[Sca-cooks] Hidden sources of food allergens

[Jane Boyko]

Try having someone tell you the day of the feast that they cannot have 
salt and is there anything they can eat.  It wasn't so much of an 
allergy as it was a conflict with the medication she was on for cancer 
treatment.  There were a few other things as well which meant that there 
was absolutely nothing she could eat that day from my feast. 

When I cook home parties I know who has allergies and I cook to those 
people.  The rest of my guests usually have no idea that they are eating 
tofu cream cheese, or lactose free cheese cake etc.  All my guests 
self-identify.

The other feast I cook for I have one person allergic to wheat, sugar 
(not honey, fruit sugar or maple syrop) and rosemary.  I usually make 
one special dish for this individual, if it is a pie using a specialty 
pie dough that I have the recipe for, that the entire table shares.  At 
this same feast I have vegetarians as well so planning a menu is 
challenging as there are usually no more than 25 people.

Marina