an editor of gluten free magazine. She's like the Number 1 blogger, lifetime personality, whatever. Like, she's all the things. She I'm like, remember the 20 bars per million? She had Critical role in it. It's just like, come on, you guys.

Jules [00:07:58]:

Yeah.

Erica [00:07:59]:

But all these new people who are gluten free don't know anything about the history of it, and that's It's fine. Right. I didn't know about it before I got into it. But it's really interesting to hear they're like to to see their eyes light up when we talk about, like, how long you've been doing this and, like, How you started, and they're like, this is amazing. And, like, it is, isn't it?

Jules [00:08:17]:

Yay. Well and I I think it's important, when you're talking to people and and introducing them to stuff like that to let them know too that, I mean, I have been doing this since My my first book was published in 2006, and we've been selling flowers since 2008 because a lot of people say and I don't know if anyone said this to you at the booth, but, I hear this a lot of times. People are like, well, I'm a I'm a little bit leery of trying a brand, you know, that I don't see on store shelves because I'm afraid of Getting attached to it, and then it it goes out of business or Mhmm. You know, it's not gonna be around anymore. And, like, no. I need to as a business. I am always good for you to That? I know. But I have been around, like, longer than just about any other gluten free brand.

Jules [00:09:06]:

So, You know, I'm I don't plan on going anywhere. God forbid. So yeah. You know, I just I want people to know that there is some longevity to it, and I'm not in it for, you know, trying to make a a buck and sell out or something like that, and and it's not gonna go away. So, I think that gives people some comfort, I guess, to know that, you know, the brand has been around for a long time. But it's fun. I love I love meeting new people. I did not get to walk around like you did No.

Jules [00:09:39]:

At the expo. She left the booth One time. One time. And it was the most important. We we must leave the booth because I looked over There are llamas.

Erica [00:09:50]:

And they were Actual llamas, and there was no people. And I'm like, oh, can we just go, like, go over there? And so I ran over there, and then I I texted you as I go, get over here. There are the llamas. Yes. So we'll put in, Peppering some videos of us with the llamas, but they were really cute. And for some time, they had to leave the expo floor because Yeah. Something or, like, is this a health Apartment thing, they weren't around. They weren't around food that was being made, so I'm not really sure what the regulations are around llamas.

Erica [00:10:25]:

But they were there, and plenty of people got in there got pictures, things with them. Yeah. So that was wild and fun. That's very cute. That might even be the cover, of this episode, so we'll see how how those photos go. But I walked around and there was lots Awesome stuff. I mean, I really love the mom and pop bakeries that are there, in Utah. There were Quite a lot of brands.

Erica [00:10:53]:

There was a gluten free chicken truck, like a food truck, which was really cool. My favorite Sushi Place Tsunami had their, teriyaki sauces for sale. They have a jalapeno teriyaki sauce that they make in house, And I always stock up when I'm there. So once a year, I stock up with a couple bottles. And I actually made it last night. I love making it. It's like a Spicy teriyaki sauce, which I absolutely love, and we do stir fry with it. So we threw in some carrots and mushrooms and green onions and chicken and rice and topped it with this amazing jalapeno terrapi sauce.

Erica [00:11:31]:

So Mhmm. I ate basically nothing but tsunami, which is the amazing,

Jules [00:11:36]:

Yeah. You introduced us to that. And so good. That I was blown away at how well they handled gluten free on their menu, but also when we got takeout from them, when it came in, like, a different kind of bag because there's one 1 person in our party who didn't order gluten free, and everyone else ordered the gluten free. And it was so well labeled, but then the non gluten free stuff came in a different bag. And it was, like, a different color, and it didn't say gluten free on it. I mean, it was, like, it it was handled so well, and and you and I both looked at each other. We're like, why can't they all be like this.

Jules [00:12:12]:

Like, seriously. You know, this was just a dream to be able to just say, I I No. And I trust that they're that they did it right and that that, you know, there were so many choices, and it was so delicious, and it was so safe. Yeah. Great. So

Erica [00:12:28]:

I love that place.

Jules [00:12:29]:

On you,

Erica [00:12:30]:

Suna. That place. Mhmm. And, you know, I go to sushi across the country, and there is not one other one That is, like, affordable sushi that does this. You know, I've been to Uchiko in Austin, and their stuff is very esoteric And very pricey. And, of course, if you're in these, like, very high end sushi places where it costs, like, $40 for a slice of fish, There's gonna be some sort of chef that's like, oh, I understand. You know? And, like, we'll modify this because it's a $40 slice of raw fish. But a tsunami is affordable, and it's a family friendly restaurant where they have, like, actual entrees that you can get that are gluten free, Like teriyaki chicken.

