What Did This Allergic Girl Get for Her Birthday?
That's right, it's cake. Day-after cake to be exact.
What's so special about cake for your birthday? With all of the many allergen-friendly mixes out there, it much easier to make an allergen-free cake like any Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker “home cook” and have cake.
True.
However, did you notice? It's cake in a box. As in *I* didn't make it?
It was my birthday recently and I did something bold: I asked Blue Smoke, a restaurant I patronize and host of our kids WFD event -- and a resto whose staff is very allergy aware/friendly -- if they might bake a special cake for me. It was special because I gave them a mix and asked their pastry chef to do the honors. And you know what they said? “We’d be happy to!”
Let me break this down. The pastry chef made a cake, not her own, not using any of her own flair nor ingredients nor ideas nor inspirations. She made a cake like many of us do, from a mix; this is a big deal for a pastry chef to do. She could have said something along the lines that this Boston bakery said to this young bride. But no she said: “We’d be happy to accommodate you.”
How amazing. How above and beyond. How wonderful. And of course she made a beautiful professional cake, three-layer, 10 inch round with a pink inscription.
Wowee wow.
On the whole, because of this restaurant's commitment to hospitality, (because at its heart that's what this is about, not allergies, but a restaurant’s commitment to serving the guest as best as they are able) for the first time *in years* I had birthday cake, at a restaurant, on my birthday.
So good.
But here’s the biggest gift I gave to myself: trust. Trust that they would make this cake mix and that they would make it safely. And they totally delivered.
So this is my birthday wish for you: I wish that this year you find one friend, one teacher, one family member, one chef, one restaurant, one flight attendant, one hotel, one *someone* who totally gets it and is able to deliver!
If you’ve already found them, great for you! Tell me about it!
What's so special about cake for your birthday? With all of the many allergen-friendly mixes out there, it much easier to make an allergen-free cake like any Duncan Hines or Betty Crocker “home cook” and have cake.
True.
However, did you notice? It's cake in a box. As in *I* didn't make it?
It was my birthday recently and I did something bold: I asked Blue Smoke, a restaurant I patronize and host of our kids WFD event -- and a resto whose staff is very allergy aware/friendly -- if they might bake a special cake for me. It was special because I gave them a mix and asked their pastry chef to do the honors. And you know what they said? “We’d be happy to!”
Let me break this down. The pastry chef made a cake, not her own, not using any of her own flair nor ingredients nor ideas nor inspirations. She made a cake like many of us do, from a mix; this is a big deal for a pastry chef to do. She could have said something along the lines that this Boston bakery said to this young bride. But no she said: “We’d be happy to accommodate you.”
How amazing. How above and beyond. How wonderful. And of course she made a beautiful professional cake, three-layer, 10 inch round with a pink inscription.
Wowee wow.
On the whole, because of this restaurant's commitment to hospitality, (because at its heart that's what this is about, not allergies, but a restaurant’s commitment to serving the guest as best as they are able) for the first time *in years* I had birthday cake, at a restaurant, on my birthday.
So good.
But here’s the biggest gift I gave to myself: trust. Trust that they would make this cake mix and that they would make it safely. And they totally delivered.
So this is my birthday wish for you: I wish that this year you find one friend, one teacher, one family member, one chef, one restaurant, one flight attendant, one hotel, one *someone* who totally gets it and is able to deliver!
If you’ve already found them, great for you! Tell me about it!
Comments
and you'll find them, keep looking! ;-)
and happy bday meg!
I have to say...I haven't food that yet. My Olive Garden tries, but it's very hard.
I flew on Continental last month and was disappointed. Why do they ask for food preferences/allergies if their staff is not going to pay attention?
The flight attendant handed me a cheeseburger. When I told her I was allergic to milk products, I was told there were no more burgers for her to make without the cheese in them.
o.O *le sigh* She didn't even get that that wouldn't have mattered as the cheese was packaged with the burger...rubbing up along the rest of the burger along the way until it got to me!
We have a long way to go.