Awww Nuts! Guest Allergies and Our Wedding Cake!
| By Jeffra T. ~ June 23rd, 2009 ~ Wedding Cakes | 4 Comments |
As you are probably aware, serious allergies to nuts have become much more common in the past 20 years and in all likelihood there will be at least 1 guest at your wedding that has an allergy to peanuts or other types of nuts. This usually isn’t a problem with your normal dinner items, but much of the flour available commercially is processed in facilities that also process nuts, which means the potential for nut dust is certainly there. The same goes for the commercial cake mix bases that the majority of bakeries in the country use.
You certainly want to keep your guests allergies in mind (maybe skip the Peanut Butter filling if ½ the bridal party will be on their way to the ER if it touches their tongues) but what about incidental contact from nut dust, etc?
A good friend of mine has serious a serious peanut allergy and when I asked him about eating cakes at weddings he replied “A baker can swear on a stack of bibles that they ground the wheat and prepared the cake in a surgical clean room, but I am not eating any cake that I didn’t make myself … it’s me going to the hospital, not them“.
It totally makes sense, If I had an allergy that serious, I would feel the exact same way and there is no way I would risk my health on a piece of cake.
So if they aren’t going to eat the cake… what do you do for them? I highly recommend that if you have a
guest with serious allergies and you don’t want them to feel excluded from dessert, you check with your caterer about providing a bowl of sorbet, gelato, or perhaps even a dessert fruit plate drizzled with chocolate.
Making that extra effort will mean a lot to that guest (or guests) and it will allow them to enjoy your wedding as much as everyone else in attendance.
Happy Planning!
Gabrielle
6/23/09
It’s great that you brought this topic up!
But keep in mind that sorbets, gelatos, and chocolate all run the risk of cross contamination too.
A beautiful fruit plate would be nice though!
From Gabrielle’s own blog: Link Love and a Recipe for you!
Shawn
6/23/09
It can definitely be hard ensuring your catered food is safe for those with food allergies and sensitivities. It would be a good idea to check with your guests with food allergies beforehand for specific brands or stores that offer ‘safe’ alternatives for them; even fruit platters can become cross-contaminated – the local grocery store has fruit platters with dips that contain trace amounts of tree nuts.
From Shawn’s own blog: Home Stretch
Jane Asher
6/24/09
There are some great caterers out there that can set you up with a vegetarian menu and wedding cake maker, all of which will be delicious to all.
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