Erica [00:13:13]:

You know? So Yeah. The Salt Lake City has a lot. I didn't take you to Joy Luck, which is a gluten free Chinese food place there. The officer does a great job. Yeah. I love it there. I didn't get to eat there this time. And then one of our favorite new finds, which is weird because I only went through you was Tres Gatos cafe.

Erica [00:13:32]:

Yes. And they are not They're really good. They're not a gluten free place, but they offer gluten free muffins that they make with your flour. And that is the only baked good that they make. Everything else is, like, sandwiches and stuff.

Jules [00:13:47]:

Yeah. No. They they do make some other baked goods that are not gluten free, but they have it in a separate area of the kitchen. And so they'll make, I think, like, maybe cookies and scones or something like that, and they make those that are not gluten free. But they, the way that they do it and and, of course, every Every place handles things differently when they do things that are gluten free, not gluten free. But the way that that this place handles it is that they have An area in the back is their gluten free kitchen prep area, and all that they make that's gluten free is muffins. So all of the muffin prep stuff and the muffin Hands and, you know, all of that stuff is all dedicated gluten free. And then if they make anything else, whatever they're making is, You know, has gluten in it, has other, utensils and pots and pans and that kind of stuff, and they make that in a different area.

Erica [00:14:37]:

save, like, sandwiches and stuff Yeah. That are not gluten free. But their muffins, somehow, even though it's your flour, so I shouldn't be surprised, are so freaking good. And they're vegan too.

Jules [00:14:49]:

So amazing. Yeah. They were really, really good. Yeah. Everybody loved the muffins, but, look what I can do. I just moved my arm in a really cool way. Amazing. Still impressive.

Jules [00:14:59]:

Yeah. But the The other interesting thing about Tres Gatos, they are, like, famous for their chai. Yes. And, I just happened to order their chai because chai is, like, My drink. I love love chai. And I ordered their chai, and I was like, oh my gosh. This is, like, the best chai I've ever had.

Erica [00:15:19]:

It's the best chai.

Jules [00:15:20]:

Yeah. And so and and I you know? So I I, like, had other people taste the chai because I was like, you know, you guys gotta taste this chai. And the other people don't normally order chai, And then they started ordering the chai because we went there every day. It's really, like, these muffins are so good, and the chai is so good. But, the other interesting thing about Tres Gatos that I thought was really cool was after we were there and we met Breck, the owner, she was just Amazing. I love her. And, you know, we were talking to the staff. Everybody there was so great, and their their logo's great, and their are great.

Jules [00:15:55]:

Like, the the vibe is so great. Like, just the positivity and the energy there. I just loved it. But we were, you know, spending some time with them. And so she went back and was looking at their, their muffins and sales of their muffins versus their other stuff. She's like, You know, now that I started looking at it, like, we sell way more gluten free muffins than we do anything else. And they're not a gluten free, like, bakery. They're not a muffin shop.

Jules [00:16:25]:

They're not anything else. But word has gotten out that, You know, these muffins are fantastic, and people buy them who are not gluten free. And people buy them who don't need to eat vegan. And, you know, and that's the whole idea. Right? Like, If your food is good enough that everyone wants it, it doesn't matter that it's gluten free or that it's vegan or whatever. And that should be the goal. Like, Elevate the the food to be good enough that everyone won't wanna eat it. Mhmm.

Jules [00:16:54]:

And then it makes it great for the rest of us who have to eat gluten free or You have to eat vegan or whatever your dietary restriction is. Raise your game. Yeah. Like, make it good enough that everyone wants it. It's not that they have so many people who are gluten free eating those muffins. It's that the muffins are that good. Mhmm. And people who are gluten free are eating them, but So is everybody else.

Jules [00:17:15]:

Mhmm. And that's the idea. So they're just doing it right. And it was awesome.

Erica [00:17:21]:

It was wild. I went there the day that you guys left at, like, 4 in the morning or something. I went there. It was so busy. I literally had to take a seat inside, and the line was wrapped around. And I'm like, this is wild. It's just, like, in the middle of Midvale, Utah, and it's not, like, in a busy part of town. Like, you have to drive there knowing that you're going somewhere.

Erica [00:17:41]:

Mhmm. And it's just like, Okay. This is amazing. And it's, like, the best chai I've ever had, and the muffins were incredible. And, Yeah. I'm Yeah. I'm very grateful that I know about this place now because it's a 100% the only coffee shop I'm going to when I'm back in Salt Lake City.

Jules [00:17:57]:

Yeah. And it was really close to Sandy. I mean, it was, like, just a few minutes away. Like, most people are like, where's Midvale? But it's, like, right outside of Sandy. So It was super easy to get to. It was adorable. Like, Midfield is, like, super cute. But everybody that we were talking to, like, that no one knew about it.

