Special Diets Private IllumiNations Dessert Party

[snorris49]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has worked with Catered Events to create an allergy friendly event? I'm in the process of working with them to create a "special diets" private IllumiNations dessert party for friends and family and fans of my blog. I'm hoping to have a completely custom menu that has all allergy friendly foods and thought maybe someone else on the Disboards had organized something like this for a wedding or other private event and might have some advice.

I went to the venue (Rue de Paris) this weekend and I'm pretty comfortable with the location, etc. but I'm curious what kinds of things the caterers might have done in the past. I've done lots of special cakes, etc. with restaurants and private dining, but it's always been on a lower scale and never with a large group of caterers. Love to hear any tips you might have!

TIA!

 

[momhmmx2]

What a great idea!! I hope you get some responses..

 

[snorris49]

Thanks! I'm busily planning away, but thought maybe someone on here and done something or has planned a special event and could provide some tips! Definitely exciting.

 

[mb187143]

this isn't going to be super helpful, but we're doing a dessert party at the UK Lower in november the night before our wedding. Have you been in contact with disney catered events yet? We are doing a completely custom menu. Now we don't have a ton of allergy concerns, but we literally customized the entire menu, and they were very accomodating about what we wanted to do. We have a couple people coming with peanut allergies, so we worked with them on that to make sure there will be safe items for our guests to eat.

anyway, good luck with the planning. We found them to be very accomodating to our requests, i hope you find the same.

 

[snorris49]

this isn't going to be super helpful, but we're doing a dessert party at the UK Lower in november the night before our wedding. Have you been in contact with disney catered events yet? We are doing a completely custom menu. Now we don't have a ton of allergy concerns, but we literally customized the entire menu, and they were very accomodating about what we wanted to do. We have a couple people coming with peanut allergies, so we worked with them on that to make sure there will be safe items for our guests to eat.

anyway, good luck with the planning. We found them to be very accomodating to our requests, i hope you find the same.

Thanks for the info!

I'm am working with an event planner at Disney's Catered Events, but she's on vacation right now. She said once she returns, she'll have the chefs give me an idea of what they have done in the past, and that I can completely customize it. I can also request favs from certain WDW restaurants and they can try to recreate them. Sounds like they are going to be really good!

 

[Schmeck]

Hi everyone,

Just wondering if anyone has worked with Catered Events to create an allergy friendly event? I'm in the process of working with them to create a "special diets" private IllumiNations dessert party for friends and family and fans of my blog. I'm hoping to have a completely custom menu that has all allergy friendly foods and thought maybe someone else on the Disboards had organized something like this for a wedding or other private event and might have some advice.

I went to the venue (Rue de Paris) this weekend and I'm pretty comfortable with the location, etc. but I'm curious what kinds of things the caterers might have done in the past. I've done lots of special cakes, etc. with restaurants and private dining, but it's always been on a lower scale and never with a large group of caterers. Love to hear any tips you might have!

TIA!

Will you be asking your guests in advance what they have for allergies? "Allergy friendly" - what's on your list? If my family was attending, that would include mango, apples, hot peppers, and pine nuts. Others have allergies to gluten, nuts, soy, etc.

There's such an extensive list of things people are allergic to - I really don't think it is possible to avoid all of them and have anything on the table besides water? What would be your parameters? The top ten?

Not saying you can't do it, but it might not be the thing to label it 'allergy friendly'?

 

[snorris49]

Will you be asking your guests in advance what they have for allergies? "Allergy friendly" - what's on your list? If my family was attending, that would include mango, apples, hot peppers, and pine nuts. Others have allergies to gluten, nuts, soy, etc.

There's such an extensive list of things people are allergic to - I really don't think it is possible to avoid all of them and have anything on the table besides water? What would be your parameters? The top ten?

Not saying you can't do it, but it might not be the thing to label it 'allergy friendly'?

That's a great point Schmeck. The order form with tickets will have the top ten allergens as options for it, as well as an other to list other allergies. Basically, we'll cater the food to those special dietary requests. I'm planning on everything being free of the top ten allergens to begin with.

