The night was shrouded in darkness, occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning and the deep rumble of thunder. It was the kind of storm that felt straight out of a storybook—a dramatic prelude to our evening for a cozy, candlelit dinner at a local French restaurant. As we hurried through the doors, rain trailing behind us, the maître d’ greeted us and led us into the chandelier-lit dining room—warm, elegant, and rich with intoxicating aromas.
Once seated, our water glasses were filled and menus were placed in front of us. Our waitress greeted us warmly, then graciously introduced the chef’s specialties for the evening. “Do you have any questions?” she asked.
“Yes,” I said. “I’m gluten-free and was wondering if you could make any recommendations.”
Her entire demeanor shifted. Irritation flickered across her face. With an exaggerated eye roll, she scoffed, “Are you actually gluten intolerant, or just a glu-tard?”
Seconds ticked by as her words echoed in my head. My jaw tightened. “I beg your pardon?”
She rolled her eyes again. “I asked, are you really gluten intolerant, or is it just a fad for you?”
It was one of those moments that rendered me completely speechless, the kind where you can’t quite believe what you’re hearing. My husband watched as my expression shifted from pleasant to thunderstruck. Sensing that my voice was about to channel my inner Lady Macbeth in the restaurant, he wisely stood up and gently ushered me toward the exit.
Gathering together over a meal is a way to fellowship, celebrate, and make new friends. The early Christians made it a part of the church life. “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread [gluten free] and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42, NIV, brackets are my addition)
In America, nearly 11 percent of adults (approximately 33 million) aged 18 or older have at least one food allergy. Reported food allergies in children are nearly as common and have been increasing exponentially in the past two decades according to FARE, the Food Allergy Research & Education.[1] This presents a significant challenge within the restaurant industry, requiring careful attention to both customer safety and dining experience. As food allergies become more common, restaurants must adapt by implementing clear policies, staff training, and detailed ingredient lists to ensure all guests can dine with confidence.[2]
While it can be intimidating, food allergies present an opportunity to create an inclusive and thoughtful dining experience when welcoming friends and family into your home. But can you still be creative when you encounter someone with a dietary restriction? Absolutely!
Here is a list of the nine most common food allergies according to most medical sources: milk/dairy, eggs, tree nuts, wheat, peanuts, fin fish, shellfish, soy, sesame.[3] Don’t panic! With this list in mind, there are many ways to host an easy and festive gathering around these allergies. I am going to share one of our all-inclusive favorites.
Just within our immediate family today, we have wheat, egg, peanut, apple, fish, and shellfish allergies. Many of these were diagnosed back in the 1990s when food allergies weren’t as common as they are today, so it required a lot of research to prepare family meals. But as our family and friends circle grew and more food allergies and intolerances presented themselves, we needed a go-to meal for holidays, birthdays, and fellowship meals.
One fortuitous day, while wandering through my favorite Goodwill store, I came upon an unopened box containing an olive-green fondue pot. Definitely from the 70s! On the shelf below sat a similar (but gently used) burnt orange fondue pot. Grabbing hold of my “groovy” finds, I took them home, did a little research, and we began a new family (and friends) tradition; our celebratory gatherings evolved into our fun and festive Fabulous Fondue Feasts — Allergy Free!
Preparing for any gathering that involves food, today’s kind and generous host will ask their invited guests (in advance) about food allergies. This will be the foundation for your dining preparation. Because a fondue meal is created individually, you can most often lay out the dishes of meat, seafood, vegetables, and cheese around the table, strategically keeping the allergen away from the affected guest.
How to Make Our Fabulous Fondue Feast
- Fondue Oil. Guests will cook this feast at the table in pots of oil. We recommend having 2 or 3 fondue pots for hot oils. This is perfect for 6-8 people. One pot will be designated as the cook pot for allergens — seafood and/or cheese curds. You want to use a high smoke point oil. The best oil to use is Planters Peanut Oil, but you may substitute sunflower oil, grape seed oil, or canola oil. You will heat the oil over medium-high heat until it reaches a temperature of about 350°F. (We prefer electric fondue pots.)
