diagnosable concern for many, and Celiac
disease, an allergy to gluten, can be debilitating.
As with all allergies and sensitivities, there is a
difference between gluten sensitivity and gluten
allergies. An allergy is an immune system
response which might cause a medical emerg-
ency (such as hives, immune-related dizziness,
and anaphylaxis), and an intolerance might be
a headache, stomach upset,or bloating due to
one’s body simply not being able to handle
gluten. But the accommodation is the same: avoid products with gluten.
Bread, pasta, muffins, cinnamon rolls—these are obvious to most of us. But how about soy sauce, oats (often cross contaminated with wheat during processing), malt products, some cheeses, and barley? All of these products remind us that sometimes allergy triggering ingredients are not always so obvious. This is true with all food allergies and intolerances.
Pre-packaged pesto, a frittata
favorite, often contains nuts, a
common and often serious
allergen. A cast-iron pan
requiring gentle cleaning, used
this morning for cooking
breakfast sausage, might have
been used the night before for
cooking shrimp, a potential
cross-contamination situation
which can be deadly for those
with severe shellfish allergies.
Sometimes there is little rhyme
or reason to certain conditions.
Some who are lactose
intolerant (usually a sensitivity)
can still consume butter.
Sometimes those with egg
sensitivity can’t have one over
easy, but one cooked into a
pancake is fine; while those
with egg allergies must avoid
both. Good grief! How to we
keep track?
While we as innkeepers have a
responsibility to accommodate
guests, guests also have a responsibility to communicate their food restrictions clearly and well-ahead of their arrival (preferably at the time of their reservation). By far, at least in my experience both as an innkeeper and a chef, those with profound allergies and sensitivities will do just that.
A note on your website requesting advance notice of dietary concerns, preferably either on the page where you describe your food or in your policies section, is recommended. This will not only encourage those that book with you to let you know if they require accommodation, it will also protect the innkeeper with
recourse should a surprise restriction, which may be difficult to accommodate, be requested.
Those afflicted with food allergies will most likely be satisfied with reasonable accommodation. But going above and beyond and offering caring, high quality, and enthusiastic accommodation can go even further to help create lasting happy memories and return visits. This begins with i
innkeepers educating themselves and experimenting with new ideas, techniques, and ingredients to satisfy those with restricted diets. The resources are there: cookbooks devoted to gluten-free cooking, videos demonstrating creative food substitutions, websites for sourcing appropriate ingredients, even social media groups devoted to these conditions, many of which include recipes to try and experts to ask.
Here’s the bottom line: Accommodations for food restrictions should be viewed as opportunities to expand one’s repertoire in the kitchen, learn new skills, and create great experiences for guests. It’s mutually beneficial. Happy cooking!