Eleni's New York

Eleni's is a bakery in New York City that is kosher certified and completely peanut and tree nut free.

Their beautifully decorated cookies and cupcakes can be purchased from their Chelsea Market Store: 75 Ninth Avenue (in the Chelsea Market) New York, NY. And products can be ordered from their website: elenis.com for delivery anywhere in the US.

Eleni's offers several standard types of cookies along with its famous decorated sugar cookies and cupcakes. Their decorated items come in many standard, occasion, and seasonal designs, or they will do custom orders.

They tend to be a bit pricey. But if you join their email list, you will get special deals several times a year. They're great for safe gifts and events!

One Dish Cuisine

One Dish Cuisine in Ellicott City, MD is welcoming people with food allergies "back to the table."

One Dish Cuisine was started in response to the overwhelming need for great tasting menu options

available to those struggling to stay on restricted diets. Diagnosed with Celiac Disease

over 20 years ago, the chef began by modifying recipes to accommodate diets for herself and her nephew who follows a GFCFSF Diet. 

They have an impressively organized, color coded menu. Each dish has a series of dots that corresponds with the diets for which it is guaranteed safe. The colors correspond with gluten free, casein free, soy free, corn free, egg free, fish free, nut free, and vegetarian. The entire restaurant is certified peanut and gluten free!

Not only can you find One Dish Cuisine in their own restaurant, some of their products are featured in other restaurants in the Baltimore & DC areas. They also have been supplying special needs meals to four of the nearby hospitals. And, some of their products are available to be shipped to you from their website.

Claire's Corner Copia

Claire's Corner Copia on Chapel Street in New Haven, CT has been serving delicious, organic, vegetarian, sustainable, kosher food since 1975. I first became aware of the restaurant in 2000 while I was a student at one of the New Haven universities. It quickly became a favorite.

Claire's does have a few nut items on the menu. Unfortunately, the veggie burgers and some of the salads are studded with walnuts, and they have almond milk available. But, most of the menu is safe and they will work hard to be accommodating to people with special dietary needs.

Their menus clearly labeled, "We take your dietary needs seriously. Please let us know if your meal needs to be vegan, gluten free, or if you have any other dietary restrictions." The staff have been always been friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to work with me. And I have safely eaten there many times.

Montezuma

Montezuma Mexican Restaurants are a small chain in South Central Pennsylvania. They have mostly excellent authentic Mexican food as well as some Tex-Mex options and a couple classic American dishes.

There is absolutely nothing on the menu containing peanuts or tree nuts and they cook with only 100% vegetable oil. Their menu features a decent vegetarian section with plenty of choices.

Their Gettysburg location is close to where we are currently living and has quickly become a favorite. I'm especially fond of their mushroom quesadilla.

They also have locations in Altoona, Chambersburg, and Waynesboro.

Harvest at The Hotel Hershey

I attended a three-day conference at The Hotel Hershey in Hershey, PA last winter. Part of our package was dinners at the restaurants on site. We chose Harvest the first night because their menu seemed most vegetarian friendly. We went back the second night because they were fantastic and reliable.

Harvest serves mostly traditional American Fare. It is a farm to fork restaurant, so as many as possible of the ingredients are locally sourced and their menu changes seasonally. There are several vegetarian items, and they are noted on the regular menu.

Both nights, our server was friendly and attentive. They asked if we had questions before I could even begin to address my concerns. When I told them I was a vegetarian with peanut and tree nut allergies, they brought me a special allergy menu that listed which common allergens were in every dish and had options broken out by allergy. The first night's server even stayed with us a few moments to help me cross reference my allergies with the meatless entrees to find my options.

Both servers checked with the kitchen to make sure the bread brought to our table had not been cross contaminated, and although I chose safe entrees, they made the kitchen aware of my allergies.

The nights I ate at Harvest, there were two options that fulfilled my restrictions without modification! (In many restaurants, I am lucky to find one.)

The first night, I had cheesy grits over a portobello mushroom cap. It was warm, filling, and delicious. The second night, I got the vegan burger. It was also very good.

Both nights I finished with a raspberry sorbet. It was simple and good. Best of all, I got to order dessert in a restaurant! It is rare that there is a completely trustworthy dessert item when eating out. And the servers admitted that they couldn't guarantee the safety of the "classic Hershey cakes and pies." But the fact that there was something for me was outstanding.

When we got our check the first night, we were amazed again. They had noted my allergies on the receipt, which means it went into their system and the kitchen couldn't forget which table or meal it was. Also, both servers proactively checked the package that the after dinner mints came from to make sure they were safe for me.

Next time we're in the area, we'll be back!

Chipotle

Chipotle Mexican Grill has become my #1 go to for meals while traveling. They are the only large chain I know of that uses tasty, locally sourced, and organic ingredients whenever possible. Everything is made to order and there are plenty of vegetarian options. They are also extremely aware of food allergies. Not a single item on their menu contains peanuts, tree nuts, fish, or shellfish so there isn't even a risk of cross contamination.

They even have a special place on their website where they lay out most if not all of the answers the special dietary needs questions a restaurant might be asked.

With locations all over the US (and a few in Canada) Chipotle is a safe, fresh, tasty "fast" food option!