If you have an idea of what would be a better way to disucss/advertise the event, I'd love to hear it.

My goal is to make this inclusive, and I realize that there are a lot of allergies/intolerances out there. There are a lot of things that Disney makes that are already free of the top 10 allergens, so I'm hopeful we can find some good items.

 

[Schmeck]

How about making sure all foods have a complete ingredient list available, right there where the food is being served if it's a buffet, on the menu if ordering, etc? I think that would help the most? Then it would truly be allergy friendly, as people could see for themselves if they could eat something or not. Then you could have a variety of foods (keeping the top ten completely off the table?) and people would have the ability to get food without a lot of assistance needed.

How about advertising it some way as being well-labeled (but much catchier than that, my creativity is not awake yet!)

I think your plan is a wonderful idea, BTW, it's just that to me 'allergy friendly' means that if I have a food allergy (or latex allergy!) I can find out easily if I can eat something safely. When I'm there, I'd want to be able to get info without having to hunt down a chef, and have it happen quickly, instead of the usual wait - we know that wait feeling, when things have to be cleaned, or prepared someplace else, etc.

 

[snorris49]

How about making sure all foods have a complete ingredient list available, right there where the food is being served if it's a buffet, on the menu if ordering, etc? I think that would help the most? Then it would truly be allergy friendly, as people could see for themselves if they could eat something or not. Then you could have a variety of foods (keeping the top ten completely off the table?) and people would have the ability to get food without a lot of assistance needed.

How about advertising it some way as being well-labeled (but much catchier than that, my creativity is not awake yet!)

I think your plan is a wonderful idea, BTW, it's just that to me 'allergy friendly' means that if I have a food allergy (or latex allergy!) I can find out easily if I can eat something safely. When I'm there, I'd want to be able to get info without having to hunt down a chef, and have it happen quickly, instead of the usual wait - we know that wait feeling, when things have to be cleaned, or prepared someplace else, etc.

I'm definitely going to be having labels on all of the food for sure. That was in the original plans (sorry, I did not mention that). I'm also going to be sending the ingredient lists out to the attendees before hand. I'm working with allergyfreemouse to create this event, and they have a tremendous amount of experience with allergy dining, not just gluten and dairy (as I am).

Thanks again for all of the wonderful advice. It's important to get feedback from others with allergies to understand how to best prepare for an event like this

 

[shinysparklybubbles]

What's the top 10? I have only heard of the top 8 (DS is pn/tn)

 

[snorris49]

What's the top 10? I have only heard of the top 8 (DS is pn/tn)

Here's the top ten:

Dairy
Eggs
Fish
Peanuts
Tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, etc)
Sesame
Shellfish and other seafood
Soy
Wheat
Gluten – a protein commonly found in wheat, but also in barley, rye, and some other grains.

The top 8 (as defined by the Mayo Clinic)

Milk
Eggs
Peanuts
Tree nuts (such as almonds, cashews, walnuts)
Fish (such as bass, cod, flounder)
Shellfish (such as crab, lobster, shrimp)
Soy
Wheat

The noticeable difference is wheat/gluten and sesame.

 

[SteveMouse]

It would seem to me that, especially on a buffet, and even dealing with cognizant folk, cross contamination (after production) would be a significant issue.

 

[snorris49]

It would seem to me that, especially on a buffet, and even dealing with cognizant folk, cross contamination (after production) would be a significant issue.

That's a great point, though I do think that the chance for cross contamination might occur during food preparation more than at the buffet since every item on the buffet will be free of the top allergens. Unfortunately, that's a chance that is always prevalent when dining out. There is definitely a disclaimer that cross contamination could occur no matter how safe preparation and handling is. I really appreciate your comment though. It's a reminder that you can't be too careful when handling food allergy related events.

 

[SteveMouse]

I used to work as a professional in a kitchen.

