Preface
This book was inspired by my daughter, Sara, who was diagnosed with celiac disease
at age six, and by my own diagnosis shortly thereafter of peripheral neuropathy due
to gluten intolerance. In my initial panic and sense of helplessness, I immediately
went to the bookstore to purchase books about celiac disease and gluten-free
cookbooks. The books about celiac disease provided useful medical information,
while the cookbooks provided some interesting recipes. And yet, ultimately, it took
me a while to orient myself in my new world of gluten-free living. Suddenly, it was
difficult to shop in my local Stop & Shop because I could not find gluten-free food!
Not only did I not know where to buy gluten-free foods, but I was completely unaware
that there was a wonderful Celiac Sprue Support Group that met regularly right in my
own neighborhood! (And that was the time when I needed the support the most.) As
for restaurants, well, it was a good six months before my husband and I even dared
to take our daughter out to dinner!
I found that I obtained most of the information I needed about living gluten-free in
New York in a piecemeal way, by talking to fellow celiacs whom I happened to meet
along the way and by doing research on the Internet. If there had been a book about
gluten-free living in New York, it would have saved me a lot of time and anxiety in the
process of adapting our family’s lifestyle.
And thus this book was born, The Gluten-Free Guide To New York. It is designed to
serve not only the many people who have been or are currently being diagnosed with
celiac disease but also those who have gone gluten-free due to wheat allergies,
autism, neurological disorders, and a general desire to regain energy. This book is
intended to help New Yorkers and people traveling to New York who are gluten-
intolerant to enjoy a healthy and happy life without the stresses of worrying about
where and what to eat.
The book offers a great deal of useful information about New York-area support
groups, doctors and nutritionists who treat celiac patients, celiac kids activities,
health food stores that sell gluten-free products, chefs who teach the art of gluten-
free cooking, personal chefs and caterers who will cook gluten-free foods for
individual use or for parties, restaurants that offer gluten-free menus (and their
menus!), and restaurants that are "gluten-free friendly," that is, that are willing to
accommodate requests for gluten-free dishes without actually having a separate
gluten-free menu. Gluten-intolerant people can now enjoy their own guide to gluten-
free dining in New York's restaurants and they can now cook restaurant-quality
gluten-free food in their own homes!
New York has for a long time been a center of food-related disease research and
weight control management. It has also been a center for world-class restaurants,
farmers markets, and health-food stores. Thus it is hardly surprising that it has
become a center of the gluten-free world of research centers, restaurants, and
health food stores!
In the course of gathering all of this information, I have come to realize that New York
is a great place to be if you are gluten-free and that with the right information,
anything is possible. Bon appetit!
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