Jules [00:18:14]:

And then people started going, and they were like, this is awesome.

Erica [00:18:18]:

Yeah. So it's great.

Jules [00:18:20]:

Yeah. If you're if you're a coffee shop or a bakery and you're thinking about doing gluten free or whatever. Take a page out of that playbook because they're doing it right.

Erica [00:18:28]:

Yeah. I wish more coffee shops were like that here. We have one that sells amazing coffee. That's right. Walking distance, and I'm gluten free. And then the new store just moved in, and that owner is also gluten free. And she goes, this is Yes. Like, why can't that coffee shop have one thing that's for us? And I'm like, I don't know.

Erica [00:18:45]:

Should I just start selling baked goods there? She goes, I wish you would because I really just want Something to go with my coffee that I get every morning at the store that I work in next to this coffee shop. It's just wild to me that people are missing out so much on a, Like 10% or whatever of customers that, like, are choosing to eat gluten free or reduce gluten from their diet. Yep. Business sense. Yep. Yeah. What are you making for Halloween, Jules?

Jules [00:19:27]:

Oh, jeez. Okay. So have you been watching my feed at all because I'm going a little bit crazy

Erica [00:19:32]:

on the Halloween recipes. Wild.

Jules [00:19:35]:

And I haven't even gotten through maybe 2 thirds of my recipes yet, so I've I've got a lot more coming.

Erica [00:19:43]:

So who's eating these? Because you're making a whole lot. And I know that you eat sweets, but not this much. So who's eating all these?

Jules [00:19:52]:

Well, okay. There's some there's some gluten free kids in my neighborhood, and then, I have some runs just, you know, around to our, our celiac, and they have families. And so I just I just rip it out on APB whenever I bake

Erica [00:20:08]:

Yeah. New food. Yeah. I mean

Jules [00:20:10]:

Yeah. I'll let you talk to me. Also, when I post stuff, I don't I'm not always making it right now. Some of these Right. Right. Right. Are recipes that I've already made before. So, yeah.

Jules [00:20:23]:

Because, like, especially with my arm right now, like, I can't, like, bake as fast and furious as I might want to all the time. As you used to. I'll be back. Okay?

Erica [00:20:34]:

Yeah, I know.

Jules [00:20:36]:

But I did I did make something yesterday. It wasn't for Halloween, but it's Fall. And it was it was actually something that I discovered at the, the Salt Lake Expo. It's a brand called Clean Monday Meals, which I think you already knew about.

Erica [00:20:48]:

Yes. She's great.

Jules [00:20:49]:

And yeah. So, she sent me their, spicy ramen seasoning. And I Put something up yesterday in my stories, and

Erica [00:20:59]:

I was like, what should

Jules [00:21:00]:

I make with it? And he's like, you could really put it in anything. And I was like, what should I make? What should I make? And then I ended up, Having to go to this thing last night, and I needed to bring an appetizer last minute. So I was like, you know what? I'm gonna make pumpkin hummus, and I'm gonna just throw this Spicy ramen seasoning into the pumpkin hummus. Have you ever made hummus before?

Erica [00:21:18]:

With garbanzo beans? No. Yeah. I mean, I know it's super easy.

Jules [00:21:24]:

Yeah. Open a can of chickpeas and just aquafaba. Here I am. Yeah. Yeah. So yeah. So I I, added the seasoning to it. Instead of what I normally put in there, I just threw her seasoning into it instead.

Jules [00:21:37]:

It was really tasty. So I'm gonna share that today. And we'll we'll drop a link, into the notes here for my pumpkin hummus recipe. It's like 8 ingredients. You dump it all in a blender. It's done in 5 minutes. It could not be easier. It's so good.

Jules [00:21:53]:

And, I thought that the seasoning was really good in it.

Erica [00:21:57]:

I wanted you to make pull apart rolls with it, although I'm sure that require kneading.

Jules [00:22:04]:

Make pull apart rolls with the seasoning? Yeah.

Erica [00:22:07]:

Like, spicy pull apart rolls or something. Like, seasoned pull apart rolls. I mean, I'm not making you make anything. I don't I can't be there to eat it, so those are really bad.

Jules [00:22:17]:

I will be making pull apart rolls for Thanksgiving for sure, so I guess I could do that. Yeah. But, no, there's no needing for that. I just use, like, a, ice cream scoop when I make the pull apart rolls. I just, like Okay. Scoop it and then, Makes nice round rolls

Erica [00:22:32]:

with it.

Jules [00:22:33]:

But yeah. No. You could use that seasoning in just about anything.

Erica [00:22:36]:

It's so good.

