Appetite for Awareness 2012: People

This past Sunday was the 2012 Appetite for Awareness hosted by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. I loved this event so much in 2010 that I couldn't wait to get back to Philadelphia for the 2012 event. For me, this event was quite different from the one I attended two years ago. While the gluten-free food was obviously the main event, my main focus on Sunday was all about the people. I saw old friends and met new fans and friends of my blog and from Twitter. I spoke with vendors that I have emailed for months and finally put faces and email names together. I really love having my online friends, but meeting these people face-to-face is even more exciting. It makes the gluten-free community all the more important and real to me.

As a Celiac diagnosed as a toddler, I never knew another Celiac until I was a teenager. Now, I have this amazing group of friends and colleagues all because of Celiac Disease. We share this crazy gluten-free world and get each other through the day with our tips, stories, and compassion. I would never have met these people without having Celiac and for that I am grateful. To be in a room of hundreds of people that know about Celiac Disease and living gluten-free still blows my mind. I don't think I will ever get over the emotions of seeing all of these friendly faces that completely understand what Celiac living is all about.

I didn't get pictures with all of the amazing gluten-free people I spoke to on Sunday, but here is a rundown of who I spoke with at Appetite for Awareness 2012.

Alice, Kristin, Cheryl, Alicia, and Nancy from the NFCA
Michael of Gluten-Free Philly
Candice from Embrace G-Free
Maureen of Hold the Gluten
Amie from The Healthy Apple
Jason from Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free NJ
Amanda aka GFMaven
Sue from Gluten-Free LI
Nicole (and her husband Brian) from Gluten-Free on a Shoestring
Paul from Food Living and Everything Else
Gabrielle from Kitchen Classroom 4 Kids
Jen from Gluten-Free School

I will have some food reviews and product announcements in upcoming posts, but as I said Sunday at Appetite for Awareness was all about the people!

Michael of Gluten-Free Philly and I

Candice of Embrace G-Free and I

Amie of The Healthy Apple and I

Me and Maureen of Hold the Gluten

Michael Savett accepting his award from the NFCA Board

Appetite for Awareness 2012

Join the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness at

Philadelphia’s premier gluten-free food fest!

Appetite for Awareness

Sunday, September 23, 2012 | 1-5 p.m.

The Historic Strawbridge Building
8th and Market Streets | Philadelphia

I am very excited for this upcoming weekend. I am taking a road trip to Philadelphia for some sightseeing and for the NFCA Appetite for Awareness 2012 event. I've been to this event before and it is one of my favorite gluten-free events I have ever attended. One of the best parts of this event is the amazing vendor fair. When I went to A4A in 2010, I learned about so many new gluten-free vendors. I am hoping this year is much of the same. Click here to see a list of participating vendors. There are also amazing restaurants, chefs, and cookbook authors all cooking up and demonstrating how to make some delicious gluten-free meals. Visit the NFCA website for full details!

Are you attending Appetite for Awareness 2012? If so, I would love to meet you. Send me a message and we will figure out a way to meet up during the event. If you aren't attending, you can follow me on Facebook and Twitter as I report live from #A4A2012!

Appetite for Awareness 2012

Join the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness at

Philadelphia’s premier gluten-free food fest!

Appetite for Awareness

Sunday, September 23, 2012 | 1-5 p.m

I am so excited to attend the 2012 Appetite for Awareness event hosted by the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. When I went to this event back in 2010, it was seriously one of the best gluten-free events I had been to in my life. Everyone was so excited to be there, I saw old friends and made new ones, and went home with a ton of gluten-free food. You can read a week's worth of posts from my A4A trip to Philadelphia from 2010 here.

One of the highlights of this year's event is that the NFCA is honoring my blogger colleague and friend, Michael Savett, aka Gluten Free Philly. Michael and I first met in 2010 at A4A and have kept in touch ever since. He is an amazing resource for all things gluten-free in the mid-Atlantic states and he doesn't even have celiac! (His son does.) Michael rightly deserves this honor from the NFCA for all of his hard work in the gluten-free community and I am excited to be there to see him be recognized for all of his hard work. 

If you are planning on attending Appetite for Awareness, drop me a line. I would love to meet you. If you see me there, don't be shy. Please come up and say hello.

Click here for more information including how to buy your tickets.

Here's what you can expect:

• Gluten-Free Cooking Spree: Philly’s top chefs serving gluten-free dishes with the area’s leading doctors 
•  Chef Demos in front of the Grand Staircase 
•  Vendor Marketplace with free samples 
•  Children’s Pavilion with kid-friendly gluten-free food and fun 
• Gluten-Free Beer Garden with flat-screen TVs (Watch the Eagles game!)