My Blog

Each time I go to meet a new group, I make these awesome new connections and I also get to work to improve my skills of making and transporting my favorite gluten-free foods to share with other celiacs. Last Saturday provided me with the opportunity to share my foods with 200 new friends in Des Moines.

First of all, let's reflect on the number 200. 200! In the Des Moines area there are more than 200 celiacs actively involved in supporting each other. Isn't that amazing?  They meet once a month in a large fellowship hall at a local church. It was a Midwest potluck at its best-and all the foods on the tables were safe to eat! I'm pretty sure they had five 8-foot tables filled with yummy gluten-free food. They had wonderful barbecue, soups, salads, desserts and even a special dessert from Outback Steakhouse. Impressive! And as these folks arrived with their foods to share, they greeted each other like old friends, giving each other hugs and support.

And to make this story even better, one of the items the group discussed was the fact that they had outgrown their current location and were to be moving to an even bigger location in the future. How lucky for the Des Moines celiacs! They have so many friends to offer them support, ideas and feedback that they need to move to a bigger location. If I have learned one thing during this business process, it's the importance of having a network!

So it was great to talk to people that day and get their reactions to our products. I brought four different items to sample, but it's safe to say the biggest hits were the lemon poppy seed bread and the peanut butter cookies. More times than I can count, people of all ages were returning to my station and snagging "just one more." It was great to see the smiles on faces again.

So thanks  to the wonderful Des Moines Celiac Connections Group for welcoming me to their positive and exctiting gathering and hats off to their fabulous leader, Barb.