- Vegetables. Prepare a nice variety of vegetables in individual bowls or on a charcuterie board, to dip in your tempura batter (recipe follows). We like small florets of broccoli, red or yellow sweet pepper strips, mushrooms, onion rings, cauliflower florets, jalapeño and banana peppers (from jars) and thin slices of sweet potatoes.
- Proteins: Proteins should be placed in their own bowl. Consider using boneless chicken breast or thighs, seasoned, cut into bite size pieces; beef tenderloin seasoned (we like Saltgrass Steakhouse 7 Steak Spice) and cut into bite size pieces; shrimp, peeled and deveined, raw or precooked. Be creative, though. You can also fondue pork belly, meatballs, elk, venison, or bison — seasoned and cut into bite size pieces.
- Cheese: Use Wisconsin cheddar cheese curds and/or fresh mozzarella balls. Note: there are online recipes for dairy-free cheese curds if you wish to create them.[5]
Tempura Batter
Mix in order:
3/4 cup white rice flour*
1/2 cup. corn starch
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
Start with 2/3 cup of club soda (cautiously add more to desire consistency)
* Rice flour is not just gluten free, it produces light and crispy coatings, tasting better because it doesn’t absorb the oil like wheat flour does.
We make one bowl of tempura batter for every 2-3 people. If serving shrimp, have a separate bowl just for it.
Dips
We set out a variety of dipping sauces for guests to place in their small individual dipping bowls or plates. Sauces we love include sweet and sour, ranch dressing, honey mustard, Dijon mustard, chili sauce, cocktail sauce, horseradish, and the all-important Chick-Fil-A Sauce! Note: Always check for allergens in sauces.
Preparing Your Table
There will be a lot of items on your table so you if you have a dining table extender, now would be the time to use it. Place a washable tablecloth on it, as oil does splatter. Fondue also works well for a casual kitchen counter gathering.
Each guest should have:
- Their own appetizer plate (with a thick paper napkin on top for soaking up oil)
- Two fondue forks for dipping food into the tempura batter and into the oil
- A dinner fork to eat with. (Never put a fondue fork in your mouth.)
- 3-4 small mini bowls for dipping sauces. (You can use little plastic sauce cups.)
- Extra napkins
Cooking and Eating and Fabulous Fellowship
- All vegetables, cheese, and shrimp are dipped into the tempura batter before cooking in the fondue pot. It is especially important for cheese. The tempura batter holds it together, else wise it would melt and burn up.
- The chicken and beef are cooked in the pot “naked.” Watch carefully that the beef doesn’t get overcooked, and the chicken gets cooked enough.
- Remove food from the fondue fork and let it rest on your napkin covered plate after removing it from the hot oil.
- Skew your tasty bite with your dinner fork, dip it in your sauce, and give thanks for your wide variety of friends and family.
“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”
1 Corinthians 10:31
Endnotes:
[1]: FARE, the Food Allergy Research & Education. https://www.foodallergy.org/resources/facts-and-statistics.
[2]: https://www.cdc.gov/restaurant-food-safety/php/practices/food-allergy-reactions.html,
[3] https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/common-food-allergies#faq.
[4] https://foodsguy.com/best-oils-fondue/.
[5] https://pickyeaterblog.com/vegan-cheese-curds/.
The featured image, “A Cup of Cheer,” is courtesy of Jordan Durbin and is used with her kind permission for Cultivating.
Hillevi Anne Peterson is a mother, wife, teacher, singer/songwriter, actress, writer, and a lifelong learner and adventurer. She holds a Masters in Teaching Literature and Communications from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minnesota and additional degrees in Communications and Media Studies, Visual Communication Technologies, and Music.
Born into a performing arts family, Hillevi donned ballet shoes at five, began piano at eight and got her first guitar at 12. But it was the church choir at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church that gave her voice wings. After losing her mom to Leukemia at age nine, music became a place for childhood grief when she sang. That Christmas, one of the parishioners gave Hillevi a copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe — a book that began her lifelong journey desiring the mystery of Christ and celebrating Him through the arts.
Married to Derry Drayton Hirsch, Hillevi is the mother of five creative adult children. In January of 2009, the dream of living in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado came alive. They reside at an elevation of 9400 feet in the Pikes Peak National Forest in a home they call Middle Earth.
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