All-Call to Chefs for Gluten-Free Recipes

AMBLER, Pa., Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to raise awareness of the growing need for gluten-free options, the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) is compiling the Gluten-Free Chef's Challenge Cookbook, a collection of the best gluten-free recipes served across the country submitted by the most celebrated and up-and-coming chefs today.

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Through the competition-style recipe submission process, each recipe will be tested and created by a team of chefs for consideration. A panel of food professional judges selected by NFCA will then thoroughly examine the recipes based on the criteria of taste, presentation, creativity, usage of gluten-free ingredients and appropriateness for use by home cooks. They will cull all tendered recipes to the top 100, which will be published in the Gluten-Free Chef's Challenge Cookbook.

"We know that the demand for gluten-free dishes has sparked the creativity of American chefs," says Alice Bast, President of NFCA. "Through our cookbook and great collaboration with prominent chefs across America, we hope to not only provide an inspirational resource for gluten-free dining to the public, but also to encourage chefs to think about incorporating gluten-free items into their own restaurant menus."

The cookbook is one of several initiatives tied to the GREAT Kitchens™ Gluten-Free Chef's Table Tour, a 10-city nationwide tour sponsored by NFCA to educate the food industry on the importance of attentive food handling and preparation in the growing gluten-free dining community. Headlined by Chef Jehangir Mehta, executive chef and owner of Mehtaphor and Grafitti in New York City, the tour will engage with chefs throughout the United States in a series of Gluten-Free Chef's Table events.

Guidelines for Recipe Submission
Chefs may submit up to three recipes for inclusion in the Gluten-Free Chefs Challenge Cookbook.  Cookbook categories include appetizers, soups, entrees, breads and desserts; however, all gluten-free submissions, including recipes outside of these categories, may also be entered for consideration. All submissions must be original, unpublished recipes and must be entered by professional chefs only before May 31, 2014. Chefs are encouraged to submit a short bio to accompany recipe entry for inclusion in the cookbook. Winning recipe authors will also receive a complimentary copy of the final cookbook. For more information, go to GREATchefschallenge.com.

About the GREAT Kitchens™ Gluten-Free Chef's Table Tour
Through GREAT Kitchens™, an educational initiative of the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA), the Gluten-Free Chef's Table Tour seeks to educate the food industry on the importance of attentive food handling and preparation in gluten-free dining. Together with "Next Iron Chef" contestant, executive chef and restaurateur, Chef Jehangir Mehta, GREAT Kitchens™ arms restaurants, universities and foodservice providers with the tools needed to offer safe gluten-free options for individuals with gluten-free dietary needs. The Gluten-Free Chef's Table Tour will span 10 cities in the U.S. through fall 2013 and spring 2014.

About the National Foundation for Celiac Awareness
The National Foundation for Celiac Awareness (NFCA) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that drives diagnoses of celiac disease and other gluten-related disorders and improves the quality of life for those on a lifelong gluten-free diet. NFCA owns and operates GREAT Kitchens™, a web-based gluten-free training program for foodservice professionals. Learn more at www.CeliacCentral.org/GREAT.

SOURCE National Foundation for Celiac Awareness