My son Frith asked for a cookie after being picked up from school three years ago. We skipped into a local bakery and he selected “the classic”: chocolate chip! Little did I know, it was actually a Chocolate Chip Macadamia Nut cookie. (Not that that would have stopped me as he didn’t have any allergies!) Within 15 minutes, Frith became nauseous and broke out in hives. My 6 year old was experiencing anaphylaxis. He was/is allergic to macadamia nuts. In fact, Frith is allergic to most every nut; sesame too.

First, I want to take a moment to acknowledge any parent that has experienced their child having anaphylaxis. It is deeply terrifying and I am sorry for what both you and your child went through.

This last fall, I was asked to be in charge of the “allergy aware” table for Frith’s school bake sales. There are two every year; one for Halloween and one for Valentine’s Day. I suppose they asked me because my son has allergies; they figured I knew a few things about preparing “safe” foods. I was all too happy to accept the position; I LOVE to bake after all! I spoke to my parent predecessor who has managed the table the last four years:

“Nothing can be trusted! You’ll not be able to accept any of the parents’ donations for the allergy table. The only way to know that the treat is safe, is to make it yourself. ”

— Gail

What!!???!!!!

She was right.

Thank God I spoke to her and prepared 150+ treats for the Halloween bake sale allergy aware table because everything that was donated, I had to reject.

Did you know Kellogg’s Rice Krispies are not gluten-free despite being made from rice? They contain malt.
Did you know that Whole Foods Brand Canola Oil is “manufactured in a facility that produces tree nuts and soy”? And even if you knew that, I bet you didn’t know that a recent study shows that a product “manufactured in the facility” of the allergen contains that allergen 70% of the time!!!

I was not going to give a child with a soy allergy anything that was made with Whole Foods Brand Canola Oil. Nope. Not on my watch.

For the Valentine’s Day bake sale, I started by asking parents to donate ingredients rather than a finished baked product. I provided a list of “verified” brands and it worked! I was able to create treats from these ingredients that were safe for children allergic to: tree-nuts, peanuts, gluten/wheat, dairy, egg, soy and seeds. Not every treat was safe for all but every allergen had at least two options for children to choose from. And if a child came to my table with another allergy like strawberries, kiwi or shellfish, I knew everything in every treat so I could guide them to their confectionery joy. #Flaweless

Now Presenting…. my Flaweless Allergy Aware Valentine’s Day Bake Sale Table: