Gluten-Free & Allergen Friendly Expo Atlanta 2017

Thank you for sharing this recipe!

My family and I got up at 4 A.M. and drove five hours so I could attend the Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Expo in Atlanta. I had such an amazing weekend with MY people!  In this blog post, I’m going to tell you all about the Expo and my favorite gluten-free products that I sampled.

This year the GFAF Expo that was closest to where I live in North Florida, was held at Cobb Galleria in Atlanta, Georgia. On both Saturday and Sunday, the Expo hosted gluten-free, dairy free and nut free vendors and classes from gluten-free authors, bloggers, business owners and chefs.

I attended chef Amy Fothergill‘s class “How to Convert Recipes to Gluten-Free and Dairy-Free. Amy was a wealth of information, and I am enjoying her cookbook The Warm Kitchen. I am expanding my cooking and baking to include dairy-free recipes, so her tips have been super helpful. It was so amazing for me to meet other gluten-free bloggers and chefs (Belinda from Gf Genius, Amy Fothergill, Jennifer from Gluten Free Go-To Guide and Tiffany from GF Mom Certified). I was so blessed by the encouragement and the wisdom that both Amy and Belinda shared with me. Thanks ladies!

At every booth, each company had samples of their products to share. Everyone received an Expo tote upon entrance and mine was overfilled with lots of gluten-free goodies. Below is a picture of all of the free gluten-free samples I was blessed with. A big thank you to all of the vendors!

Now for my gluten-free favorites!

My favorite cake was from Mina’s Purely Divine Gluten Free Chocolate Cake Mix. Mina was a delight and her chocolate cake was so moist and rich in chocolate flavor. I can’t wait to get her chocolate frosting recipe!

My favorite cookies were Aleia’s Almond Horns and the chocolate chip cookies created with Sugar and Spice Market’s gluten-free all-purpose flour. Aleia’s Almond Horns were just like the cookies you would buy in Little Italy. They were perfect! The chocolate chip cookies made with Sugar and Spice’s gluten-free flour brought me back to my childhood with the warm memories of eating Nestle Toll House cookies. I promise that you would not even know that they were gluten-free.

My favorite nut butter was from Georgia Grinders. I have never had pecan nut butter and it was outstanding!

My favorite pizza brands were Against the Grain Gourmet and Sonoma Flat Breads. One of my all-time favorite foods in the world is pizza, so I’m really picky about my gluten-free pizza. The crust and flavors of both of these brands were spot on. I was definitely in my happy place tasting their samples.

My favorite quinoa products were from Path of Life and Simply7 Snacks. Path of life makes a variety of tasty frozen quinoa side dishes. My personal favorite flavor is the Mediterranean. Simply7 Snacks quinoa chips were flavorful, light and crunchy.

My favorite dairy-free items were from Daiya and Perfectlyfree Frozen Treats. I am a lover of all things cheese and you would never know that their smoked gouda was dairy-free. My husband is dairy-free, so I will be looking for more of Diya’s products. The perfectly free non-dairy frozen bites were so creamy. They have four decadent flavors.

My favorite bread products were from BFree Foods and Pure Knead. I have tried lots of brands of gluten-free bread. Both BFree Foods and Pure Knead were some of the best tasting, with a perfect texture, that I have ever tried. Not only was BFree’s bread amazing, but they have bagels, pita bread, rolls and wraps! I can’t tell you how excited I was to find their products. Pure Knead not only has bread and hamburger buns, but they also offer communion loaves to churches. This really made my heart happy because it has been 7 years since I have been able to take communion.

My favorite frozen bread products were from Brazi Bites and Forno de Minas Brazil’s Frozen Cheese Rolls. If you have never had Brazilian Cheese Bread, you must go and buy some now! Barazi Bites have several different flavors, and the three cheese pizza was my favorite. I loved the Forno de Minas’ cheese bread so much that I bought two bags to take home with me from the Expo.

My favorite crackers and chips were from Milton’s Craft Bakers and Enjoy Life Foods. Milton’s has a wide variety of flavors of baked chips and crackers. My favorites were the sea salt and cheddar baked crackers and the sea salt baked chips. Enjoy Life had a fun and interactive booth and their new Plentils lentil chips were full of flavor, light, airy and crunchy.

My favorite bars were from Grab the Gold and GoMacro. The Grab the Gold is a protein packed bar with the perfect balance of peanut butter and chocolate. The Grab the Gold bar is also moist, like an oatmeal no bake cookie. I also really enjoyed the GoMacro THRIVE Blueberry and Lavender nutbar. It’s unique flavor was outstanding.

My favorite seasoning was Massel bouillon and seasoning. Not only are their products gluten-free, but they are also vegan. Their chicken flavor bouillon was full of flavor and could stand alone to make your favorite soups and dishes.

My favorite services and products were from Celiac Cutie, Nima Sensor and Affordable Allergy Testing. I love everything about Celiac Cutie, from their fun and encouraging shirts, to their mission and especially the owner/designer Meredith. The Nima Sensor allows you to test your food for gluten, anytime, anywhere in about 3 minutes. I would love to have a Nima, especially when traveling. Lisa is a mom on a mission with Affordable Allergy Testing, offering easy, noninvasive and affordable allergy testing.

I had the most amazing weekend at the Gluten Free and Allergy Friendly Expo! I met some awesome people, made new friends and got to experience so many new gluten-free products. Sometimes you feel like you are all alone on this gluten-free journey, and it was so encouraging to be around others who understand your walk.

I am so looking forward to the Expo in Atlanta next year! The GFAF Expo has multiple locations across the country, so be sure to check out their website to find an expo near you.

Thank you for sharing this recipe!