Jules [00:22:37]:

But for Halloween, one of my favorite things to do for Halloween, and then and this is like a zig when they zag kinda thing, but, is I

Erica [00:22:45]:

like to make gingerbread houses for Halloween. Spooky gingerbread houses. Weird. But are they spooky? Of course. They're spooky. Because because

Jules [00:22:57]:

I mean, there's so much cool Halloween candy out there, and that's how you decorate the gingerbread house is with the Halloween candy. So I make gingerbread houses for Valentine's Day

Erica [00:23:08]:

Sure, dude. You make them for every

Jules [00:23:10]:

Halloween and for, like, the Christmas holidays.

Erica [00:23:14]:

Have you made yours yet?

Jules [00:23:16]:

You sure do, Jules.

Erica [00:23:18]:

You sure do.

Jules [00:23:19]:

Yes. I do. So, yeah, that's that's

Erica [00:23:21]:

make yours already, or are you going to make yours?

Jules [00:23:24]:

And you could do it no. No. I haven't made it yet. No. Because I only just bought some Halloween candy. So, you know, I'm a little behind.

Erica [00:23:35]:

I am Behind in a lot of things in life right now, but the one thing I'm not behind in oh, so this is our giant bag

Jules [00:23:46]:

Love it.

Erica [00:23:46]:

Candy that Matt can't eat because it's our teal pumpkin project candy. He's got Yum Earth gummies, Yum Earth lollipops, and those are all top 8 free. Partake (teal For Teal Pumpkin Project), chocolate chip cookies. Mhmm. We have Free2B sunflower butter cups, which are top eight Allergen free, so good. That's why Matt's not allowed because he loves these. Yum Earth Giggles, which are the versions of Skittles.

Jules [00:24:21]:

Have you

Erica [00:24:21]:

ever had those?

Jules [00:24:24]:

My kids have. I don't like skittles. I'm not a baseball.

Erica [00:24:28]:

I know you are. I don't even know why I'm showing you these because I'm so excited, and you're just, like, so anti climactic about it. But

Jules [00:24:35]:

No. I mean, you gotta show me.

Erica [00:24:37]:

And then, these teeny tiny made good granola bars. Oh, so tiny. I love those. They're so cute. They come in, like, this big Halloween box.

Jules [00:24:47]:

I have a picture of that on my Halloween candy post.

Erica [00:24:51]:

Well, we've got any more things. This is this bag is so huge, But, so loud. So very loud. I know. It's ASMR. It's candy ASMR.

Jules [00:25:06]:

It's not relaxing at all. Ew.

Erica [00:25:10]:

Oh, this one's open. K. I'm gonna have to eat that later. So also in here, which I can't find because Matt might have eaten them already, are the Starburst knockoffs that are from Yum Earth. I don't remember what

Jules [00:25:23]:

you called. Yes. Hally likes hers

Erica [00:25:25]:

a lot. Good.

Jules [00:25:26]:

Anyway, so that's Okay. So here's another option.

Erica [00:25:31]:

This is more mainstream, but this giant bag, it's huge.

Jules [00:25:38]:

This is huge, But it's from the Tootsie Roll company. And I just bought this, like, at Rite Aid the other day when I went to go get my COVID and my flu shot. I got a $5 off coupon at Rite Aid for getting my flu shot. And I was like, yes. I will take that and buy candy with it. So I bought this giant bag, and the whole bag is gluten free. And it says so on the back.

Erica [00:26:03]:

And peanut free and gluten free. Yep. Mhmm.

Jules [00:26:06]:

Yeah. Because everything your old company is. So, anyway, it's got, like, tootsie rolls and dipping, you know, different dot thingies in there and fruit

Erica [00:26:15]:

They're not Dippin' Dots. They are Dots. Whatever they are. Dippin' Dots is that amazing astronaut

Jules [00:26:22]:

ice cream. Thing. Yeah. I miss

Erica [00:26:24]:

it so much. It's

Jules [00:26:25]:

yeah. Well, this one is, you know, going in my teal pumpkin thing. So, yeah. And, it was it was a pretty good deal. He was, like, on the sale for, like, 12 minutes.

Erica [00:26:38]:

Yeah. It was a great deal because that This bag of candy is, like, $200 worth of teal project teal pumpkin project candy. Because I'm like, listen. Yeah.

Jules [00:26:47]:

This candy candy candy

Erica [00:26:47]:

candy is like this year. Mhmm. I'm gonna eat all of this, so it doesn't really matter.

Jules [00:26:53]:

There you go.

Erica [00:26:54]:

Yeah. And we do we buy, like, normal candy for, like, the regular kids, we always offer, obviously, teal pumpkin project. And, like, our neighbor gives out full size candy bars, so, like, come on. We can't compete with that. But we do have the teal pumpkin just in case anyone has I'm like, does anyone have allergies? And they're like, no. And I'm like, okay. Well, I'm gonna ask every single trick or treater. You're welcome.

