The question that comes up most when people hear about G-Free Foodie is the same one that comes up when I order a meal after a game of 20 questions: Why are you doing that? Well, the answer is the same in both cases: because I have to, because it's what's best for me.
I went on three out-of-town trips in my first two months of living Gluten-Free. Thank goodness my mother accompanied me on my first trip to Napa, CA for work - she was incredibly understanding & helpful when I checked into the hotel with 3 bags of groceries, when I whipped myself into a nervous frenzy before every meeting that involved food - including a banquet at a lovely resort for 200 people, and when I interrogated staff at every restaurant on my "probably has something G-Free" list while trying not to cry. Good thing she's my Mom - I was a mess. I'll be forever grateful to the folks at BarBersQ and Mustards Grill for pretending not to notice that I was at near nervous-breakdown status when I dined in their restaurants.
After two more trips that had me spending the days prior to departure conducting massive internet searches for restaurants in between doctor appointments/work/family/life, I thought, there has got to be an easier way to figure this out. There just has to be. I couldn't find a comprehensive resource for eating G-Free and eating well - I had bookmarked over 40 sites - so I decided to build one. I thought it could help people having the same issues I was - and even if it didn't, it would help me. So, done deal.
Well, many hours, dollars, lessons & G-Free friends later, we have a site. It isn't perfect, we're adding new restaurants, recipes & info every day, but it is a great resource & has been an amazing journey so far. The people that have worked on this with me are awesome - including my mom. Thanks everybody, here we go...
Pam says
Awesome site! I just found it today on FB! It's been a year of GF for me now, it went so quick! My husband is so trained now (maybe better than me) he has no problem interragating the scared waitresses or Hey Mam, can you please bring me the (terrified) cook! For the first 9 months, we just didnt go out to eat anymore, which we did alot before, I got hit with the GF Bomb! I'm still scared to eat out! However, after a few BAD nights out. Me and the restaraunts around here are getting the hang of it! But, never EVER let your guard down, and never stop asking questions when you go out. I would love to see you guys have the food conversion to make all recipes gluten free! It sounds like a whole lot of work, but you would be helping millions of GF Foodies!! Thank you, Thank YOU again for your site, its Awesome;)))))
Cindy F. says
What an awesome site! I found you through Facebook and then through YouTube. I want to say thank you for coming up with this site. It has helped me in sooo many ways. I found out that I have to be gluten free about 3 months ago when I kept on having itching problems that just wouldn't go away and the fact that my stomach was always hurting. THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for this site. Keep up the great work. Can't wait to see more YouTube videos.