Calm me down -- Peanut Allergy & Ohana

[DVCDawn]

I would love to take my family to Ohana's for dinner on our upcoming trip, but my DD10 is SEVERELY allergic to peanuts and nuts and I'm afraid of the peanut dipping sauce they serve -- cross contamination, less than attentive servers, etc. However, I know that plenty of you have had successful and memorable dining experiences there.

I have tons of questions. Here are my first few:

1. Do they sit you with another family (here I'm worried that the other family will want the peanut sauce)?

2. Do they plate guests with food allergies separately?

3. Is the dessert safe?

4. Has anyone had a successful visit there when Chef TJ was NOT there?



Please talk me into this -- it seems like fun!

DVCDawn

[3littleHalls]

Ok....here is my disclaimer....I have two kids one severely allergic to shellfish and fish. He has had anaphylaxis with cross-contamination. The other has a dairy allergy and eczema that affects 80% of her skin. So I am hyper critical that they don't come into contact with those. That being said, we do dine out the whole time while at Disney. So I have no knowledge of how they do peanut allergies, but how they do ours.

Originally Posted by DVCDawn

I would love to take my family to Ohana's for dinner on our upcoming trip, but my DD10 is SEVERELY allergic to peanuts and nuts and I'm afraid of the peanut dipping sauce they serve -- cross contamination, less than attentive servers, etc. However, I know that plenty of you have had successful and memorable dining experiences there.

I have tons of questions. Here are my first few:

1. Do they sit you with another family (here I'm worried that the other family will want the peanut sauce)? No, of the 15times we have dined at Ohana they have never seated anyone else with us. Its your family only.

2. Do they plate guests with food allergies separately? You can tell them that you don't want any peanut products at your table(the chef comes out everytime and deals with you personally) So whoever prepares the food that comes to your table(has always been the chef for us) wears gloves, new separate spoons, etc. The meal there is served family style so you do the "scooping" The server has always put on fresh gloves to serve our table everytime he came with food. But all the other places, yes, they have plated my kids plates separately.

3. Is the dessert safe? They regulary have visitors with peanut allergies, and special dietary needs. They serve my dairy allergic child a dessert at Disney. Plus they carry Divvies in the resorts. I would never feed them anything from a buffet. The last time a Ohana my dairy allergy had a wonderful special dessert.

4. Has anyone had a successful visit there when Chef TJ was NOT there?
no help there. I can't remember the first few times we went who we had.


Please talk me into this -- it seems like fun! Ohana is one of my family's must eat places. I trust Disney to prepare it as carefully as I would. But, ALWAYS carry that epi-pen and benedryl!

DVCDawn

[Selket]

The VERY BEST chef in ALL of Disney for dining with food allergies is at O'Hana's now - Chef TJ. He is fantastic - marvelous - wonderful - exceptional - unforgettable - magnificent - ...... I can go on...

We made sure that he was there for the night we had our ressie (which was last week). I made the ressie months in advance and called the Poly about a week before and they put me through to the dining manager who knew Chef TJ's schedule. This is very hit and miss but it worked out for us. We had a 7:35 pm dining time and he started at 7pm that night. They told me he was usually NOT there on Sun and Mon.

We actually only went there because of him and because my son now knows and remembers him (and Chef TJ remembers us) so we seek him out when we are there. Chef TJ made everything for William - he ate completely separately from us - though the chef did make a few dishes for all of us to share. The ONLY thing they said was safe for us all to share was the salad - he is allergic to peanut, tree nut and shellfish. We had the other two sauces and not the peanut sauce on the table (but William didn't share the food or sauces with us except the salad).

I can't comment on dining there when Chef TJ isn't around - I would do whatever I needed to make sure my ressie was when he is working.

[a1tinkfans]

I really think that if you are that worried about the issue (you said severe) you should avoid the restaurant.
Is it really worth the risk???? Why would you knowingly place your child in that potential situation already Knowing they do the whole peanut thing?
It is a great restaurant, but not worth risking your childs safety....I'm sorry you are in this situation and hope you find a better choice......I think I'd avoid Konas then too....isn't it the same kitchen and all??
Good Luck!!

[ltillock]

Originally Posted by DVCDawn

1. Do they sit you with another family (here I'm worried that the other family will want the peanut sauce)?

2. Do they plate guests with food allergies separately?

3. Is the dessert safe?

4. Has anyone had a successful visit there when Chef TJ was NOT there?

DVCDawn

My son has life-threatening allergies to PN and TN and is allergic to coconut (not as severe). We were there in April '09 without Chef TJ. (Though I'd love to meet him sometime!) I finally decided to try it, though we had avoided in the past because of the peanut sauce...too bad they don't just get rid of it! We did dinner there.

We weren't seated with another family, and I don't think they would do that to you. There were a few big tables, but I think those were just big groups that came together.

I can't remember the specifics of how things were served, but I don't think we got bread because of cross-contamination. We obviously didn't get peanut sauce brought to the table. I believe the appetizers were all safe and I remember my son loved one of them and we got 2nds. He didn't get separate plates of anything. I don't remember about the salad, but my son isn't a big salad eater. I believe all of the meats were fine, too.

I believe that the dessert might've had coconut and was probably baked in the bakery where all the cross-contamination occurs (we don't allow him to eat desserts from there). I think he might've just had vanilla ice cream, which might've had Divvy's cookies (can't remember if they had them there or not).

Sorry, it's been awhile, but wanted to share our positive experience with you. The food was great, and there were lots of games for the kids. We all had a fantastic time and will go again.