On
Saturday February 2, top San Francisco-area chefs, doctors and
dietitians took over the West Bay Conference and cooked up some of the
most delicious gluten-free meals of all time! Five teams raced against
the clock to prepare decadent meals that highlighted the event's secret
ingredient: gluten-free pasta.
Team 1 included Chef Clare O'Brien (Culinary Institute of America),
Pauline Mysliwiec (Chief of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente),
Thelma Rodin (Santa Clara Medical Center), and Ashley Warner (San
Francisco State University) Ashley Warner (San Francisco State
University). This team presented UnGlu'd Mac'N'Cheese, which proved to be a favorite amongst kids in the room!
Team 2 was led by Pasta Pomodoro Chef Adriano Paganini and included
Douglas Corley (Kaiser San Francisco), Rugmini Shah (California
Department of Health), and Kaley Todd (UCSF). This team went against
the norm by preparing a Risotto Salsicia. YUMMY!
Team 3's chef came to San Francisco all the way from Utah to
participate in the event! Chef Paul Ruegner (Charlotte's Bakery), Mel
Heyman (Chief of Pediatric Gastroenterology, UCSF), Morgan Camp
(Integrative Medical Center), and Vikki Petersen (Health NOW Medical
Center) joined together to cook Chicken Schnitzel Schloss Solitude, which was the tasty tongue twister of the night!
Team 4 rocked the salmon, cooking up a Poached Salmon with Pappardelle & Meyer Lemon Crème Fraiche.
The dish had fried brussel sprout leaves, which were surprisingly
delicious! Teammates included Alex March (Brick and Solstice), Antonio
Qiros (Director of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Sutter Health), Anne
Louise Santoro (Kaiser Permanente), and Yulia Rudman (San Francisco
State University).
Team 5 prepared a delightful Prosciutto Wrapped Salmon with Herbed Polenta, Kasha, Dried Fig & Balsamic.
This team included Glenn Hewitt (Compass Group, Microsoft), Jeffrey
Aron (Dir. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases, CA Pacific Medical Center),
Nancy Wei (Revolution Food Inc.), and Mickael Cardon (San Francisco
State University).
CNN Newsroom Anchor and NFCA Spokeswoman Heidi Collins hosted the
event with the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. Heidi's
personal struggle with managing celiac disease coupled with her love of
delicious gluten-free food has helped move the Gluten-Free Cooking
Spree forward nationwide!
The judges for the evening were Jacqueline Mallorca (Author, The
Wheat-Free Cookbook), Elaine Taylor (Taylor Family Foundation), Gail
Pyle (Stanford University Celiac Sprue Research Foundation) and two
adorable kids with celiac, Riley Collins and Nathanial Corley.
Who were the big winners for the night?? For the first time in
Cooking Spree history, there was a TIE! The judges couldn't decide
between teams 4 and 5 (both made salmon), so the NFCA decided to let
the teams share the honor of winning the San Francisco Gluten-Free
Cooking Spree!
And, the tie actually worked out OK since Dr. Jeffrey Aron and Dr.
Antonio Quiros are partners in gastroenterology at California Pacific
Medical Center. The two will share the prize money from the cooking
spree and will use it to partner with the NFCA to advance patient
support programs at their new Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases.
About the Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases:
The Center for Inflammatory Bowel Diseases at California Pacific
Medical Center is dedicated to focus on the fundamental interaction of
the environment—as exemplified by the diverse microclimate and the
ethnic composition of Northern California, and the innate and adaptive
immune systems of the individual. This interaction occurs at the
mucosal surface of the gastrointestinal tract and is at the heart of
autoimmune diseases, of which celiac disease is the best-defined model.
Investigating the interactions that also occur in Irritable Bowel
Syndrome, Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis will help us to
develop novel and effective therapies for these diseases.
Dr. Aron says the Gluten-Free Cooking Spree was an "exciting and
enjoyable evening, to continue to spread the awareness of celiac
disease, and to help the work of the National Foundation for Celiac
Awareness. We are anxious to continue our association as partners in
these endeavors."
A huge thank you to all of the NFCA sponsors
who make having these events possible and to all of the vendors who
graciously donated food for the event! We couldn't have done it without
you! An extra special thank you to Bob's Red Mill, Bio-Rad, Quest
Diagnostics and Pamela's Products for going above and beyond to make
the event a huge success.
And, a HUGE ROUND OF APPLAUSE for the San Francisco Celiac Community
for making this one of the largest attended cooking sprees yet! And of
course, thank you to the Cougars for providing fabulous entertainment!
Testimonials From the Winning Teams:
Anne Louise Santoro is a Registered Dietitian with the
American Dietetic Association. She holds a degree in Literature from
Harvard University and a degree in Nutrition from the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst. Ms. Santoro brings to her nutrition practice
over 15 years of experience in the food service industry. She has been
a Food Service Manager, Cafe Manager, Pastry Chef, and Vegetarian Cook.
She has an on-going private practice as The Food Coach...Your Personal
Food Trainer where she provides a variety of nutrition services
tailored to meet client's specific needs.
Anne says, "I had a lot of fun participating in the cooking
spree! All the teams seemed to be having a blast cooking their meals
with such dedication. I have to say I've never tasted so many delicious
gluten-free foods, especially the desserts! I learned so much more
about celiac disease by participating in this event. I knew there were
classic symptoms, but I had no idea about the extent to which one can
suffer from Celiac disease, how it can affect ones life in so many
ways. Before the spree I wouldn't have even thought about
cross-contamination, but now I see how celiac disease extends beyond
the food itself to how it is prepared and under what circumstances."
Nancy Wei is a Registered Dietitian with experience
in weight management, diabetes, nutrition during pregnancy and
childhood obesity. Nancy's nutrition background ranges from improving
health status through individual nutrition consultations to
implementing large-scale research studies and public health programs.
As current Operations Manager at Revolution Foods, Inc, a company
specializing in providing fresh, home-style school lunches, Nancy is
passionate about improving access to healthy food and the way children
eat. Nancy completed her graduate training in Public Health Nutrition
at University of California at Berkeley.
Nancy says, "The Gluten-Free Cooking Spree was a fun and
rewarding experience. The moment Chef Glenn handed me the vegetable
peeler and the bag of organic carrots, I knew he was going to work us
hard! It was wonderful to talk to the guests about the delicious
gluten-free food we had prepared and see their satisfied smiles of
approval after their first bite of the winning dish. The best way to
raise awareness and increase support for the celiac community is to
bring together delicious food, medical knowledge, and nutritional
expertise, which was exactly what this event did. I learned that you
can be really creative with safe grains without compromising taste."
