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Central PA Gluten Free Expo set for Nov. 4 at the Penn Stater Conference Center

Credit: Penn StateCreative Commons

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- An estimated 1 percent of the U.S. population has celiac disease, along with an unknown number who deal with sensitivities to gluten. Adhering to a gluten-free lifestyle can be frustrating for individuals dealing with these conditions, but a local event was created in 2013 to help deal with those challenges. The sixth annual Central PA Gluten Free Expo will take place at the Penn Stater Conference Center, at 215 Innovation Boulevard, State College, on Sunday, Nov. 4.

Over 1,100 people will gather that day to enjoy a celebration of all things gluten-free, with the goal of making their lifestyle easier to maintain. The event will include some 50 local and national vendor spaces, educational presentations and demonstrations, door prizes and gluten-free samples.

The expo will be open to the public from 12:30 to 5 p.m. General admission advance tickets are on-sale now or can be purchased at the door. Youth ages 16 and under are free to attend the event with an adult.

Many companies represented at the event have carved out a niche by producing products that are difficult to replicate or find in a gluten-free form, such as the corn dogs and funnel cakes produced by Archer’s Gluten Free Cafe of Troy, Pennsylvania. 

Expo exhibitors will be sampling, selling and discussing products and services at the event. Gluten-free foods available for sample or purchase at the event will include breads, cookies, gravies, pastries, soft pretzels and baking mixes. 

Keynote speaker Jules Shepard, known nationally as “gfJules,” will present the session “Seven Steps to Living a Healthy and Happy Gluten Free Life.” Shepard has been highly visible in the gluten-free community since 2007 with the publication of her first gluten-free cookbook. Since then she authored two more award-winning books, became associate editor of “Living Without’s Gluten Free & More” and started gfJules.com to produce a line of gluten-free baking mixes and flour.

Other presentations this year include a gluten-free cooking demonstration by a Wegmans chef, and a gluten-free funnel cake demonstration by Archer’s Gluten Free Cafe. Further information can be found at www.glutenfreeexpopa.com or on social media.

Central PA Gluten Free Expo Schedule:

  • 12:30 p.m. — Vendor area open to general admission ticket holders
  • 1:15 p.m.  — Wegmans Cooking Demonstration
  • 2:30 p.m. —  “Seven Steps to Living a Healthy and Happy Gluten-Free Life”, Jules Shepard
  • 4 p.m. —  At-Home Gluten-Free Funnel Cake/Doughnut Demonstration, Archer’s

Admission is $9; ages 16 and under are free; at-the-door cost is $12. Advance tickets are available at all Wegmans service desks. Order by phone at 717-248-6741, or online at www.glutenfreeexpopa.com. Parking is free for the expo.

Further information can be found at www.glutenfreeexpopa.com or on Twitter and Facebook; or by contacting Matthew Bolich at mbolich@connectingglutenfree.com or 717-994-4373.

Last Updated October 17, 2018