About The Allergic Foodie

My name is Jenna, and I love food.

Let’s be clear: I really, really love food. I love cooking it, eating it, writing about it, thinking about it, dreaming about it, learning new things about it… you get the point.

Consequently, I really hate my food allergy. I have an anaphylaxis to all nuts, which means even one rogue sliver of a nut could kill me. What’s a devoted foodie to do?

I started this blog because I believe having serious food allergies and having a wonderful, adventurous food life do not have to be mutually exclusive. This blog is for all the food-lovers out there that refuse to be prisoners to their food allergies (yet still understand the importance of eating responsibly).

My restaurant reviews are not entirely allergy-centric (so non-allergics are just as welcome, you lucky ducks), but there is a component of the rating system that takes into account allergy-friendliness. The rating system is as follows (each rating ranges from 1 to 10, 10 being the highest score possible):

• Food: overall deliciousness
• Presentation: composition and design of the dishes
• Menu: diversity and appeal of menu
• Service: attentiveness and friendliness of service
• Ambiance: restaurant decor and design
• Allergy-friendliness: how attentive, knowledgeable, accommodating and transparent the staff was about the allergy; presence of any allergy incidents (cross-contamination, allergic reaction)
• Cost: $ is really cheap, $$ is moderate, $$$ is pretty expensive, and $$$$ is you better have just won the lottery or made CEO.

Since I’m based in San Francisco, most of my reviews will be centered on the Bay Area. But I left my heart back in Boston where I was born and raised, so you may see some Boston reviews in there as well, joined by any of my other travel destinations.

I also post some of my favorite recipes, as well as reviews of allergy-friendly products (when I can find them!).

If you have any suggestions for restaurants to review, recipes to publish, products to investigate, or any other comments, suggestions or feedback at all, I’d love to hear from you!

Happy (and safe) eating!

~Jenna

Me with a heaping bowl of lobster mac n' cheese. Mmmm....