The Chicagoist has done a review of last weekend’s Thrive Allergy Expo.

Regular readers will know that I recommended that folks attend Thrive. Frankly, there’s no better way to get really useful information on a topic than to attend a conference. Besides - you get a chance to try out different products as part of the deal, so it can also be a lot of fun.

For those of you who don’t know, Thrive was held this year in Chicago. I love the windy city - have been there many times on business. It’s also the home of the Oprah Show, so if you had the chance to stay over, you might just have been able to swing Oprah tickets for some extra fun.

But I digress.

Turns out the Chicagoist blogger, Samantha Abernethy, has celiac sprue herself and attended the event with personal interest. Turns out, she was quite impressed. She called the event a “Taste of Chicago” for those with food allergies. Demonstrations of cooking were done live. When you weren’t watching people cook, you could actually eat safely in the Care Free Cafe, that produced meals without the top 8 allergens.

Sounds ideal! While some allergenic folks would still have to avoid the food court, most would be able to eat without fear. For many, eating out like this would be a novel experience.

One interesting produce specifically mentioned by Abernethy is gluten free Belgian style ales and cider, under the Brand Green’s from Merchant du Vin. Now this is a product I’d really love to try! It’s been a long time since I had a nice ale, given that we live gluten-free here, just like Abernethy.

I’m hoping they’ll bring it to Canada; the only way I could buy it right now is through their e-store and I’m sure the shipping and duty would be brutal.

If you are interested in the variety of products and services that were showcased by Thrive, check out their website. They have a rolling banner at the bottom of the page; simply click on an interesting logo and that will take you directly to the relevant website.