Jules [00:27:17]:

Yeah. I do the same thing. And and I know and we have, some celiac kids, as I mentioned earlier, in our neighborhood. Mhmm. So I have to And and people come from all over. Obviously, you don't you don't know where people are coming from. But, like, I literally have 2 kids, Like, within shouting distance of my house who have celiac disease. So I definitely have, the teal pumpkin.

Jules [00:27:39]:

I already have it out of my porch so that everyone knows. So do I that there will be a teal pumpkin, loaded with, safe treats on Halloween here. But, We're gonna drop a link in the notes to my, Halloween candy list Mhmm. Posting because All of the stuff that Erica just talked about is in there as well as the information on to the Tootsie Roll Company, but also information on how to find safe candy because there are a lot of gluten free candy lists that are out, that, you know, sometimes they get they're Outdated.

Erica [00:28:15]:

I don't know why. Listening. I found, I found a bag of the chewies, which are the starburst tubes.

Jules [00:28:20]:

Yes.

Erica [00:28:20]:

So I was very excited. Very. Yeah. I even interrupted Jules because I was so freaking excited to find this. Anyway okay. Yes. Please. The link that Jules has has literally everything in it and talks about How to find candy, how to read labels, which is so critically important, especially during this time where so many brands make seasonal shapes that are produced in different Facilities are making different flavors.

Jules [00:28:44]:

So the listing that I have not only talks about, like, which ones are gluten free, which ones are not gluten free, but it Teaches you how to figure that out for yourself, which I think is, like, so important.

Erica [00:28:55]:

Teach a man how to fish. You know?

Jules [00:28:57]:

Exactly. Exactly. And there's obviously, every year, people get into Heated arguments about the Reese's shapes and whether or not they are safe, the seasonal shapes, And whether or not M&M's are safe and people are always asking these questions. And, you know, the bottom line is you have to make these decisions for yourself or for your kiddos, and no one is judging you for how you Eric and I are not judging you. I don't know about other

Erica [00:29:30]:

I'd be judging you, but I just can't imagine you.

Jules [00:29:34]:

Erica is gonna judge you. I'm not gonna judge you. But the point is I try to give you the facts In this post, and then you do with it what you want. Mhmm. The these companies are telling you Information on their packaging. And, you know, you can take from that what you want. You can You can choose to ignore it if you want. But my perspective is that there are plenty of choices that are labeled gluten free, and there are plenty of companies Like the ones that Erica just pointed out that are going above and beyond to create super safe Products for your gluten free kiddos.

Jules [00:30:14]:

And, I choose to patronize those companies and the ones that, are labeling things as gluten free and, you know, go into the trouble of saying, you know, hey. We've made this product That, you know, we deem to be safe for people who are living gluten free rather than, buying something that is either not labeled gluten free or maybe iffy one way or the other Mhmm. And taking a risk. Because, To me, you don't have to because there's so many choices out there that are Yeah. Safe now. But you can do what you wanna do. I just wouldn't put the ones that are not labeled gluten free in a teal pumpkin. Like, that's not right.

Jules [00:30:59]:

Yeah. So The interesting thing is that Reese's, for example, which the seasonal shapes are never labeled gluten free. The other ones tend to be, and I list out there The ones that are they even have, ones now that are have pretzels in them that are labeled gluten free, Which blows my mind. Like, how cool that they have

Erica [00:31:23]:

chokes gluten free pretzels. Yes.

Jules [00:31:25]:

And potato chips. Amazing. Those are labeled gluten free. And yet And yet

Erica [00:31:30]:

wanna eat the

Jules [00:31:30]:

ones that aren't. It has to be a pumpkin shape. Unless they're just gonna die on that I get it.

Erica [00:31:36]:

It's made in a different facility where they are not their number one priority is not necessarily for the gluten free labeling. I get that. I understand. Some people eat it. I don't care. You make your own decisions. I'm not going to judge you. But, like, I guess it's a it's a It's the same thing.

Erica [00:31:52]:

It it tastes like everything else. If you're choosing to buy that over one that's, like, gluten free, I don't necessarily get it Unless you're making it for something or unless, like, if you're the only choice of candy is a pumpkin shaped Reese's, which is, in that case, I don't know where you are, but Okay. Like, you know, you do you, but I'm just saying, like, yeah, there's so many amazing other opportunities. I'm not gonna judge you if you eat it, but, like, you know, that's not the hill to die on. There's so many other things that you can choose in your life that you wanna fight for. That's not what I'm I'm willing to spend any more emotional, mental, or physical time on.

