Nothing to sneeze at: chefs react to diners with food allergies, cook up easy-to-swallow alternative dishes

Nation's Restaurant News,  Dec 22, 2003  by Carolyn Walkup

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Not long ago many restaurant chefs and managers considered customers with food allergies to be a nuisance. A common attitude was that those kooks should just cook at home instead of trying to go out to eat.

As our society has become more aware of the very real problems faced by some 7 million Americans, many chefs have educated themselves about alternative foods they can prepare for guests who suffer from food allergies.

Although perhaps 200 food substances can cause allergic reactions, eight foods account for 90 percent of the reactions, according to the Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, based in Fairfax, Va. They are milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.

In addition to those with serious food allergies that can be fatal, millions more have food sensitivities that can cause reactions ranging from stomachaches and headaches and gastrointestinal distress to heart palpitations, skin conditions and difficulty breathing. Two of the most common sensitivities are lactose, or dairy product, intolerance and celiac disease, a sensitivity to gluten, which is found in wheat, rye and barley.

Peggy Wagener, a celiac disease sufferer and publisher of Living Without magazine, says restaurant personnel greatly have increased their knowledge of gluten intolerance. "The difference is night and day. I used to go into a restaurant and ask if they could make me something without gluten, and they didn't know what gluten meant," she recalls. "They didn't take it seriously."

Now that the word is out about celiac disease and other food sensitivities, with the help of the Internet and support groups, organizations like the Gluten-Free Restaurant Awareness Program, which started in Westchester, N.Y., publicize restaurants throughout North America that gear at least some menu items to them.

"We didn't realize how many people are suffering from gluten or wheat sensitivities," says Paul Muller, director of culinary operations for Scottsdale, Ariz.-based P.F. Chang's China Bistro and Pei Wei Asian Diner. As many as three to five guests were requesting gluten-free items in the restaurants every day, he notes.

Muller and his associates at P.F. Chang's developed a special menu for gluten-intolerant diets. It currently includes 13 dishes, some of which incorporate P.F. Chang's gluten-free sauce, containing wheat-free soy sauce, chicken stock, rice wine and sugar.

The chain's gluten-free items include Cantonese shrimp or scallops with gluten-free sauce instead of white-wine sauce; steamed fish of the day with wheat-free soy sauce; and Cantonese chow fun, with marinated chicken, shrimp, scallops or calamari and rice stick noodles.

"We also make sure our vinegar is not wheat-processed," Muller says. P.F. Chang's does not use peanut oil, which can cause serious reactions among diners with peanut allergies, but it uses canola, soybean, sesame and chile oils. Peanuts appear only in some salads and in kung pao chicken.

The gluten-free menu has made a big impact in the restaurants, since celiac sufferers "are very vocal," Muller says.

Flat Top Grill, a seven-unit Asian stir-fry chain based in Oak Park, Ill., also reserves separate woks for preparations for customers who announce they cannot eat peanuts, wheat, onions or seafood. Printed sauce ingredient lists are available in the restaurants, and servers ask all customers if they have any food allergies.

"The wheat sensitivity is the most difficult to accommodate because people also may be sensitive to soy and cornstarch," says Mary Pat Knight, Flat Top Grill spokeswoman. "We can't be doctors or medics, but we can provide full disclosure," she says.

Dominique Tougne, executive chef of Bistro 110 in Chicago, became acutely aware of the dangers of food allergies one night when he rushed his infant son to the emergency room after he ate a piece of bread with a little peanut butter on it. He now considers himself an activist in educating everyone from dishwashers to managers about protecting allergic customers.

"I want to show people that it's not a nightmare," Tougne says. If you are careful, there is a way to go around it," Tougne says. He currently is working with a company to develop gluten-free bread and cookies.

Customers who are allergic to alcohol, many of whom also can't eat wheat, also usually cannot tolerate vinegar, which contains some fermentation, Tougne notes. Lemon juice is a safe substitute for vinegar in salad dressings.

Park & Orchard Restaurant in East Rutherford, N.J., an award-winning eclectic restaurant, offers a celiac-suitable menu on request. Among its main courses are shrimp or scallop scampi with no bread crumbs; chicken piccata with no flour dusting; crab with rice pasta, garlic, olive oil, tomatoes, white wine, butter, parsley and basil; and lasagna made with polenta, tofu ricotta, spinach, cauliflower, onions, garlic, basil, parsley and pomodoro sauce.