I could control my ingredients, workspace, equipment, sanitation, and my prep staff.

When we did catered events, I had much more limited control over self-serve environments, with people putting serving spoons in different bowls, using tongs (appropriately) for a beef and adjacent chicken dish, etc.

We were not trying to address allergies at all (we would address them with custom preparation, much as Disney does, although not with the diversity).

I suppose you could have attended stations, where staff is serving each item.

One thing you're likely to have an issue with is quantity, unless you're really enabling highly customized orders with adequate advanced notice- the kitchen needs appropriate information to make the appropriate numbers of whatever desserts to address the demand.

 

[snorris49]

I used to work as a professional in a kitchen.

I could control my ingredients, workspace, equipment, sanitation, and my prep staff.

When we did catered events, I had much more limited control over self-serve environments, with people putting serving spoons in different bowls, using tongs (appropriately) for a beef and adjacent chicken dish, etc.

We were not trying to address allergies at all (we would address them with custom preparation, much as Disney does, although not with the diversity).

I suppose you could have attended stations, where staff is serving each item.

One thing you're likely to have an issue with is quantity, unless you're really enabling highly customized orders with adequate advanced notice- the kitchen needs appropriate information to make the appropriate numbers of whatever desserts to address the demand.

Thanks very much for the information. I am working very closely with Disney Catered events and event on this event, and these will all be issues that I'll be discussing with them.

This event isn't going to be something that everyone likes or perhaps feels comfortable with, and that's ok. As one PP stated, if you try to accommodate for every allergy, etc. you'll only have water at the table, so I think being clear of what's provided or not is important. I really do appreciate all the feedback because it's helping me better prepare to put on this small event.

 

[mistysue]

If there is ever a group where you don't have to worry about mixing serving spoons, a group who live their lives in fear of somebody mixing up the serving spoon would be it.

I think it sounds nice. If you can, it might be good to see what allergies come in even before declaring "top 10 free" - maybe you will luck out and everybody can have soy (or something else unexpected that shakes up the menu) I've also seen top 10 including corn instead of gluten, so that could cause confusion.

 

[snorris49]

If there is ever a group where you don't have to worry about mixing serving spoons, a group who live their lives in fear of somebody mixing up the serving spoon would be it.

I think it sounds nice. If you can, it might be good to see what allergies come in even before declaring "top 10 free" - maybe you will luck out and everybody can have soy (or something else unexpected that shakes up the menu) I've also seen top 10 including corn instead of gluten, so that could cause confusion.

Yep, I agree MistySue! Those of us with allergies are so mindful, I can't imagine someone using spoons for another dish, but hey you never know lol

Great tip on the allergies and menu changes. That was what I was thinking as well, and luckily, you have until 30 days before the event to change the menu.

 

[clanmcculloch]

Boy would I love to attend such an event. I think that this is an amazing undertaking and I applaud your efforts. Oh if I only lived closer......

As somebody who does have family members with allergies not in the list, here's my take as a member of what I believe is your target audience. I wouldn't expect everything to be safe for my family and I wouldn't expect you to be able to guarantee no cross contamination. I should point out that we're not anaphylactic to any of those allergens so maybe that colours my take. What I would hope to see is clear ingredient lists with sources for flavourings, spices and anything else that could potentially be unclear, including brands if possible (for instance if corn start is from Quaker then some people who are gluten free may not be comfortable with that). Having this emailed to all of the guests ahead of time would be even better so each guest can then figure out for themselves just what is and isn't safe without having to question chefs over every item during the event.

I really like the idea of having somebody there doing plating for guests as that does significantly reduce the chances of cross contamination. If it's not possible then maybe having everything preplated on small individual dishes, while a pain to carry, would mean lower chance of cross contamination. I do agree that the allergy community does have a tendency to be much more cautious about shared utensils but I've also known my fair share of people who have loved ones with food allergies who just don't seem to get it and it's not like they won't be attending with the allergy sufferers.

