Book News

I have news that I’m privileged to share; I’ve written a book.

It’s called Allergic Girl: Adventures in Living Well With Food Allergies.

Here's the cover, courtesy of John Wiley & Sons , picture copyright Kenneth Chen:



I wrote Allergic Girl in response to the one question I hear again and again: “How do you do it?”

As Worry-Free Dinners members know, I use teachable skills that make our food allergic lives a little safer, a little easier and a lot more fun.

Now, you can have all of my best tools at your fingertips!

Allergic Girl’s a book for food allergic adults (newly diagnosed or old hands like me); the family and friends who love us; and parents who are guiding their children to be responsible and joyful food allergic adults.

Allergic Girl will be published by John Wiley & Sons and will be in stores March 7, 2011 (available for pre-order sooner than that).

Until then, I’ll be blogging some updates on here on this blog site and on Allergic Girl, maybe some contests and definitely some stories about writing a book.

Stay tuned for more information about the book and upcoming Worry-Free Dinners events!

FAAN Fundraiser, July 2010

JULY 14, 2010: I’m going to be in NJ to join Cheri and her fabulous pre-walk the FAAN cocktail fundraiser on the Jersey Shore. If you're a NJ reader or WFD member, come, join me for a great cause.

More info below direct from Cheri.

***

Join us for our 1st cocktail & networking party to help raise funds for the FAAN Walk for Food Allergy.

When: Wednesday, July 14th, 2010, 7-9 p.m.

Where: The new and exciting, Trinity & the Pope in Asbury Park, NJ (649 Mattison Avenue)

Tickets are $60 each and include Hors d'œuvre & wine. Cash bar is also available.

***

More info about July 14th fundraiser on ALLERGIC GIRL.

***

More info about the Walk in Long Branch can be found at:
www.foodallergywalk.org/longbranch_nj10

Visiting NYC, Food Allergies

If you are a Worry-Free Dinners member out of New York City, we can help you plan your trip here (email us at worryfreedinners@gmail.com for more information) like this Florida Worry-Free Dinners member.

Dani contacted us a few weeks ago to help plan her family's dining out experience. After a phone consult with Allergic Girl, she felt more secure about visiting several of the WFD restaurant partners and Allergic Girl Recommended spots and had a great time.

Here is Dani's report (reprinted with permission) - Thanks Dani!

As many of you know, planning a trip with two food allergic kids (peanuts, nuts, gluten/wheat,avocado) can be a very trying experience filled with much anxiety and trepidation prior to even boarding the airplane. However, after hours of planning, researching, speaking to chefs, using opentable.com and having a nice chat with Sloane Miller (allergicgirl.com) I am happy to say that we did everything in NYC that we wanted to do and more.

We dropped off our bags and went straight to Blue Smoke since I wanted to get there prior to the Saturday night rush hour. They were great. I had called them and made a reservation with opentable.com so they were ready for us. Believe me, I drill the waiters each and every time they bring food to the table even though there was a gluten and nut free menu. The waiters were WONDERFUL and didn't mind me triple checking everything. The food was DELICIOUS - yummy ribs, mashed potatoes, baked beans,salad. YUM YUM YUM. I tried to leave a tip for the Blue Smoke Chef but instead he came out and spoke to us and gave us a tour of the kitchen. What a treat!!!!! He has 2 allergic nieces so he knows the safety drill. My kids mouth opened as they watched the hundreds of chicken roasting in the rotisserie. It was really cool for them. From the second we walked in to the time we left we were treated really well and had a blast.

We had equal success at Bistango which we ate at four times. They have a great staff and are very allergy aware. They have the great crunchy bread by everybodyeats.com which is nut and gluten free and they toast it up and it is soooooo delicious. (Coincidentally, I had everybodyeats.com deliver an order of cookies, pizza, cake and bread to us upon our arrival - DELICIOUS!!!) My kids felt really safe here and we were able to eat outdoors. They have a wonderful menu and almost everything can be made gluten and nut free. I even heard a waitress ask another table if there was anyone with food allergies. Ya! Way to go!!!!!

Again, success at Porter House New York. This is a wonderful upscale steakhouse that we ate at prior to seeing Wicked. They were very accommodating to us. My kids declared it was the most delicious steak, carrots, beet salad, mashed potatoes that they had ever eaten. Again, super food... very accommodating and a great view.

We did have a few places that we were not comfortable in - after spending hours at American Girl and of course spending too much money we went to our scheduled reservation for lunch. It is funny, this was the place that I was least worried about but once we walked in I knew it was an absolute NO. I had spoken to American Girl top times and I read blogs that they are very allergy aware and have a nut free kitchen. However, the place was filled with crumbs, our table and chairs had food on it and the waitress twice tried to serve us wheat cinnamon buns. I could see my wheat/gluten allergic daughters face and we all looked at each other and promptly got up and left.

