In food allergy-savvy classrooms throughout the nation, elementary school teachers and room parents are planning Valentine’s Day parties for their students. Students are looking forward to the annual tradition of exchanging Valentines, while we parents of students with food allergies are keeping their guard up due to the potential for reactions at these classroom parties. Here are some helpful reminders as this holiday approaches:

• Call the room parent or teacher (whoever is taking the lead on organizing the party) to remind them about your child’s food allergies and discuss how your child can participate in the event equally alongside his/her classmates.
• Reinforce safety rules with your child about not accepting foods that have not been cleared by you or another designated adult.
• Remind your child not to open any Valentine’s Day candies from classmates.
• If it’s not too late, perhaps suggest some games and easy crafts that can be done during the party in lieu of eating food in the classroom.
• Work out a plan with your child’s teacher to have students wash their hands and/or use wipes after handling food. Send in extra wipes for the teacher to have on hand for students to use if they eat foods that contain your child’s allergen.

Top Ten Tips for Food Allergies at the Holidays – San Francisco Edition

Party Tips for Hosts & Guests from Mireille Schwartz
CEO & Founder, Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board

1) Hosts: please keep food labels for everything used to prepare a festive homemade Holiday meal so an allergic guest may double-check the ingredient list.

2) Hosts: if there’s someone with a food allergy and guests want to contribute to the party, suggest flowers, wine, or Holiday-themed napkins & plates instead of food items.
Guests: Frey Vineyards in Mendocino is historically America’s FIRST organic & biodynamic winery free of chemicals. An elegant & affordable way to enhance the celebration, plus it’s safe for sulfite allergies.

3) Don’t overlook Tom Turkey! Some basted turkeys contain soy, wheat and dairy. Instead look for turkeys labeled “Natural”, which by law must be minimally processed. Fatted Calf Charcuterie in Hayes Valley (320 Fell Street, San Francisco) is carrying both Early Bird Ranch (local) as well as Good Shepard Farms (from Kansas) fresh turkeys this year free of antibiotics, hormones, and allergens.

4) Avoid cross-contamination of utensils and surfaces when preparing foods. Rinsing a knife that chopped walnuts is insufficient: thoroughly scrub all utensils and surfaces with soap & water, and wipe clean. Even trace amounts of a food can cause a reaction for highly allergic people.

5) Ambitious home chefs: how about trying color-coded cooking utensils this year? A bright red silicone spatula or a nifty lime green serving spoon is sure to alert food allergic guests. Lower Haight’s kitchen supply store, COOKIN’ (339 Divisadero Street, San Francisco) offers up an unusual array of high end packed-to-the-gills vintage & new housewares.

6)  If a guest brings a food item that contains allergens and there’s an allergic diner at the table, if it’s well-sealed you could accept it and donate it later to a friend or a soup kitchen. Food Runners in San Francisco is a volunteer organization dedicated to alleviating hunger. With a free phone call, their volunteers deliver over 10 tons of food a week to agencies feeding people in need and can pick up a donation.

7) Guests: if you’re allergic and flying to visit friends or family, make some simple allergy-free foods that travel well and ship them to your host home a week or so in advance.

#8 is for Guests:  if your HOST has food allergies you can always bring a gift of unpeeled fruit or a prepackaged food with ingredient lists that your host says is a-ok. The Ferry Building Marketplace on the Embarcadero at Market Street, SF has a wide range of seasonal “safe” food for you to gift your Host.

9) Guests: if you’re food allergic even if it’s not a potluck why not offer to bring a safe dish or two so there’s definitely something on the table you can eat, and your host doesn’t have to prepare separate food items. Here is our BAAAB recipe for “Charlotte Jude’s Favorite Nut-Free Zucchini Bread” featured on RedTricycle.com. Share dishes that are allergen-free and a delight for everyone attending!

10) Guests: if you are allergic always let your host (or restaurant where you’re celebrating) know in advance – don’t assume they will know or remember. And always bring your own medication (an up-to-date auto injector) just in case of emergency. Festive Holiday favorites for groups include Spruce Restaurant (3640 Sacramento Street, SF) and the Crown Room at Nob Hill’s Fairmont Hotel (950 Mason Street, SF). If you feel like an affordable and down-home casual Holiday eve, owner Michael Richardson of Da ‘Pitt (formerly Brother-in-Laws) on Divisadero Street in SF has completely allergy-free spice rubs for all their meats including tri tip, beef brisket, and baby back ribs.