 

[Random Ninja]

Boy would I love to attend such an event. I think that this is an amazing undertaking and I applaud your efforts. Oh if I only lived closer......

As somebody who does have family members with allergies not in the list, here's my take as a member of what I believe is your target audience. I wouldn't expect everything to be safe for my family and I wouldn't expect you to be able to guarantee no cross contamination. I should point out that we're not anaphylactic to any of those allergens so maybe that colours my take. What I would hope to see is clear ingredient lists with sources for flavourings, spices and anything else that could potentially be unclear, including brands if possible (for instance if corn start is from Quaker then some people who are gluten free may not be comfortable with that). Having this emailed to all of the guests ahead of time would be even better so each guest can then figure out for themselves just what is and isn't safe without having to question chefs over every item during the event.

I really like the idea of having somebody there doing plating for guests as that does significantly reduce the chances of cross contamination. If it's not possible then maybe having everything preplated on small individual dishes, while a pain to carry, would mean lower chance of cross contamination. I do agree that the allergy community does have a tendency to be much more cautious about shared utensils but I've also known my fair share of people who have loved ones with food allergies who just don't seem to get it and it's not like they won't be attending with the allergy sufferers.

I know that I would prefer to have individual plates or servers even for an allergy-friendly buffet. Then again, I have non-top 8 allergens that are anaphylactic and found in many top 8 free foods. Cross-contamination is a huge concern for someone like me; so is a label of "spices". I need to know what spices are in each dish. Companies and manufacturers are good to inform guest of due to hidden allergens. Some common ingredients like dextrin can be derived from wheat, corn, rice, or tapioca and the label doesn't have to list which one it's from. It often takes a call to the company and a couple of days to track down product sources. The more information you give to the guests ahead of time, the happier they'll be. I doubt you'd find anyone in the allergen community who didn't want as much info as possible before the event.

There are plenty of family members who just don't get food allergies. My dad thought my allergies were "all in my head" until a few months ago when I was sitting at the dining room table unable to breathe because of a spoonful of soup. To be honest, he still doesn't really understand very well, but he has stopped trying to cook me anything but hamburgers and steak.

Thank you for all this work you are putting in to your event. It would be so nice if more people put even a little bit of effort to deal with allergens.

 

[snorris49]

I know that I would prefer to have individual plates or servers even for an allergy-friendly buffet. Then again, I have non-top 8 allergens that are anaphylactic and found in many top 8 free foods. Cross-contamination is a huge concern for someone like me; so is a label of "spices". I need to know what spices are in each dish. Companies and manufacturers are good to inform guest of due to hidden allergens. Some common ingredients like dextrin can be derived from wheat, corn, rice, or tapioca and the label doesn't have to list which one it's from. It often takes a call to the company and a couple of days to track down product sources. The more information you give to the guests ahead of time, the happier they'll be. I doubt you'd find anyone in the allergen community who didn't want as much info as possible before the event.

There are plenty of family members who just don't get food allergies. My dad thought my allergies were "all in my head" until a few months ago when I was sitting at the dining room table unable to breathe because of a spoonful of soup. To be honest, he still doesn't really understand very well, but he has stopped trying to cook me anything but hamburgers and steak.

Thank you for all this work you are putting in to your event. It would be so nice if more people put even a little bit of effort to deal with allergens.

I just want to say "thank you" to everyone for your comments and feedback. I really appreciate them, and I think it will make this event a lot better. The idea of a plated service instead of buffet is really not a bad idea, or if everything was on small plates instead of self-serve that might help the cross contamination process.

There will definitely be both emailed lists of all the ingredients and labeling of everything at the event. I'm going to do my best to provide as much information as possible.

As someone who also has food allergies and IBD, I am very cautious and extremely thorough when it comes to finding out what's in something (probably helps that I'm a librarian by day and research everything to the nth degree! ). Yes, I also have family members who for the first few years thought the allergies were all in my head, but they've seen me really sick and I think that changed their mind.

I welcome any other comments, as this is what is going to make this event really successful for those who want to attend.