Jules [00:32:32]:

Yeah. No. I'm with you there. My cup I I try to point that out in my, in my post too that that there are plenty of other choices.

Erica [00:32:39]:

And then you're gonna be called, fear monger. So, you know, we gotta deal with what you do. You know? You just gotta deal with it in this lovely community. But Yeah. Again, pick the fights that you wanna fight. And everything else, you just Yeah. Brush it off your shoulder, your functioning shoulder.

Jules [00:33:00]:

My this one.

Erica [00:33:01]:

Mhmm. My

Jules [00:33:02]:

functioning shoulder, Ill brush that off. So as we're recording this, there was an announcement, of some awards that came out that, you had played a big part in, Erica, from USA Today. Can you tell us more about those?

Erica [00:33:23]:

Yeah. I'm, Yeah. I'm a pretty big deal.

Jules [00:33:27]:

I'm a big big deal. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Erica [00:33:30]:

USA Today Has this website called 10 best, and they recruit, experts in the field to, help them Create a list of best items. So I did the best vegan items and best gluten free items And, like, best gluten free bakery across the country, best gluten free beer, best gluten free pizza restaurant, best gluten free frozen pizza that's also vegan. So they recruited me to nominate a bunch of, brands because that's basically all I know. All I know is gluten free brands. You know? It's Kind of my thing, kind of what I eat every day. So as an expert, I got to nominate my favorites and kind of, write a A reason why they should be nominated. And, then based on that, the general public got to vote. And I don't know who these people are that voted.

Erica [00:34:25]:

I don't I don't really know the other experts that are on the panels too. So, obviously, best gluten free bakeries, like, that's my jam. That's what I know. I'm best gluten free beer. Again, my jam, what I know. And then best, Like pizzerias, I can only nominate the ones that I've been to, but it was really interesting. So literally, the announcements came on right when Jules and I were about to record. I wanted to share with you the winners.

Erica [00:34:50]:

So best gluten free bakery, kinda weird because the winner is not one I've ever been to, and I think they probably got A lot of votes from people who are in the state because it's in Mobile, Alabama. I've never even been to Mobile, Alabama, but it's called Gunkels. And now that I know that they ship nationwide, I'm gonna try it out. Have you ever heard about this place? Jules? Nope. No? To know from you? Nope. And then the other one that is the no. That is number 2 is One of the ones that I thought was my personal favorite, which is Hell Yeah Gluten Free out of Atlanta, Georgia. Their stuff is incredible.

Erica [00:35:30]:

Really, really freaking good. And so I know that they were really excited to be nominated for that. Coming in 3rd is Twist Bakery in Burlington And, Millis, Massachusetts. A lot of East Coast people love Twist Bakery. They're at all the gluten free shows, which I think is really rad. Number 4, Mariposa, which is not surprising. We've been there. We've had stuff in there.

Erica [00:35:53]:

It's amazing. Number 5 Is Spooky Swirls, which I was very excited because it's in Arizona. And the woman who was on it was on Halloween Halloween baking championship, which I absolutely love. And while a lot of their stuff isn't dairy free, their stuff is very good. Number 6 is Hale Life Bakery.

Jules [00:36:16]:

Where is it?

Erica [00:36:17]:

It's in Chandler, so outside of Phoenix. I have never brought you anything because they have very limited dairy free options, but it's super cute. Everything is horror themed. Have I not told you about this place? It's so cool. They also have a horror museum in their gluten free bakery. I did a reel about it once, and I'm like, This is this place is so weird, and I love it so much. Number 6 is Hale Life Bakery, which we know Laura and Taylor that own, obviously, Hale Life, and They have so many locations now. It's wild.

Erica [00:36:51]:

Good for them. Number 7 is Wildflower out of Seattle. Number 8 is one that I've never been to, which is MaPoese bakery in Denville, New Jersey. Never been there. Have you ever heard of them? I've never known. Number 9 is Wheat's End Bakery and Cafe. Number 10 is Kyra's Bakeshop. So I will say there are some glaring, Glaring errors on this list.

Jules [00:37:18]:

Yeah. There's some missing.

Erica [00:37:19]:

And I'm very mad. Petunia's Pies and Cakery, Probably my favorite place in in, in Oregon because of the fact that it's all dairy free. So I can have everything there. I love Kira's, But some of their amazing stuff is not dairy free, which is great. Lake Oswego is so blessed to have that. But for downtown Portland, That's definitely one. And then Pushkin's. I How is Pushkin's not on there? You know? Yeah.

Erica [00:37:45]:

I know. Anyway, Sacramento's finest. Just an incredible place. They also have a restaurant called Siblings. Jules and I have been there. Yes. So while this is a list that I am proud to have contributed to. I am saddened by some of the choices.

