In this installment of The Good Word, we’re chatting with Michael Savett, founder of the blog Gluten Free Philly, A partner in a Philadelphia law firm who resides in Cherry Hill, Savett founded GFP in March 2009. Updated about thrice weekly, the blog explores and chronicles gluten-free dining options in the greater Philadelphia area.

What is your personal connection to celiac disease and what motivated you to start the site?

My older son, now 8, was diagnosed with celiac disease at age 3, so our family is well-versed on the gluten-free diet. I started Gluten Free Philly because I wanted to establish a resource not only for residents of the Philadelphia area, but also for visitors and tourists. My wife and I like to travel with our kids, and I have frequently found myself going to enormous lengths to track down “safe” restaurants in cities we would be visiting. I maintain links to gluten free-friendly restaurants, markets and the like in the tri-state area on my site so that people can find places near where they live, work or visit that can accommodate them.

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Read the rest of THE GOOD WORD Vol. 17: Michael Savett of Gluten Free Philly (442 words)

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- Brian Howard introduces us to Tom Culton, proprietor of Lancaster County’s Culton Organics, who grows a staggering 63 varieties of garlic on his farm. After you read the piece be sure to check out slideshow of the farm, as well as audio of the interview with the garlic guru.

- Are you a DIY sweettooth? Then you should pick up Anita Chu’s Field Guide to Candy (Quirk Books), which helps you ID — and make! — a million and one teeth-hurting confections.

- Erin Mae Srankowski breaks down the week’s food/drink events in What’s Cooking — check out the deets on Phiz Fest, Whiskey Fest, Chilean vino and more.

- Hit up Feeding Frenzy for info on three brand-new destinations — Grey Social, Jolly’s Dueling Piano Bar and Coup de Taco.

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Apparently, throwing whatever relatively edible creatures are available (including squirrels) into a pot to create “stew” is as American as apple pie. This I learned at Wednesday night’s First Person Festival event at the Painted Bride.

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Read the rest of Recap: America Eats! author Pat Willard at the Painted Bride (222 words)

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We’re gonna have much more on Percy Street Barbecue, from Steve Cook, Michael Solomonov and Erin O’Shea, in the coming days. But for right now we figure it couldn’t hurt to share a few quick photos from inside the space (900 South St.). The interior was designed by Elisabeth Knapp, who also handled Zahav and Xochitl; that chalkboard wall, which originated at a schoolhouse at 16th and Moore, comes from Provenance, the historical architectural salvage firm that’s done work for Pub & Kitchen and Oyster House.

For background on the project, check out Chandler Kaufman’s documentary feature.

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Read the rest of Psst: Quickie peek inside Percy Street Barbecue (4 words)

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And the award for the most unintentionally pornish title for a beer event goes to Johnny Brenda’s (1201 N. Frankford Ave.), who next Saturday will host the Wet Hop Rodeo, featuring eight wet-hopped beers on tap, including choices from several national breweries (a first for the fervently local bar). Wet-hopping, in layman’s terms, translates to beers that are brewed with super-fresh, just-picked hops, as opposed to those brewed with hops that have been dried out for storage. This translates to bold, unapologetic hoppy flavor. (As a point of reference, think what it’d be like to eat fresh garlic right out of the ground, as opposed to a bulb that’s been air-cured. You did read our feature on garlic guru Tom Culton, right?)

Anywho, since the annual hop harvest is typically in the beginning of the fall, this is an ace opportunity to check out the wet-hopped offerings. Here’s what JB’s will be rocking from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Nov. 14:

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Read the rest of Nov. 14: Wet Hop Rodeo at Johnny Brenda’s (40 words)

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There ain’t a whole lot of English to be found at OK Bakery & Snack, which opened recently on South between Sixth and Seventh streets. But here’s what we could surmise, before we were politely and smilingly shooed out of the door by a funny little lady for taking too many photos:

• It’s a tiny space with all the trappings of a Chinatown bakery.
• On one side of the store, there are a dozen or more display cases featuring all manner of buns, including ham and egg, fish meat, bacon and cheese, peanut, onion and this one amazing quadruple-compartmentalized one with hot dogs stuffed in the holes.
• These buns cost A DOLLAR.
• The main display case is full up with generous wedges of round sponge cake, a million different swirls and flavors.
• These cake slices cost 80 CENTS.
• They’re also doing bubble tea, hot drinks and a small selection of dim sum (shrimp dumplings, roast pork bun, crab shao mai, S&P shrimp, etc.).
• They’re open Monday to Thursday from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday from 8 to 11, Saturday from 9 to 11 and Sunday from 9 to 10.

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Chef and dietician Katie Cavuto Boyle, whom you might know as a finalist on the most recent season of The Next Food Network Star, tells Meal Ticket she’s two to three months away from opening Healthy Bites To Go, a physical storefront for her Healthy Bites catering service, at 2521 Christian Street. The space will serve multiple purposes — in addition to serving as the hub for Cavuto Boyle’s prepared-meal customers (she started out of Philly Kitchen Share), it’ll be an organic market with prepared and locally produced foods, a small sit-down (no more than 10 seats) and a space for cooking classes and private parties. She adds that she hopes to launch a CSA program out of the location for the spring of 2010.

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PETA’s VegCooking blog recently rounded up their picks for the best faux meatballs in the nation, and Gianna’s (507 S. Sixth St.) earned a slot for its “Haastile” meatball sub with sautéed onions, peppers and mushrooms. A solid pick, but we should also give a nod to the kofta sub at Govinda’s (pictured above), which helped us through the hallucinatory vision quest that was The Week Without Meat.

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Joey Rocco, who worked as a teacher in Toms River for 30 years before retiring, got his start in the pizza biz early, running his father’s Kozy Korners store at 13th and Jackson as well as his uncle’s shops on the boardwalks of Seaside Heights and AC. Now the South Philly native’s doing his own thing with Joey’s Stone Fired Pizza, which soft-opened Saturday at 515 South Street (215-238-9999).

The pizza at the 64-seat Joey’s is thin crust and Neopolitan in style, with chunky imported plum tomato and secret family blends for both the doughs (traditional or honey whole wheat) and cheese. They’re doing small 12-inch and large 16-inch pies, with pick-and-choose toppings like Fiorella’s sausage, imported capicola and pepperoni, calamata olives and house-roasted peppers. They’re also doing a handful of salads. No slices. (The “Stone” in the name refers to slabs of volcanic rock lining Rocco’s pizza ovens; he says they conduct heat in such a way that ensures the top and bottom of his pies cook evenly.)

They’re BYO right now but in the process of applying for a beer/wine license. Hours are still being ironed out, but Rocco says they’ve been opening at 11 a.m. daily so far.

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