How To Include People With Special Diets

Here are several suggestions on how to include people on various diets in after-performance refreshments. Included is a special recipe for a Candied Orange Slices and Brie Appetizer. These ideas can be used at home too.

Create a Food Sensitivity List for those present at the event. Here is a sample menu that offers gluten-free, vegan, tree-nut, and peanut-free items to guests, as well as traditional gluten-full versions.

It is easy to make as well as festive. I served this Candied Orange Slices and Brie Appetizer as one of the appetizers at an immersive theater event I organized. At the event, various guests required alternate food choices aside from a traditional menu. So that guests would not be centered out as “different,” the menu offered gluten-free, vegan, tree nut, and peanut-free items served on specially marked plates so that guests could choose which things were safe for them.

Although some items were not gluten-free nor vegan, all were peanut and tree-nut-free to avoid allergic reactions for some guests allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. (See the printable Recipe Card below)

How to arrange a menu to accommodate various food allergies, intolerances, or preferences.

• Place one kind of food, such as traditional wheat foods, on separate plates.
• Place foods of a kind on the same type of plate. For instance, using china plates for gluten-full foods and glass plates for gluten-free items.
• You can also place a small note card, like a flag style on a toothpick, on which the type of food is labeled, i.e., Vegan, Gluten-Free, Dairy Free, Egg Free and Contains Allergens such as Wheat, Soy, Shellfish, and such.
• It is a good idea to have an ingredient list for any gluten-free, vegan, or other items that could be in question in the servery or kitchen. These should be within ready access of the servers so that if questioned by a guest, they can get the right information quickly and easily.
• Always take any questions seriously; reactions can be severe for the person with the food intolerance/allergy. They are not trying to be picky; they want to be safe!
• If anyone attending that you know it happens to be allergic to tree nuts or peanuts, everything served must be tree-nut and peanut-free, as the mere ‘smell’ can cause a reaction in some people. Be sure that all utensils and dishes are clean using best practices.
• Always ask guests before an event to specify any food allergies and if they require a special diet such as gluten-free, vegan, or vegetarian. More and more, the accommodation of food choices is an accessibility issue and a kind thing to do.

The Menu was chosen for an Immersive Theater production, which took place in the dining room at Lynde House Museum in Whitby, Ontario. The same menu was served at each of the three performances per day over the four-day event. The Play called, The Round Table was one of a series of events that I coordinated when I was the museum’s, Executive Director.

Museum Volunteers are the key to pulling off many of these events and are a lot of fun too. Why not find a museum in your area and volunteer?

Immersive Theater is a lot of fun. Guests are actually part of the play and interact with the actors. This creates one-of-a-kind experiences for each presentation of the play since the base script is carried out by the actors, who then work impromptu according to whatever the guests say. Some guests are very quiet at first, not wanting to interfere with the performance, but soon get into character too. Each guest is given a Persona Card with a name and a little about the character they will be. Guests then pretend to be this persona, which makes for a really fun time.

This performance at Lynde House Museum was the Premiere Performance of the Immersive Play called, The Round Table which Live History Actors and Performers presented. The storyline included historic figures relating to the original inhabitants of the historic Jabez Lynde House c.1812. The occasion was the wedding rehearsal for daughter Clarissa Lynde and William Warren.

During the performance, guests enjoyed a three-course meal of appetizers that might have been served at an old-fashioned wedding rehearsal. It was kept simple so people could enjoy the meal as part of the play. Immersive Theater is a new and different way to engage in a theatrical performance.

The first course was a selection of Gluten-Free and Vegan bread, as well as several dips and fillings, which were also gluten-free and vegan and could be enjoyed by any of the guests who were present. Appetizers that were not vegan, like the Candied Orange Slices & Brie Appetizer, were appropriately marked on a small card alongside. Gluten-Full items were also so marked. The gluten-free bread was served on glass plates, whereas the gluten-full versions were on regular chinaware.

Traditional, full wheat scones were served along with an assortment of toppings such as butter and jams, exotic jellies, and whipped cream. The toppings were all gluten-free as well and could be used by guests to spread on the gluten-free and vegan bread. Mini vanilla and chocolate iced full wheat cupcakes were also served.

The bread shown was made with Trina’s Brown Bread Mix #6. It was made without eggs and was vegan.

Notice that no two foods on the menu were the same type. We could have also served gluten-free scones, but they could have been too easily mistaken. This way, those needing gluten-free knew that the scones were off-limits. The farmer’s bread slices were both vegan and gluten-free so that anyone could enjoy the bread, and those on a vegan or gluten-free diet were sure they would be safe eating it. The dip shown was also vegan.

The Dessert course consisted of various sweets. A rich dark traditional style fruit cake was usually served at old-fashioned weddings and at Christmas time. The fruit cake recipe, in this instance, was gluten-free, nut and peanut-free, and vegan. The fruit cake was decorated with vegan buttercream icing and fondant. The recipe is from my cookbook, Victorian Wedding Cake in Gluten-Free You Can Do It. on Pages 179 to 181.

The types of Food presented were not duplicated so that guests without food intolerances, preferences, or allergies could enjoy any of the foods offered. That way, those with food intolerances clearly knew which foods they could safely choose. This approach made the audience comfortable during the three days of performances without eliminating or centering out anyone who needed special diets. This also made it easy for the food prep people and servers to know exactly what to do.

Gluten-Free, You Can Do It -by Trina Astor-Stewart. Contains charts for Trina’s Flour and Bread Mixes. Three Series Of Mixes: Original, Corn, Nightshade, Tapioca, and Rice Free Mixes. Over 300 Recipes.