Watching your child struggle with anything is a challenge. Watching your child struggle with something that is a daily necessity elevates that challenge to the next level.
Allergies are at the forefront of our lives every day but recently they feel far more invasive. Every event we go to, he stands out. Whether it’s a family function. A friend’s birthday party. School. Holidays. Anytime there is food, he stands out, no matter how hard we try to help him blend in. And that fact has been glaringly obvious to him on a massive scale lately.
He hears ‘no’ a lot. And not because we want to say no but because we have to say no in order to keep him safe from foods that could potentially lead to life-threatening reactions. Again, I know that it sounds so dramatic and I am positive some people in our lives feel that way, but I can confirm that it is simply the reality of living with allergies. Saying ‘no’ so often is exhausting when all he wants to do is try something new or even eat something he’s had dozen of times previously but all of a sudden now includes one of his allergens. It’s harder still since he has such an adventurous palette and wants to try all of the things.
We have worked really hard lately to find new restaurants to try that have allowed him to expand the foods he’s tried. There’s a pho restaurant in town that he’s really enjoyed. A new boba drink from Starbucks. A pizza restaurant with dairy free cheese that fell into our lap because our normal restaurant of choice was closed. And a massive pizza that he created with all of the toppings he wanted because we didn’t have to say no. Our latest foray into new restaurants was a result of a recent trip we took.
This past weekend we took the boys to a newly opened Great Wolf Lodge. Our youngest has been wanting to go for so long but the one closest to us is under construction, so when this new location opened, it was the perfect time for a visit. In addition to enjoying a night away at a place geared perfectly towards kids (a friend recently said it was like a kid’s casino and that was a perfect description), I knew that there was a Hell’s Kitchen located directly next to the hotel. I know this because our oldest recently became a huge fan on Gordon Ramsey and all his cooking shows. We have watched so many episodes from Kitchen Nightmares to Hell’s Kitchen. We’ve visited Gordon’s burger bar in Boston and I was excited to surprise him with a visit to another of his restaurants. I was also aware that at the top of his ‘foods to try’ list was beef wellington which was on the Hell’s Kitchen menu.
We booked an early dinner and were seated at the table closest to the kitchen, so we got a front row seat to everything happening. When we were greeted by our server, she mentioned that they did not have a children’s menu. I assured her we were here for the beef wellington, so there were no worries on that end. They knew of our son’s allergies before we even sat down because I was able to call them out during the reservation process which I really appreciated. We still provided our allergy card and reviewed what modifications would need to be made to his dinner in order for it to be safe. And then we watched and waited.
The boys sipped on their strawberry lemonades as we watched the head chef orchestrate a symphony of cooks and dishes and allergy modifications. They called out different things as dishes were brought up for final inspection. We marveled at the delicate beauty of each dish that walked by and discussed what the boys would try next time we stopped by. And then it was our turn. Two beef wellingtons and two filets arrived at our table. One of each was allergy friendly so our son could try his beef wellington and my filet just in case his did not go over well. I can assure you that was not the case.
From the first bite, he was in love. He tried different combinations of the foods on both our plates. His beef wellington and the vegetables that accompanied it. My steak and roasted tomato. Beef wellington and roasted tomato. And every time he found one that he loved (which was every new combo), he made sure to share a bite with me too so I could enjoy the new discovery with him. His review of the dinner: It was the single best dinner of his entire life and the food melted in his mouth. As delicious as my dinner was, nothing could compare to watching his face and the pure delight that was plastered on it the entire dinner.
The head chef, Chef Timpson took a few minutes at the end of our dinner to speak with us and what a kick he got out of the fact that the boys both ordered what they did. He was kind and gracious with the boys and listened to me over share about the absolute pleasure it was to be able to enjoy dinner at his restaurant that night. After we left the restaurant, our son reiterated his own happiness with the evening.
There are no words to express my gratitude as an allergy mom for the experience we were able to have that night. It’s fleeting that we get to see him with the level of joy lately as we navigate this world of allergies. It’s amazing what an incredible difference something like a dinner can make to someone’s life. They allowed him to blend in rather than stand out in the way he does oh-so-often. It was an unforgettable experience and one I know we will talk about for ages. It felt like a break somehow from all the worry about foods that are off limits. Instead, they allowed him to dine on something he’s been wanting to try for so long. We didn’t have to tell him no. There was a lot of inspiration and joy he immersed himself in that night and he’s already so excited to recreate beef wellington at home. And that night, for the first time in as long as I can remember, I got to put my sweet boy to bed in an unbelievably happy mood, without one mention of the limitations he faces every day.
Too Much Laundry, Not Enough Wine 