A Kentucky company has opened a food-manufacturing plant to provide more choices for people with celiac disease.

Bloomfield Farms' new 15,000-square-foot plant in Bloomfield makes baking mixes with rice flour, corn meal, potato starch and other gluten-free ingredients as grain bases.

"We make sure our products are not contaminated with gluten- containing wheat, barley, rye or oats," company president Sue Sutherland said.

Nine mixes are available: all-purpose baking, brownies, cakes, corn bread, cookies, loaf bread, muffins, pizza dough, and pancakes and waffles. Boxes range from 15 to 32 ounces and cost $3 to $5. The company also makes batters, breads and coatings for commercial customers. Call (502) 348-1333 or go to Thebloomfieldfarms.com.

Sutherland and her husband, Dan, also own and operate Blend Pak, a traditional wheat-based dry-food blending and packaging business 10 miles from the gluten-free plant.

A new cake for your party

If you're looking for something new to serve at your Keeneland and Derby parties, try Kentucky Woods bourbon-barrel cake. It is a brown sugar and chocolate bourbon cake with maple, caramel and walnuts on top, and it comes in a handmade wood barrel box.

It sells for $24.95 at Sam's Club and Liquor Barn stores, or at Kentuckywoods.com.

Food for thought: bourbon

The Kentucky Historical Society's Food for Thought luncheon this month will feature bourbon.

Mike Veach, associate curator of special collections at The Filson Historical Society, will discuss the role of Kentucky bourbon in the development of American manners and culture. The luncheon menu features bourbon-brown sugar pork loin and Woodford Reserve chocolate toffee dessert.

The event will be at noon Wednesday at KHS, 100 West Broadway, Frankfort. The reservation deadline is Friday. The cost is $23. Call Julia Curry at (502) 564-1792,Ext. 4414, or e-mail julia.curry@ky.gov.Neil Sulier of Lexington can enjoy eating his prize-winning pie once a month at Fava's Restaurant in Georgetown.

Sulier's rhubarb- strawberry pie won Historic Georgetown's pie contest, and it will be made by the bakers at Fava's and served at the restaurant, 159 East Main Street, on the third Thursday of each month.

The other winners were Leslie Aitken of Georgetown, who made a lemon meringue pie, and Lou A. Shrout of Lexington, who created a peanut butter meringue pie.

Here's the recipe for Sulier's pie. He topped the pie with filo dough "to give a visual appeal and variety of texture to the top of the pie. Also, it gave the pie a slightly different taste than a dough topping, since pecans were mixed in as well. It was created just for the contest, and I think it worked," he said.

RECIPE

Neil Sulier's rhubarb-strawberry pie

1 pie crust

4 cups chopped rhubarb

3 to 4 cups chopped strawberries

1 cup chopped toasted pecans, plus more for garnish

1½ cups sugar

1 tablespoon all purpose flour

Dash salt

1 tablespoon honey

5 sheets filo dough

Melted butter

Whipped cream

Raspberries and blueberries, for garnish

Place pie crust in buttered pie dish. In large bowl, combine rhubarb, strawberries, pecans, sugar, flour, salt and honey. Pour into pie crust. Separate filo sheets and brush each with melted butter. Cut filo into pieces and gently place on top of filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes. Garnish with whipped cream, raspberries and blueberries.

Reach Sharon Thompson at (859) 231-3321 or 1-800-950-6397, Ext. 3321.