We took a taxi to SMAC and again knew as soon as I saw the kitchen and spoke to the waitress at the counter this was not the place for us. Funny though, my kids knew too. They may be young but they know already how to discern what is safe. We jumped in another taxi and ended up at Bistango again. Safe and delicious again. It was worth a few taxi rides and a banana snack from a street vendor.

***

Was it easy in New York with two allergic children? NO.
Was I full of anxiety but had to keep a smile on my face during every meal so as not to stress out my kids? YES
Did I carry around a backpack stuffed so full of snacks that we ended up buying a stroller to cart it around? YES
Did I stop at every health food store and check out their allergy friendly snack section? YES
Did my kids do everything they wanted in New York City and more? YES
Did they have a great time? YES

So in the end, we had a great vacation. I know I will always have anxiety going out of my little safe box in Florida but we know we must venture out. We have had safe vacations in Aspen, Bahamas, Bar Harbor, Maine and other States so it is possible. We are planning a few other short trips this summer including Disney World. The kids are excited and in the end they need to have a normal as possible childhood. One day, all the responsibility will be on their shoulders but until then I will teach them slowly but thoroughly how to navigate through the world with life threatening allergies. And I hope everyday, by the time they reach College, that the worry will somehow be lessened by one of the many treatments that scientists are working on now.

Thanks Sloane for giving me that time on the phone. It really helped to know that I was on the right track. I know that there is never a 100% guarantee but you can get pretty close if you try.

All the best,

Dani

The Allergen-Free Baker's Handbook, Family Friendly

Perfect for holiday allergen-free baking is a new book, from another allergic girl and colleague, Cybele Pascal, The Allergen-free Baker's Handbook. Disclosure: I gave her a blurb and really enjoyed the book. Press release below from Cybele.

***

Dear Friends and Colleagues:

My new cookbook, The Allergen-free Baker's Handbook (Random House/Ten Speed) is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

This comprehensive baking guide is free of all top 8 allergens, as well as gluten and sesame. In addition to being a fabulous resource for those with food allergies and sensitivities, it's also a great looking coffee table book and makes a fantastic gift! You can order it now for the holidays and ensure a Christmas delivery by selecting 1 day shipping at checkout. (It's only $3.99 for 1 day shipping if you sign up for a free trial of Amazon Prime, which can always be canceled!)

***

More on Allergic Girl.

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes

During these last months of 2009, Worry-Free Dinners is taking some BIG and BOLD steps to improve the WFD experience. Our next events will be in 2010.

In the meantime, check out Allergic Girl's Recommendations for restaurants in New York City and keep those applications coming.

Families, Allergies

I’m looking for some stories of families who support your dietary restrictions. Whether parents, sibs, grands, in-laws, please share! With Thanksgiving soon approaching, we could all use some great supportive family stories. Please share in the comments section!

Earth Balance & WFD

Back in January, I asked a few WFD parents what dairy-free, gluten-free butter substitute they use for cooking and baking. Earth Balance came up again and again as the spread of GF/DF WFD members use and adore.

From the Earth Balance website: Earth Balance is the all-natural division of Smart Balance, Inc. While most of their products contain the same patented blend of oils shown to improve the important cholesterol ratio that Smart Balance® uses, they’re also made with only natural, expeller-pressed oils. They also never contain GMO’s, artificial preservatives, flavors, colors or emulsifiers. Not only that, all of the products are vegan and gluten-free.

So taking our cue from you, our loyal WFD members, Earth Balance became a WFD staple, usually for icing with Cherrybrook Kitchen icing mix. Specifically we utilize the SOY-BASED Vegan Buttery Sticks when appropriate.

The Vegan Buttery Sticks ingredients: Non-GMO INGREDIENTS: Expeller-pressed natural oil blend (soybean, palm fruit, canola and olive oils), filtered water, pure salt, natural flavor, (derived from corn, no MSG, no alcohol, no gluten), soy protein, soy lecithin, lactic acid (non-dairy, derived from sugar beets), colored with beta-carotene from natural sources. Contains soy.

Earth Balance supports the Worry-Free Dinners program with delicious GF/DF Earth Balance products.

Thank you Earth Balance team!

FAMILY WFD EVENT: Dos Caminos, October 4, 2009

*** SOLD OUT ***

Worry-Free Dinners® is a membership group and you MUST be a member to eat with us. It's super easy to join. Just send an email to worryfreedinners@gmail.com to request an application.

