Local resident's gluten-free food explodes with popularity
By Joann Groff joann@theacorn.com

Shari Cole with Karen Davidson

Shari Cole's family struggled for years to find tasty gluten-free foods. Her father suffers from celiac disease, a nutritional disorder which makes him intolerant to gluten. And now that Cole has two teenagers of her own, she's had to search for gluten-free foods to help fight her daughter's gastrointestinal problems, a result of her autism.

After Cole and her father, Larry Schneider, put their heads together with food scientist Karen Davidson, Cole's friend from college, Gluten Free & Fabulous products were born.

"If we could produce great tasting food that the whole family can enjoy and help people along the way, there's simply nothing more satisfying than that," Cole said.

Cole's daughter Brittany is a mildly autistic, high-functioning freshman at Westlake High School.

"She really suffered from gastrointestinal problems, just terribly," said Cole, a Thousand Oaks resident. "Five years ago my father said, 'Why don't you put her on a gluten-free diet?' Sure enough, it cured her.

"Not only did those issues go away, but her rashes went away, her demeanor changed, she wasn't chronically lethargic, and she was focusing better. She's this amazing kid now. I can't even describe the transformation."

Gluten Free & Fabulous products are all-natural and are free of wheat, barley, rye and oats. Cole, who sits on a board for Autism Speaks, has heard many stories of similar diets helping those with autism.

"We are what we eat," Cole said. "Food is such an issue when it comes to medical problems. There's been all of this research done about people with autoimmune diseases, like celiac or multiple sclerosis, that they should be on diets free of gluten and dairy."

The problem with the products that were available, however, was the taste.

"Most gluten-free products are pretty awful," Cole said. "They taste like cardboard. Because my dad had to be on a gluten-free diet, my family just got sick of not eating good food, and my family likes to eat."

Cole's college friend, Karen Davidson, has a master's degree in food science and works as a nutritionist. She was bombarded with requests from companies to do research on gluten-free foods and was asked for advice by people looking for decent-tasting foods allowed in their diet.

Cole and Davidson approached Schneider about starting a business, and now, two years later, the products are being carried all over the country, including at Whole Foods, Bristol Farms and Kroeger's stores, and on www.amazon.com.

"In many ways, our ingredients were hand-picked for those with celiac disease and autism," Davidson said. "We were very purposeful in what we did on this journey, from the eggs to the flour to the dairy."

The company started with three products: chocolate chip cookies, macaroni and cheese, and crackers. Now eight more products have been added, including brownie bites and pizzas in stores in California and across the nation.

Their most popular product is the macaroni and cheese made from quinoa. The protein-packed super food is especially helpful to those with autoimmune diseases who typically don't get enough protein. They also use cheese that is 12 years old or older to aid digestion.

"When we do demonstrations, people say, 'I can serve this to everyone in my family,'" Cole said. "That's really what makes us different from other companies. Taste is everything for us."

Gluten Free & Fabulous cookies and pasta are manufactured at facilities in Hayward, and its pizzas are made in Phoenix. There are no other products made in the facilities, ensuring that the glutenfree foods can't be contaminated by other products. Still, the company's products are tested by the University of Nebraska every 120 days to ensure there's no cross-contamination.

"People can't believe what we've done," Cole said. "These big corporations look at us. They thought we were a company of many, but it's just the three of us. It's been pretty amazing."

A portion of the proceeds from the sales of Gluten Free & Fabulous foods will go to the Celiac Sprue Association.

For more information, visit www.glutenfreefabulous.com.