WOODLAND HILLS....."Excuse me, but do you know if the raisins the chef used in my dinner were dusted with flour by the manufacturer," asks Sarah, a woman afflicted with celiac disease.

It's very challenging to eat at a restaurant, or to even cook fabulous restaurant-quality meals for yourself when you must avoid gluten, or even dairy, because your body is unable to digest these common allergens.To satisfy the needs of this community, Your Dinner Secret™, the first independent "Make and Take" Meal Kitchen in the city of Los Angeles, has introduced what is believed to be the nation's first menu of Gluten-Free (wheat), Casein-Free (dairy) frozen, ready-to-cook meals that are available for pick up in Woodland Hills, Calif., or may be shipped to your home.

Celiac Disease Affects More Than One Out Of Every 130 People

Scientists claim that at least one out of every 130 people in the United States is afflicted with celiac disease. Due to varying degrees of affliction, many feel that more than half of these people have not been properly diagnosed.

According to the Celiac Disease Foundation, celiac disease is an autoimmune intestinal disorder, found in individuals who are genetically susceptible. Damage to the mucosal surface of the small intestine is caused by an immunologically toxic reaction to the ingestion of gluten and interferes with the absorption of nutrients. Celiac disease is unique in that a specific food component, gluten, has been identified as the trigger. Gluten is the common name for the offending proteins in specific cereal grains that are harmful to persons with celiac disease. These proteins are found in all forms of wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro), and related grains: rye, barley and triticale.

"We have been approached by people from coast-to-coast pleading with us to offer a GFCF (Gluten-Free, Casein-Free) menu of ready-to-cook frozen meals," says Roni Piterman, co-owner of Your Dinner Secret. "We have developed a menu that is absolutely delicious. We hope to greatly expand the dishes available to people with celiac disease and to offer them a level of convenience that was previously unavailable."

What Is On The Menu?

The menu includes items for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Customers will find: rolls, muffins, shepherd's pie, chicken tenders, chicken cacciatore, veal picatta, Greek Chicken and Rice, meatballs, Asian Style Orange Chicken, brownies, cookie dough, and much, much more. All items are provided frozen. Simple cooking instructions are included with each item. The menu items are both kid and adult friendly.

How To Get These Meals

To order GFCF meals, go to the Your Dinner Secret web site( www.YourDinnerSecret.com) and click on the GFCF button. Or, either call the store at 818-888-6338, or visit the store in Woodland Hills. Orders must be picked up at the store or may be shipped to the customer. All GFCF menu items are available NOW. In early October, shipping will also be available.

About Your Dinner Secret

Your Dinner Secret is Los Angeles' first independent, "Make and Take" Meal Kitchen. It provides an affordable means for bringing families back to the dinner table for nutritious, delicious home-cooked meals. It also provides gluten-free, casein-free meals for the autism and celiac communities, as well as for people with food allergies.

Visit Your Dinner Secret on the web at www.YourDinnerSecret.com.The flagship store location is 20929 Ventura Blvd., #22 (in the Cable's Restaurant Shopping Center just west of De Soto), Woodland Hills, CA, 91364. Phone: 818-888-6338.