Erica [00:38:02]:

That's okay. That's how general voting goes. Right?

Jules [00:38:04]:

Yep. It's all about who this is.

Erica [00:38:08]:

Next, I will tell you is best gluten free beer. I don't agree with this either.

Jules [00:38:15]:

Just gonna tell you. But it's clear that you had nothing to do with the voting. You only had to do with the voting.

Erica [00:38:21]:

Just to reiterate, nothing to do with to do with the voting and nothing to do with some of the things on the list that are not dedicated gluten free. So just saying that. Number 1 is from a place called Departed Souls, which I think is Great. It's a gluten free ingredient beer, 100% gluten free in New Jersey. It's a black IPA, which I am not a fan of, but good for them. Excited. Second, I will tell you made from? I don't know with you, but I'm gonna look at it after we get up this call.

Jules [00:38:46]:

Gonna look at that. Mhmm.

Erica [00:38:47]:

Second one is is my favorite Holidaily Buckwhit Belgian, which is the one that I really, really wanted to win, because I think it's incredible. 3rd is another one of my absolute Favors, obviously, I nominated it. Of course, it's my favorite. Is It Came From The Haze Hazy IPA from Ghostfish out of Seattle.

Jules [00:39:05]:

Love Ghostfish. Yes.

Erica [00:39:08]:

We're not gonna talk about number 4 because it's gluten removed. Number to us. It's dead to us. Number 5 is Alt Brew, which is out of Wisconsin, which is awesome, dedicated gluten free. Number 6 I don't wanna talk about that. Number 7 I'm being very selective. Number 7 is a dedicated gluten free brewery in Oregon. It's called Bierly Brewing.

Erica [00:39:35]:

It's their Pilsner, which is awesome. Number 8 is another one of our favorites, Ground Breaker brewing with their Olali. And I thought it was really interesting because this is their, rose hips seasonal fruit one, and I think it's So awesome and so unique, and that's why I nominated it. Number 9 is Aurochs out of Pennsylvania. I know you know them. Yeah. I know. And then number 10 is Moon Shrimp, another small brand out of the Pacific Northwest.

Erica [00:40:04]:

I forget if it's Oregon or Seattle, but they were when we did the Portland, event, they were there as well. So good for them. Excited to see Some dedicated gluten free ones that are actually on here, so that makes me

Jules [00:40:18]:

very happy. Like the really big brands.

Erica [00:40:21]:

Yes. Interesting. Happy for that. Very cool. Best gluten free pizzeria. I have 2 of my favorite nominations are number 2 and 3, which I love. Number 1 is actually via 313, which is from Salt Lake City, and they are now in Phoenix and everyone is losing their mind over it. And their gluten free crust, by the way, and their gluten free everything is made with the Caputo's flour, which has deglutinized wheat starch.

Erica [00:40:47]:

And Whatever. I mean, people make things with it. There's, you know, a char had the croissants made with the codex approved gluten The gluten removed wheat starch, it's been used in Europe forever. That's why things taste so freaking good in Europe. But Would I risk it if you're going a 1000000 times a week and eating multiple things of these pizzas? I don't I don't know. It's not for me. I'm gonna try it, but I'm not gonna, like, claim it's my favorite when I have so many other gluten free pizza places. I don't know.

Erica [00:41:25]:

Yeah. Yeah. Number 2 is Picazzo's, and number 3 is Spinatos. So those are both, gluten free Spinatos is not, dedicated gluten free. Isn't either, but the only thing they make with gluten in their item is another wheat pizza that is made separately. So I don't know. It's kind of a weird one. I, again, I am just a nominator.

Erica [00:41:47]:

I'm not the person who votes. Have you been to Via 313? Have you tried their wheat starch pizza?

Jules [00:41:54]:

No. I I haven't tried anything with With wheat starch.

Erica [00:42:00]:

I mean, it's like you make amazing pizzas. No gluten, no problem, makes amazing pizzas, and they're not nobody's using the deglutinized wheat starch. So if a company is making it, I don't feel like they're cheating. I just feel like come on, guys. Yeah.

Jules [00:42:19]:

The the thing I think that Bothers me the most about it, to be honest with you, is that there are so many people who don't realize What it is? Mhmm. Mhmm. They just think it's gluten free. Mhmm. And I don't know. There's just something about the marketing aspect of it that I think is ...parency? Yes. Yeah. Yeah.

Jules [00:42:44]:

Yeah. And, I mean, when people understand and then they make the choice, that's fine. But, like, I think a lot of people are like, what? What? I didn't know that was what that was.

Erica [00:42:52]:

And it's just kinda like glucose syrup. Do you feel that way too about glucose syrup that's used in, like, gluten free candy?

