Our Community's Financial
Needs Are Growing...

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Gluten-Free Cooking

ETHEL HOFMAN SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

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... And So Are We.

Soon the West Bloomfield area will be able to experience
our unique style of banking as we extend our reach into your
community.

Currently under construction is our newest branch at
Maple and Haggerty Roads. Join us this fall for our Grand
Opening.

Metrobank

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(810) 474-6400

EQUAL HOUSNO
LENDER

•

Member
FDIC

Group Apartments
for the Elderly

A Jewish Family Service Program
Since 1979

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• Luxurious apartments, with private bedrooms, for shared living.
• Supportive care provided by Geriatric Care Workers and Social
Workers.
If someone you know desires a family-like setting,

please call Jan Bayer at 559-1500.

(1) JEWISH
FAMILY
SERVICE

Endowed by the Coville-Triest Family Foundations.

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Next time you feed your face, think about your heart.

Go easy on your heart and start cutting back on foods that are high in saturated
fat and cholesterol. The change'II do you good.

100

V American Heart Association

WERE FIGHTING FOR YOUR LIFE

eth Hillson, 45, is noth-
ing short of a human dy-
namo. Energetic, full of
ideas and enthusiasm,
she skillfully manages being
wife, mother of 7-year-old Jere-
my, and successful entrepre-
neur. You could say she's the
model "woman of the 90's," the
type every woman strives to
emulate.
However, all has not been
rosy in her life. In the '70s, while
living in Europe, she was diag-
nosed with celiac disease, an
auto-immune condition which
prevents the di-
gestion of wheat,
rye, oats and bar-
ley, causing un-
told digestive
stress. The dis-
ease primarily
affects Cau-
casians, includ-
ing those of
Eastern Euro-
pean Jewish and
Irish ancestry.
So that Ms.
Hillson could
lead a healthy,
active life, she
was forced to im-
mediately switch, and adhere
to, a diet free of gluten (the
sticky substance that remains
in flour after the starch is re-
moved). That meant no cakes,
breads, pies and an astounding
number of other foods which
may contain gluten.
Dien the additives in distilled
white vinegar, an ingredient in
some mayonnaise, mustards
and ketchups, contains gluten.
A pretty drastic lifestyle change
for someone who earns a living
as cooking school teacher and
food writer.
Ms. Hillson is nothing if not
determined. Rather than eat
plain hamburgers, she learned
to cook and eat defensively. For
many years, her special diet
was kept secret while she ex-
perimented with gluten-free
mixes for her own use. Each
was stored with hand-written
instructions and notes giving
her access to a fantastic per-
sonal pantry of freshly baked
breads and cakes.
"I thought that if I admitted
to eating 'gluten-free' it would
diminish my credentials as a
food professional," she said. "I
would taste something, then
furtively spit into a hanky."
But as she shared her gluten-
free dishes with friends in the
culinary world, she was en-
couraged enough by their in-
terest and genuine enjoyment
to venture further into writing
and teaching about gluten-free

cooking.
More than half a million
Americans have been diagnosed
with celiac disease. Accurate
data in the United States is not
available but according to Dr.
Harris Clearfield, professor of
medicine and director of gas-
troenterology at Hahnneman
University, Philadelphia, celi-
ac disease is more common than
might be imagined. A lot of peo-
ple have it but the symptoms
are so minimal or mild it's not
bad enough for them to seek
medical help.
In 1991, Ms.
Hillson launched
the Gluten Free
Pantry, Inc. a
mail-order busi-
ness that special-
izes in mixes
which contain no
wheat, rye, oats,
or barley.
"I wanted oth-
er people with di-
.. etary restrictions
like mine, to be
able to enjoy
tasty foods." said
this successful
entrepreneur. "I
understand, first hand, how
limiting a gluten-free diet can
be." Five of Ms. Hillson's fa-
vorites became the basis for
founding the business, includ-
ing mouthwatering delicacies
such as Chocolate Truffle
Brownie Mix, Orange Walnut
Biscotti Mix, and a dual pur-
pose Buttermilk Brown Rice
Pancake Mix which can also be
turned into luscious Irish soda
bread. Heeding feedback from
satisfied customers, it was dis-
covered that bagels were the
one thing missed the most.
So, Ms. Hillson headed back
into her workshop — the fam-
ily kitchen. After several
months of experimentation, she
produced a mix which approxi-
mated the taste and texture of
a "real" bagel — and gluten-free
Bagel Mix was born; another
winner now added to the mail-
order list.
Soon after launching The
Gluten-free Pantry Inc. her son,
Jeremy, was diagnosed with
celiac disease. Ms. Hillson
teaches a challah baking class
to Jeremy's Hebrew school
group and last year, as she pre-
pared a giant bowl of "real"
dough for the upcoming class,
it was obvious, Jeremy had a
"long face."
Thinking on her feet, she
grabbed a couple of gluten-free
bagel mixes and dumped them
into a bowl. Presto! With slight

GLUTEN-FREE page 102