Just finished Week 1 of working in the kitchen at a local summer camp.  since my daughter and I have severe food allergies, me working in the kitchen is very helpful.  Last week, my daughter was the only one with a food allergy, so it was simple.  This week there are 3 children with Peanut allergies, a Gluten sensitivity, and an allergy to red dye.   The food we use in the dining hall comes from a food service vendor or local supermarkets.

Some tips that may be helpful to others, whether cooking for an entire camp or at home:

• ALWAYS read labels…ingredients can change from one box to the next, an allergen may be a hidden ingredient in a product, or processing procedures may have changed since the last time you purchased products.
• Be aware of cross contamination. Doesnt matter how safe a food is, if you contaminate it with protein from an allergen.  Some common examples of cross contamination are: using the same knife for both peanut butter and jelly (Peanut allergy), using same cutting board for eggs and lettuce (Egg allergy),  using same measuring cup for milk and water (Milk allergy).
• Handwashing is essential!!! Scrubbing hands before and after handling foods is essential to avcoid contaminating safe foods.  Even if you are wearing latex gloves, you still needs to folllow handwashing procedures or change to new gloves to avoid transfer of proteins.
• Identification: Having a way for the kitchen staff to identify the children with food allergies is important.  If a “safe” meal is cooked for a particular camper, getting it to the right child is extremely important!!!
• Procedure: A written policy on how to handle an allergic reaction is essential.  And, as with fire drills, a “health emergency” drill would be helpful for establishing procedures with all staff.

Remember, children with intolerances and food allergies can have a wonderful experience at camp just like all the other kids!!!

Birthday parties.  As a child, we all remember them as fun, carefree events.  With my children, party themes are debated throughout the year, and remain undecided until the last minute.  Once I purchase the party supplies, the theme is carved in stone and I then focus on the goodies.  Central to all parties is the birthday cake.  Many parents, understandably, try to take the easy way out and order a cake from a local grocery store or bakery.  Unfortunately for those with life-threatening food allergies, a store-bought cake is not an option and homemade, allergen-free cake needs to be created at home.

There are several cake mixes available that are free from major allergens, or you can also bake your own.  Same goes for frosting the cake.  From personal experience, frosting and decorating the cake is the most tedious, difficult part of the cake.  Themed cakes can be done creatively by using templates, frosting, colored sugar, and plastic decorations.   Once trick I have discovered is that grocery store bakeries will sell the cake toppers to you…the same ones they use when they make their cakes!!!

I find too that one of the best way to get templates for design ideas is by looking at coloring pages on the internet.  Trace the design onto wax paper and cut out.  Then trace outline on the cake with decorating gel or frosting and fill in as desired.  Other ways of making a creative cake is by purchasing shaped cake pans. 

Make sure that not only the cake and frosting are allergen-free, but the decorations as well.  Many sprinkles are made in facilities that process peanuts/tree nuts, and may also contain soy, milk, egg, or wheat.  Keep that in mind if you have a guest with one of those allergies.

This is a great video put out by Food Allergy Initiative (www.faiusa.org) about kids living with food allergies.