You may have read about our first event as BRGUEST’S DOS CAMINOS or even Allergymom Gina’s lovely story about her experiences with Dos Caminos 3rd Avenue.

Now you can experience it for yourself.

The FAMILY WFD Dos Caminos Soho menu will be: gluten free, peanut free, tree nut free, sesame seed free, fish free, shellfish free, dairy free and egg free. Please note this menu is corn heavy therefore NOT for anyone with corn sensitivities.

The meal will be served family style as in everyone gets a little bit of everything, with seconds and thirds when you want them. As always, beverages are on you.


***

INVITATION

WHEN: October 4, 2009, 530-730pm

WHERE:
Dos Caminos Soho
212.277.4300
475 W Broadway (at Houston Street)
New York, NY 10012

WHO: Anyone whose diet is gluten free, peanut free, tree-nut free, fish-free, shellfish free dairy free and egg free. Additional food allergies or other concerns *may* be accommodated with prior notice.

WHAT YOU'LL GET:
• Coaching around issues of food allergies/food intolerances by Allergic Girl, Sloane Miller, MFA, MSW, LMSW
• Group discussion tailored to your concerns
• Networking with families who understand your issues
• Chat time with Executive Chef Meghan Young
• A delicious Worry-Free Dinners® event at a top NYC restaurant

***

Dos Caminos Soho menu:

APPS
Guacamole with corn tortillas, fresh cut vegetables, trio of salsas
Plantain Empanadas - Plantain masa, ham & sweet potato, chipotle aioli

ENTREES
Al Carbon Tacos - Grilled chicken, orange salasita, guacamole
Asada Tacos - Grilled skirt steak, pico de gallo, guacamole
Dos Enchiladas - Pastor marinated chicken, roasted corn, tomatillo verde sauce

SIDES
Mexican Red Rice
Refried Black Beans

DESSERT
Sorbet TBA
Pineapple Banana Empanadas

Dining with Allergies, NYC

WFD Members:

Want to go back to Blue Smoke where you've experienced WFD goodness?

Just use www.opentable.com when booking and mention "Worry-Free Dinners" along with your dietary requests in the "Special Requests for the Maitre D'" section.

The restaurant will have your info on file.

Cool, right?

Going elsewhere? This Allergic Girl link has my BEST tips.

Ming Tsai, Blue Ginger

Ming Tsai, who is quickly becoming the voice for parents of food allergic kids and for the culinary community on how to take care of patrons with food allergies, writes in this month's Atlantic Monthly magazine.

And he's featured in Cookie magazine as well.

WFD FAMILY LUNCH: July 26, 2009 - Round Up

Yesterday's Family WFD at Blue Smoke was so much fun! Just look at some of pictorial highlights from Danielle Amedeo (©Allergic Girl Resources, Inc.) and you’ll see what I mean. Thank you WFD Families!

***
The next Blue Smoke WFD FAMILY LUNCH event is Sunday, September 13.

And we have our first WFD FAMILY DINNER event at Dos Caminos, Sunday, October 4.

Save the dates!

***

Wings of Wonder:


Raucous Ribs:


Free-From-Allergens Fries:


Bodacious Brisket & Brocs:


Fantastic Fruit:


Cherrybrook Kitchen Cupcakes & Frosting, Rid-ic!

WFD Adult Dos Caminos Dinner

Last night’s Worry-Free Dinners event was at Dos Caminos Soho, our first event with BRGUEST. They went above and beyond to ensure that every aspect of our meal was an allergen-free success - like a completely newly washed, scrubbed and new corn oil filled dedicated fryer just for our group. Heavenly.

I’d like to thank Chef Meghan Young who created, cooked and oversaw all of our dishes and talked to our group extensively about BRGUEST's restaurant policy regarding food allergies. Thank you as well to GM Amanda and sever Jason for their assistance throughout the evening.

(Please note: all this FA love is not only reserved for this Allergic Girl. Give BRGUEST notice, communicate your needs and they will do their best to accommodate you within their abilities. See Allergymoms' experience).

It was all so delicious - I’m definitely ready to do it all again. WFD families get ready for our September event!

Here’s last nights menu that was gluten free, peanut free, dairy free, treenut free, fish free and shellfish free. (Please note this menu is corn heavy):

APPS:
Guacamole with tortilla chips, fresh cut vegetables, trio of salsas
Plantain Empanadas - Plantain masa, ham & sweet potato, chipotle aioli

ENTREES
Al Carbon Tacos - Grilled chicken, orange salasita, guacamole
Asada Tacos - Grilled skirt steak, pico de gallo, guacamole
Dos Enchiladas - Pastor marinated chicken, roasted corn, tomatillo verde sauce

SIDES
Mexican Red Rice
Refried Black Beans

DESSERT
Prickly Pear Granita
Pineapple Banana Empanadas

And here’s the run down of what we ate in picture form. I’ll let the food speak for itself. (Pictures by Danielle).

