Welcome to the World of Food Allergy Chef Cards!

With my son’s long laundry list of food allergies I have found that when on vacation or eating out in new locations, a chef’s card can be helpful as the server gives us a look of “oh dear, I have to remember all of that plus the three menu items you are interested in…really?”  The purpose of this handy little business card shaped tool is to simply list out your allergens for chefs.  I used to create my own cards, but then I realized there are some great ones out there already.  So, I’m sharing with you what I discovered in THE WORLD OF CHEF CARDS.

My criteria for a chef’s card:

• Functional size that fits into my wallet
• Visually clear–remember, a professional kitchen is a very busy and sometimes chaotic place
• The card only lists my child’s allergens–peanut, tree nut, dairy, egg and sesame seed (he is no longer allergic to egg, but I left it in during my recent search to see who can handle this list, which is much shorter these days)
• Bonus: if there are lists of hidden allergens, i.e., egg in ice cream or sesame seed in some commercial chili sauces

Chef cards I discovered on the Internet…
Special Note: what I find appealing may be the exact reason you are not interested in a product and what I don’t like may be exactly what you are looking for! Always choose what works for your individual lifestyle and health needs.
First up, The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network .  This website was very comprehensive and focused on providing laminated cards for communicating food allergies and other health conditions, such as diabetes.  They offer an extensive list of chef cards in many languages and even accept special orders in addition to offering travel translation cards in the event of an emergency. Prices ranged from around $6.50 to $15.00 pre-shipping.
Good stuff:

• large offering of languages and will accept special orders for languages not listed
• cards are laminated…good for kitchens
• large and varied topics available, food allergies, gluten-free, diabetes, including pharmacy cards, latex, penicillin allergies and even vegetarian or vegan diets
• photo cards with pictures of allergens

Unappealing to me:

• Website overwhelming with information
• Could not find a standard card that could list all of my son’s allergens. English food allergy card offered many combinations of allergens, such as peanut, tree nut, dairy and egg.
• No of list hidden ingredients, such as sauces, etc.
• I was limited to only choosing three foods if there was no special combination available. I am positive I could request a special order, but for a higher price.

Next up, Sunnyside Resortoffers a free Chef’s card template and interactive card that you can create on your computer and print out.  The interactive PDF allows you to list your allergens on-line and then print out.  The template option must be printed out and then you write in your allergens
Good stuff:

• I can list all of my children(s) allergens AND hidden ingredients containing those items
• The card includes instruction regarding cross contact of utensils and prep surfaces
• The interactive cards allows you to customize and print out clearly–I write terrible and my handwriting can cause issues for servers and chefs
• The cards are free

Unappealing to me:

• I have to laminate the card myself
• If needed, there were no foreign language options
• No photos of allergens were available

Sunnyside Resort based on peanut, tree nut, wheat/gluten free, dairy, soy and shellfish.  Each card contains  very comprehensive instruction regarding cross contact, the need to call 911 in case of an allergic reaction and hidden ingredients.
Good stuff:

• The instructions are very detailed.
• The front of the card includes photos plus a very clear warning
• The back of the card lists hidden ingredients.  Did you know that food additive 322 could have peanut in it?
• The cards are cost effective: 50 cards for $8.99 not including shipping

Unappealing to me:

• Too much information on the front of the card, the busy chef may not read it all
• Cards not laminated
• Does not cover all of my son’s allergens..no custom cards available

My favorite choice has been and remains the Sunnyside Resortsince I can customize our long list of allergens and ingredients…for free!  If I forget to pack the cards while on vacation, I just need to find a business center and print out new ones!

I love riding on the coattails of fellow food allergics when we visit one their favorite eateries!  THANK YOU to all of you out there who take the time to educate and train restaurant staff!!!  Just this week we visited the restaurant at Sunnyside Resort at Lake Tahoe, CA and the waiter asked if we had a chef card as he whipped out the special allergy friendly menu!  We all enjoyed dairy, nut and sesame free fish tacos that were incredible!!!

Do you have a chef card suggestion?  Please share!