Update from Ellen Baynes of The Celiac Scene below as posted to Nationals FB page - Many thanks to Ellen and crew for the informative and helpful advice for places to dine and shop - I have used the site many times over the years when travelling and have recommended it to many others... End of An Era! I wanted you to be among the first to know that I have made the very difficult decision to scale back the geographic reach of The Celiac Scene. No one could have imagined back in 2008 when The Scene was just a twinkle in the eyes of 2008 TGIF Conference planners that the gluten-free diet would become so popular that it would be adopted by celiacs, celebrities and almost everyone else, at various points in time. The restaurant industrys commensurate interest in attracting our patronage is borne out by forecasts that fully 52% of restaurants will be offering gluten-free options, if not entire gluten-free menus, by the end of 2014. While more and more restaurants are doing gluten free successfully, we are all aware that an exponentially larger percentage are jumping on a most lucrative bandwagon, with less than perfect results. At the same time, the number of Chapter volunteers who are able to monitor restaurant claims has dwindled, if not completely capitulated under the sheer scale of the task. Notable exceptions are the Vancouver, Kelowna, Edmonton, Saskatoon, Quebec and Nova Scotia Chapters who continue to provide The Scene with complete, updated lists on a regular basis. I am afraid that without the committed input of all of the Chapters across Canada, a national listing is no longer possible - and may not even be necessary. I am very grateful for the support of forward thinking Chapter Presidents and members who dared to dream the dream of empowering celiacs everywhere with the information they had compiled. Ive been invited to create maps for successive CCA, GIG, CSA and Healthy Villi conferences, participated in 4 international Chef to Plate campaigns and empowered almost one million gluten-free diners per year with the information you have been so willing to share. When National sought to post my list of bit.ly/AskGFQuestions on celiac.ca/?page_id=859 and offer them in hard copy to every new member, I knew that I had indeed turned my and my mothers diagnoses into something of worth. So I am returning to my roots, connecting celiac-friendly restaurants in Victoria, Vancouver Island and the Gulf Islands with those new to the gluten-free diet or new to town; committing to making our local scene the very best that it can be. I know that you are working hard to do the same and I wish you all the very best. Thank you very much. *Please note that The Scenes listing of fast-food restaurants that make an online gluten-free commitment in Canada and the US will be maintained. Warm regards, Ellen Bayens, President TheCeliacScene (Past) Vice-President, Victoria Chapter Canadian Celiac Association VictoriaCeliac.org
Posted on: Wed, 23 Jul 2014 19:39:35 +0000
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