Jules [00:42:59]:

Yeah. It I mean, it that doesn't affect me as much because I don't eat candy really, but, yeah, it's the same it's the same thing. Like, just tell me what it is. Like Mhmm. And then let me make the choice. You know what I mean? And it's just it just feels a little icky because so many companies are using it, and they're just saying, Yeah. It's gluten free. Gluten free.

Jules [00:43:19]:

Good.

Erica [00:43:19]:

Yeah. It's frustrating. I've actually had some readers that are like, oh, is this bakery that you talked about, is it good because it's using the flour. I'm like, well, good for you for thinking that. But that's also really jacked up that you think that the only reason why a bakery is good is because it's using the, Yeah. The wheat starch flour. But they're not. So, yeah, it's definitely a topic that's kinda hot right now in Phoenix because it just launched.

Erica [00:43:45]:

And everyone's like, what do you mean they use meat starch? They're like, yeah. It's fine. I haven't gotten sick. That like, that's that's cool. It's really interesting. I mean, it's a it's a It's a beautiful invention from science, and, we'll see how it goes. I don't know. Yeah.

Jules [00:44:02]:

Well, it's it's very interesting because there are a lot of similarities between that and the deglutinized beers, in terms of testing. And Yeah. What I mean by that is that it's difficult to explain In a in simple terms to people, how to test this gluten removed wheat starch For the parts familiar with

Erica [00:44:31]:

proteins. Yeah.

Jules [00:44:32]:

Yeah. Because there's Because

Erica [00:44:33]:

proteins that are not intact, and We do know from beer testing that some celiacs react to the nonintact protein even if it's broken apart or washed. Right? So yeah.

Jules [00:44:46]:

And if they use enzymes versus just water washed, then they have to they have to test it With 2 different testing methodologies versus just 1, and some of these companies that are using it are not disclosing whether they're Closing whether they're using enzymes or not, and the enzymes Or water washing for starch. Or water washing. Right. And so it's it's very complicated. And People who are just going to store it on the back of a menu. Adornos. No. We can't

Erica [00:45:14]:

put if you're just the differences between water washing, enzyme treated, and the different tests they need on the back of a freaking pizza menu Right. And a disclaimer. So

Jules [00:45:24]:

Right. And Caputo's has not answered the question About whether or not they're using water washed or enzymes, you know, to remove the Wheat starch. I mean, the move remove the gluten from their wheat starch. So yeah. I mean, it's again, it kind of almost is like The Reese's question we were asking earlier. Like, if there's other choices that are totally safe and delicious, why would I eat that? Yeah. I don't know. But that's me.

Jules [00:45:56]:

Again, I'm not judging other people.

Erica [00:45:58]:

I just wish that it was more transparent. That's the thing that I want because then people can make their own thoughts and conjecture and opinions. You know, there are some people who are like, why would you ever eat at a a buffet at a conference? You should bring all of your own food. And then there's people like me

Jules [00:46:13]:

who would

Erica [00:46:14]:

choose to eat it. You know? Mhmm. And so it's like they can judge me for that as much as anyone else can judge Yeah. For choosing to eat at a pizza place that uses the deglutinase research. Yep. Everyone has to make their own opinions. Again, Just wish that it had information. Yeah.

Erica [00:46:31]:

And not to scare people not to scare people away, but just to give them the information Yes. So they feel informed. That's all that we wanna know. Mhmm.

Jules [00:46:40]:

Yep. I agree. And I think, like I said at the beginning of this conversation, I just think it's the transparency issue. Yeah. And the people people are like, what? And then, honestly, there are a lot of people who can't have wheat. Yeah. It's not even about, like, gluten for them. They can't have wheat.

Jules [00:47:00]:

And it used to be that if it said gluten free, that they knew that they were safe. Mhmm. And That's not the way it is anymore because

Erica [00:47:08]:

of this. And so now, you know, there's just it it just makes life more complicated for a lot of people. Okay. Well, happy Halloween, everyone. We hope you have a safe time trick or treating and handing out, you know, good safe candy for teal pumpkin project. We'd love to hear about what you're handing out for this Halloween and what gluten free baked goods you're making for Halloween too because that's part of the fun as well. So please let us know, tag us, send us instant messages, send a carrier pigeon as long as you just talk to us. You know? We wanna know that you're out there.

Erica [00:47:43]:

So Thanks so much for tuning in to another episode of You Had Me Eat. We'll be back next time as we recap some exciting stuff from the American College of Gastroenterology, Annual scientific meeting.

Jules [00:47:56]:

Looking forward to it.

Erica [00:47:58]:

Yay. Alright. Happy Halloween, everyone.