Although I can hardly believe it, I’m almost a quarter of the way through my first semester in college. If I thought time was flying this summer, I’ve come to realize that it’s flying at supersonic speed now! Juggling classes, the dining hall, and learning how to balance all of my commitments is the name of the game and I know I’ll be working hard to make sure I keep my head above water and stress levels low. 


Part of working hard and keeping my stress levels low has limited my blogging time and availability. While I am not as active as I hoped to be, I am still committed to writing and posting quality restaurant and product reviews and share my experiences navigating the allergy-free dining scene in college which has proven to be a mixed bag of ease and frustration. 

This week has a big event in store that I’ve been looking forward to for a while that will allow me to return to full-on “blogger mode”: The Natural Products Expo East. Billed as “the leading trade show on the East Coast in the natural, organic, and healthy products industry,” this gathering of 25,000 attendees and 1,400 exhibitors is a meeting of the minds of sorts where the state of the industry is assessed. I cannot wait to discover and share new gluten and dairy free products and companies that spark my interest and maybe even get firsthand look at what’s coming down the pipeline in the future. 


Knowing that I’d have to do my homework beforehand since I will not be able to take in all 1,400+ exhibitors over the three day duration of the expo, I’ve looked through the lengthy list of vendors and made my “must-do” list covering gluten and dairy free products ranging from sweet to savory. I’m excited to check in with brands I’m already familiar with and even more excited to get to know lesser known or emerging ones! 


In addition to exploring the expo, I cannot wait to mix and mingle with other bloggers covering the event and meet others who are as passionate about allergen free dining as I am. Stay tuned for my full report which will (hopefully) be published this weekend or early next week. Want to tune in to the fun from afar? I’ll be broadcasting throughout the weekend on Facebook and Twitter.

Celebrating the Magic… From Afar