***

Chef Meghan making our guac:


Our dedicated fryer tortilla chips:


Guac:


Ham & sweet potato empanada (we gobbled them up):


A special order of chicken without orange salsa. The allergy ticket is standard to BRGUEST policy:


Dos enchilladas:


Sides:


Pineapple Banana empanadas, oh my:

Adult WFD event, July 12, 2009

I have an excellent treat in store for you: Worry-Free Dinners event Mexican at Dos Caminos Soho. Come join us for an early Sunday dinner and then enjoy Soho at your leisure!

The menu will be: gluten free, peanut free, treenut free, fish free and shellfish free. (Please note this menu is corn heavy.) This will be served family style as in everyone gets a little bit of everything, with seconds and thirds etc. As always beverages are on you.

And something new. I’m going use a jumping off point for discussion: survival tips summer travel.

Worry-Free Dinners® is a membership group and you MUST be a member to eat with us. It's super easy to join. Just send an email to worryfreedinners@gmail.com to request an application.

***

INVITATION

WHEN: July 12, 2009, 6pm-8pm

WHERE:
Dos Caminos Soho
212.277.4300
475 W Broadway (at Houston Street)
New York, NY 10012

WHO: Anyone whose diet is gluten-free, fish/shellfish free, peanut-free and tree-nut free. Additional food allergies or other concerns *may* be accommodated with prior notice.

WHAT YOU'LL GET:
• Coaching around issues of food allergies/food intolerances by Allergic Girl, Sloane Miller, MFA, MSW, LMSW
• Group discussion tailored to your concerns
• Networking with people who understand your issues
• Chat time with General Manager and Executive Chef
• A delicious WWorry-Free Dinners® event at a top NYC restaurant

MENU:

APPS
Guacamole with corn tortillas, fresh cut vegetables, trio of salsas
Plantain Empanadas - Plantain masa, ham & sweet potato, chipotle aioli

ENTREES
Al Carbon Tacos - Grilled chicken, orange salasita, guacamole
Asada Tacos - Grilled skirt steak, pico de gallo, guacamole
Dos Enchiladas - Pastor marinated chicken, roasted corn, tomatillo verde sauce

SIDES
Mexican Red Rice
Refried Black Beans

DESSERT
Prickly Pear Granita
Pineapple Banana Empanadas

***

Questions or need an application? Just send an email to worryfreedinners@gmail.com.

WFD FAMILY LUNCH: July 26, 2009

*SOLD OUT & NOTE NEW DATE: JULY 26TH, 2009**

It’s that time again: Blue Smoke Worry-Free Dinners LUNCH. If you haven’t been yet, you simply must join us for some incredible BBQ. If you’ve been once, I know you wanna come back. Here are the details.

**

WHERE: Blue Smoke
116 East 27th Street (between Park and Lexington Avenues)
New York, NY 10016
(212) 447-7733

WHEN: Sunday, July 26, 2009, 1130am-130pm

WHAT YOU'LL GET:
• Coaching around issues of food allergies/food intolerances by Allergic Girl, Sloane Miller, MFA, MSW, LMSW
• Group discussion tailored to your concerns
• Networking with parents who understand your issues
• Chat time with a representative from Blue Smoke
• A delicious "Worry-Free Dinner" lunch at a great NYC kid-friendly restaurant

Fees are payable by Google Checkout on the Worry-Free Dinners® site. Remember: You must be a member to get your seat at the table (Please email at worryfreedinners@gmail.com for an application to join)!

**

LUNCH will be FAMILY STYLE and ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT.
*Beverages will be on a pay per drink basis.*

Menu will be FREE FROM: gluten/wheat, peanuts, tree-nuts, sesame, fish/shellfish, dairy and eggs.

STARTERS
Chipotle Chicken Wings
Arugula salad with roasted red peppers, radishes, and asparagus with your choice of pepper-apple vinaigrette or the house vinaigrette

MAIN COURSES
Sliced Texas-Style Beef Brisket
Texas Salt & Pepper Beef Ribs
Mini-burgers

SIDES
Gluten-Free French Fries
Sautéed Broccoli

DESSERT
Fruit plate and an allergen-friendly dessert by Cherrybrook Kitchen with Earth Balance vegan frosting


Come join us!

