Okay, so it is perhaps a totally expected cliché but thank you for being a friend.  Two years ago I was enjoying a long holiday weekend when I decided to start a personal blog about my gluten-free journey.  Never in my wildest dreams did I think that what started as a very basic site would evolve to where it has today (or that so many people would even care what I had to say).  Over the past two years I have met so many fabulous fellow gluten-free bloggers, companies, and organizations who have made the journey all the more sweet.

My mantra has always been Living Well, Gluten-Free, No Apologies.  It stemmed from, at one time (10 years back at my initial diagnosis), feeling like I was going to lose a bit of who I was because of the limitations that we sometimes face as Celiacs – and believe me the gluten-free landscape was a very different place back then.  Fast forward through the years and I began to learn that being Celiac did not mean having to compromise – in fact I found it quite empowering.  As time passed, I realized that I was the one calling the shots and would never let Celiac throw a wrench into my lifestyle.

I have since navigated the globe gluten-free and without incident.  Those of you that follow me regularly know that I am a bit of a lush and love living well.  I do not let being Celiac (and shellfish allergic) dictate where I go and just do a bit of research beforehand to ensure that gluten-free will not be a problem.  I have done gluten-free at some of the most iconic locales in New York City in my QNYGF series (new episodes coming soon), circled the globe as a Celiac from Hong Kong to Dubai and beyond and enjoyed gluten-free fare at 35,000 feet.  I have eaten my way through 160+ product reviews and found many great new products I likely would not normally have come across.  I even managed to ahre some of my favorite recipes.  Hey, I even was lucky enough (and honored) to be featured this year on MSNBC.com and later TodayShow.com Luxury Travel.  All that is well and good but the most important and rewarding part of this journey has been meeting fellow Celiacs from around the globe and learning from all of their experiences as well.  I can only hope that my take on gluten-free living has proved entertaining and empowering to those living a gluten-free lifestyle.

My site is a true labor of love and something I devote a significant portion of my free time to.  I promise to remain true to the principles that I put in place from the get-go.  It has been a truly mindboggling ride and I remain humbled that so many people actually have taken an interest in my gluten-free ramblings.  So, thank you all for an incredible two years and for making this gluten-free, shellfish allergic, Epi-Pen-carrying, cocktail drinking guy feel so very, very welcome.

Here’s to another delicious year ahead…and just in case you were wondering I would be definitely be Blanche, but you probably already figured that out .