Happy Holidays!

Allergic Living Magazine Editor-in-Chief Gwen Smith has been featured on our website before, and now she has a Holiday gift for BAAAB readers.

Inside the Winter 2011 Allergic Living:

- The Cover story is: “Throwing the Ultimate Party”. Why risk mystery foods at someone’s else’s place – let AL be your guide to hosting your own fabulous free-from party. Chef Simon has sensational recipes: From crispy duck breast to sweet and sour chicken balls, beef skewers, vegetable terrine and more – all AL’s recipes are free of top allergens and gluten.

- And now for dessert … Allergen-free chocolate layer cake, plus elegant holiday cookie recipes, courtesy of the Gluten-Free Goddess.

- Sprucing up your home? Don’t miss our feature “The Home That Breathes”. Get out the bad toxins, while AL introduces you to the stylish furnishings that won’t off-gas VOCs.

- Columns: Gina Clowes, allergy life coach and creator of Allergymoms.com, offers great advice for helping your family to “get” your child’s food restrictions, while Mireille Schwartz helps adults with food allergies stay safe amid the passing platters of the big family celebration. Meanwhile FAAN CEO Maria Acebal considers how far we’ve come in food allergy research and awareness.

- Food Allergy Features: AL explores whether there could ever be a “safe level” of peanut in food and what your teen isn’t telling you about how he manages his food allergy.

- Allergy-Friendly Gift Guide: Perfect presents for your allergic child or teen.

- The Scoop: Our journalists bring you the latest, such as how scientists have figured out how to “turn off” peanut allergy in mice; the controversy over pets and the allergic on planes; and the wrenching story of a child tossed out of daycare – because of allergies.

Click here to head on over to Allergic Living and use our promo code for a discounted subscription:  org2365FAAN

More than 200 rocking guests and families poured into Golden Gate Park in San Francisco on Sunday November 6th to celebrate mom-blog Get Allergy Wise’s first ever food allergy rock concert event. The brain child of mothers Sarah Chuck & Irene Chu, these two were inspired by their children’s food allergies to put together an all-inclusive event and DO SOMETHING. The community heard the call and came out in droves to show support, nibble on allergy-safe goodies from sponsors like Miglet’s Gluten-Free Bakery, and Mariposa Baking Company and rock out to musician Kyle Dine.

Founders Irene Chu and Sarah Chuck with children and musician Kyle Dine / Photo Credit: Brett Lando

BAAAB’s Mireille Schwartz delivered the keynote speech and inspired the families with lots of laughs. KQED reporter Rebecca Wolfson profiled Mireille at the event for the NPR California Report “The Giving State” to air later in the month.

BAAAB CEO Mireille Schwartz / Photo Credit: Brett Lando

Food Allergies ROCK!

ABC7's Cheryl Jennings with Food Allergy Expert Mireille Schwartz

ABC7′s Emmy award-winning television show, “Beyond the Headlines” hosted by Cheryl Jennings, provides in-depth coverage of the topics and issues facing the people of the Bay Area. Throughout the year, “Beyond the Headlines” airs half-hour specials on relevant issues.  “Beyond the Headlines: Food Allergies” features special guest expert Mireille Schwartz. Mireille also recently inked a television deal with Johlt Productions for her own food & lifestyle show to debut on a major food network soon.

Link to ABC7 television show: Beyond the Headlines: Food Allergies

Our new friends at the blogette “Get Allergy Wise” interviewed BAAAB’s Mireille Schwartz before the ABC7 Beyond the Headlines appearance, story here: Get Allergy Wise Blog

Our BAAAB-tested Annual Safe Candy & Snacks Lists are back by popular demand…early this year!

Click here for goodies: BAAAB Safe Candy Lists

PLUS now through September 30th DIVVIES is offering BAAAB readers a 15% discount on all their delicious treats that are safe to eat. Divvies are made in a dedicated facility that is peanut-free, tree nut-free, milk-free, and egg-free. Simply use the code word “COOKIE” when you place your Halloween or back-to-school order.