**

Not a member yet? Just send an email to worryfreedinners@gmail.com to request an application so you can join us.

(Wo)Men at Work

Hope you've all had a smooth transition from winter to spring.

You may have noticed that we’ve been quiet during the month of May. We've been hard at work:

-Creating partnerships with new restaurants groups to bring WFD members more choices in the NYC area and beyond

-Making structural program changes to increase members' positive takeaways

Watch for changes starting NOW.

Feel free to email with any questions: worryfreedinners@gmail.com.

Summer Adult WFD: QUESTION

Good afternoon WFD Adults,

We're planning two new events just for you this summer: Mexican and Italian (gluten-free and nut-free, TBA).

Here's the question: It's summer and many of you will go out of town or on vacation, so we just wanted to get a sense about these potential dates.

Tuesday June 30 or Tuesday July 21 - Italian

Sunday July 12 or Sunday August 2 - Mexican

Let us hear from you which date works (if any) and we will plan accordingly.

JFK = Jazz for Kids

Last Sunday was another wonderful afternoon with Blue Smoke allergen-friendly goodness and WFD kids. This time we were downstairs listening to jazz played by local NYC kids.

Thank you to the Discover Jazz Program for keeping this vital art form alive. And thank you to the Blue Smoke/Jazz Standard team for supporting Worry-free Dinners and our members!

Jazz & Kids, woo hoo!

Family WFD, Ft. Lauderdale, FL

**POSTPONED**

Join us for a special Worry-Free Dinners® Florida event sponsored by The Allergy Free Shop.

***

INVITATION

WHERE: Seasons 52
2428 E Sunrise Blvd
Fort Lauderdale, FL 33304
(954) 537-1052

WHEN: Sunday, November 8th, 2009

WHAT YOU'LL GET:
• Coaching around issues of food allergies/food intolerances by Allergic Girl, Sloane Miller, MFA, MSW, LMSW
• Group discussion tailored to your concerns
• Networking with parents who understand your issues
• Chat time with a representative from Seasons 52
• A delicious "Worry-Free" lunch at a great Ft. Lauderdale allergy-friendly restaurant
• A fantastic allergen-friendly goody bag sponsored The Allergy Free Shop.

PARENTS FEE: $50, includes tax and tip but not beverages.

CHILDREN'S FEE: $30, includes tax and tip but not beverages.

Fees are payable by Google Checkout on the Worry-Free Dinners® site. Remember: You must be a member to get your seat at the table!

***

Menu: FREE FROM: Tree-nuts, peanuts, gluten, dairy, egg, fish and shellfish.
*Beverages are on a pay per drink basis.*

Choice of APPS:
Steamed Edamame
Mixed green salad

Choice of ENTRÉE:
Chicken Skewers with vegetable trio
Tofu and vegetable plate
Turkey Burger

Choice of SIDES:
Vegetables with maple glaze reduction
Roasted bliss potatoes

Email worryfreedinners@gmail.com with any questions or for an application.

We look forward to dining with you Worry-Free soon!

WFD, One Year Old

Today marks the anniversary of our first Worry-Free Dinners® event: April 1st, 2008. I can't believe it's been a whole year since we launched. And what a year it's been.

We've been supported by allergy-friendly food/snacks/treat/sweet vendors all along the way: thank you.

Cherrybrook Kitchens has generously supplied dessert mixes for many of our events. What a delight to have a safe dessert in a restaurant. Thank you CBK.

Allergy-friendly chefs, managers, servers and restaurants have opened their doors to our community and continue to do so: thank you.

Danny Meyer's Blue Smoke committed to monthly events--wow, thank you.

Our national membership has grown by leaps and bounds and keeps growing every day! (Not yet a member? Just send an email to worryfreedinners@gmail.com to request an application.)

The media has taken notice giving us great local press and national press. Thank you to all of the journos who support the program.

Moving forward members can look forward to adult and family events in NYC, and family events in Ft. Lauderdale, Philadelphia, Washington DC and Boston.

And there's even more to come. Join NOW!

Worry-Free Dinners, March 29th Lunch, Wrap Up

(Jake and CBK cupcake. Photo credit © Alvin De Guzman)

What a lovely luncheon on a cold and misty day. Manager Ben, Chef Billy and server Doug made sure we were all safe during service, kept the meal running smoothly, answered all of our questions and packed up some serious doggy bags.

Thanks team Blue Smoke for your support!

Thank you too to dad of Jake (see above) who took some gorgeous pictures! Way better than my out of focus, is-that-rib-grease-on-the-camera-ones.

And Mom of Jake who penned this fab post-WFD event run down. Check out their FAAN video as well.