B-day Cake at Boma(allergy ques too)

[tink98]

We will be having dinner there for DH's birthday. Can I order a cake directly through them by calling before our trip? Also will they make special accomodations for no cross contamination with nuts while preparing this so our DD can also eat this? thanks

 

[welovedis]

I believe you can special order something in advance, hopefully this will bump you up for those with more info on that.
As far as nuts allergies, I've always stayed away from AKL restaurants because of my nuts allergies, even some of the chefs (from other restaurants on WDW property) say it is a good idea because of the x-contamination issues. They have many dishes with nuts oils and nuts and I couldn't take worrying about that during my meal.

How severe are your DD's nut allergies?

 

[erinch]

My DS has life-threatening allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, milk and egg products. We've had a number of meals at Boma with no incidents. The chef will do a walk through to point out what is safe and what isn't. They made my DS a lovely piece of salmon on a special grill with no dairy or not contamination.

Regarding the cake, this may depend upon who's "on" in the chef department. We have had wonderful experiences where they made him a special sorbet and a phyllo pastry with mango in it...a real dessert like everyone else, and times when they have indifferently offered Rice Dream (an ice cream substitute that, in his opinion, tastes vile.) The last few trips my attempts to talk to a chef ahead of time were difficult, they said they would handle it when we got there. If you're special requesting a cake, you might have more luck...but I would be persistent, and call not during a dining window. Early afternoon is generally pretty good.

 

[welovedis]

My DS has life-threatening allergies to tree nuts, peanuts, milk and egg products. We've had a number of meals at Boma with no incidents. The chef will do a walk through to point out what is safe and what isn't. They made my DS a lovely piece of salmon on a special grill with no dairy or not contamination.

I'm glad to hear you had no problems at Boma with nut allergies, that is just the opposite of everything I've been told and have avoided it like the plague. Is there a particular chef that you've found helpful there?

The reason I ask is because for our past trip (June/July), I made an ADR and then passed my info along about the allergies. 3 days before the trip I got a call from Chef Dan from AKL who said that he would try to accomodate me as much as possible but because of the amount of nut/nut oils in their dishes that I may want to reconsider my ADR at that point. He was really nice but pretty insistent that we might want to dine elsewhere.

Later that trip I spoke with Chef Gary at Mama Melrose, who I know pretty well from prior trips, and asked him what his opinion was considering my allergies (eggs & bananas are anaphylactic, tree nuts/peanuts & others are lesser allergens for me) and he said he wouldn't consider it because of the issues.

Again, just wondering if you have the name of someone there that you've dealt with in the past, as I'd love to feel "safe" going there. TIA!

 

[erinch]

We've eaten there with DS a total of about 8 times over the years, with no problems...I never got the names of anyone we dealt with.

I need to say he's a pretty basic eater...with so many allergies he never takes chances, so skipped the complex mixed salads and the sort. For us the fear was more milk (extreme reactions to even traces of sodium caseinate or whey) than nuts, since nuts are so much more avoidable.

Our big tip is to make the ADR right for when they open. It's calm and leisurely then, and a real zoo later in the evening.

What I would do would be to go visit in person in the afternoon, and talk with the chef on duty then. And then listen to your gut regarding whether to stay or not. Again, we were totally comfortable there....but part of our goal is to normalize eating experiences as much as possible, so that DS can function in "normal" society. We did have the epi-pens handy, as always, but no issues at all.

Another alternative might be Jiko. Can be more expensive, and not hte choices, but the food is fantastic, the atmosphere wonderful, and allergies easy to manage.

 

[welovedis]

Thank you for the tip about going first thing and relaying your experiences. I have honestly been so worried that I crossed it off my list and now I think I'll at least venture over there in December and speak with someone during a less busy time.

That is interesting to hear about your DS, I own a small daycare center & we specialize in children with disabilities and/or severe food allergies, not because we meant to, but it just has turned out that way. I only became allergic to certain foods within the last few years so it was helpful to have that background.

I have a family that has been with me the whole 8 years I've been open & their oldest DD has the same milk allergy that you describe--certainly uncommon at best! Kudos to you for normalizing things as best you can, it certainly is challenging.

For me, the exposure can be bad and then somewhat lessened with the EpiPen injection, but I also have a stomach/intestinal disease (eosinophilic disease) so then I run into much more problems if I come in contact with the allergen, like the shedding of my stomach or intestinal lining. Hope that wasn't TMI, but to better explain why I've been so wary of x-contamination.

Again, thanks for the info, OP sorry I hijacked but am now thinking that AKL may someday be a place I'll be able to dine!

 

[tink98]

Bumping this - still looking for help with the cake question. Thanks

 

[tink98]

How severe are your DD's nut allergies?

She is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. The stronger being the tree nuts. I'm planning to call a week prior to our trip as I was instructed to when making the ADR's to give specific info. I may end up changing the ADR if I don't hear what I want. DH picked Boma since it will be his birthday. I don't think he knew about all these "nut" issues. He knows her health is #1.

 

[lenshanem]

My DD who is allergic to peanuts and tree nuts broke out in hives around her mouth at Boma during breakfast. We had one of the chefs walk us thru the buffet beforehand and he even brought her out a few things from the back. Benadryl was all she ended up needing, but I would never feel safe letting her eat there again. Sorry!