Let Them Eat DIVVIES!

The excitement of school has begun!  Here is our definitive BAAAB checklist to help you start the school year successfully:

• See the allergist. Your allergist will go over details of your child’s Food Allergy/Emergency Action Plan  and update it for the new school year. The allergist may also assist with your child’s Individual Health Plan (IHP) or 504 Plan, if applicable.
• Meet with key school staff. Examples include the principal, nurse, teacher(s), director of dining services, and bus driver. Go over how your child will be able to participate in all activities safely (i.e., lunchtime, field trips, class parties, lesson plans that involve food).  Come up with a plan for where medications will be stored and determine who will access it in the event of an emergency.
• Check medications. Check the expiration dates on all of your child’s medication to ensure they are current. If they are to expire during the school year, mark your calendar accordingly to request a refill from the physician at that time.
• Keep records. Make a binder and keep copies of your child’s medical records and his or her Food Allergy/Emergency Action Plan, IHP, or 504 Plan, and any written correspondence between you and the school. This is also a great place to store notes on what part of the management plan worked well and what could use improvement. In the event that a question or situation comes up during the school year, you can refer to your binder to see if the situation was addressed during any of your meetings.
• Keep contact information up-to-date. Cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses often change. Any time a change is made to your personal contact information, be sure to provide the school with written record of the change.
• Offer to volunteer. If your schedule allows, consider volunteering to be the room parent so that you can be involved in classroom celebrations that may involve food, or can accompany the class on a field trip.

Take a deep breath! Preparing ahead of time will help you relax as you ease into the new school year. Remember, we’re all in this together. We wish you success!

Executive Chef Dominique Crenn, a 2009, 2010, and 2011 Michelin star chef, has graciously accepted a role as Chef Advisor to BAAAB. Always innovative, she is once again stirring up the San Francisco culinary landscape with the opening of her new restaurant, Atelier Crenn. The vision of her new eatery is focused on the cuisine as a craft and the community as an inspiration. “Atelier” can be defined as a workshop or studio, especially for an artist or designer. This concept drives Chef Crenn’s vision for a modern take on fine-French cuisine, where artistry is at the forefront.

On the competitive food front, Dominique Crenn will be featured on the upcoming BBC AMERICA television program No Kitchen Required where she will be dropped into one of the world’s most remote locations and be challenged  to create a meal for the local community, putting her own unique spin on native ingredients.

Outside of the kitchen, Crenn serves on panels and boards with local and nationally acclaimed sustainable food activists and participates in special events such as “Outstanding in the Field” and “Taste of the Nation”. She is also the founder and driving force behind “A Moveable Feast,” a series of dinners honoring CUESA (Center for Urban Education about Sustainable Agriculture) that pairs prominent local chefs with produce from a single local farm. A graduate of the Cours Charlemagne in Paris with a Baccalaureate in Economics and a bachelor’s degree in International Business from the Academy of International Commerce of Paris, Crenn has traveled extensively learning to use ingredients from every culture to provide her guests with endless culinary pleasures. Welcome, Chef Crenn!

Dr. Michel Jean-Baptiste

We’re pleased to announce that Yale Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Michel Jean-Baptiste, MD, has joined the Bay Area Allergy Advisory Board. Dr. Jean-Baptiste brings more than 30 years of expertise and a degree from Harvard Medical School to the Board as we strive to find a cure for food allergy.

 

You’ve probably heard of Gina Clowes. In food allergy circles she’s our guru, our rock star. She’s a fierce advocate, speaker, and Certified Life Coach specializing in the needs of parents of children with severe food allergies. Gina’s son was born severely allergic to 7 of the Top 8 allergens, and she has faced the predicament head on with passion, determination, and strength. Inspired by Deepak Choprah’s writings, she chose instead to become an advocate for others and started AllergyMoms.com in 2006. She wisely advises parents of young food allergic children to stand up and not ask for accommodations as “A Favor”.  Instead Gina urges parents to move forward with the times and secure the necessary – and rightful – safety in schools as any other child with a medical condition. Gina Clowes cites one of her greatest accomplishments as her famed List which she distributes for free and has been showcased in magazines worldwide. It’s reprinted – above – in our Articles and Resources dropdown bar at the top of the website, or simply click HERE!