The Crowds Come Out to Support the Food Allergy Community

It was a busy weekend. On Saturday I got up bright and early to drive from Poughkeepsie to New Rochelle, where the Westchester Walk for Food Allergy took place. Glen Island Park was right on the ocean – it truly is an island, a fact that I should have gleaned from its name. So it was even chillier than I expected, and I was glad I threw a down coat in the car. (Yes, I’d rather look ridiculous than freeze.)

It was so much fun to share a table with two other authors – Sloane Miller, author of Allergic Girl and Susan Weissman, author of Feeding Edenwere both there.

That’s me on the left, Susan in the middle, and Sloane on the right. They each wore a hat, I wore a puffy coat. Check out the beautiful view behind us.

Not only did I get to hang out with Susan and Sloane, but also the incomparable Lori Sandler of Divvies Bakery was there. What a pleasant surprise! Divvies makes fabulous chocolate chips and candy bars (that most with food allergies can eat safely). Perfect for Halloween!

On Sunday I was at the FAAN walk on Long Island, and I have to say, those Long Islanders know how to have fun. When the DJ didn’t have the kids singing and dancing, they were taking advantage of all kinds of kid-friendly amusements.

Among the many event sponsors, I saw some of my longtime favorites – Enjoy Life, So Delicious, SunButter… but I made a couple great new finds at these two events.

In Westchester I learned about IZZI B’s allergen-free bakery. As you can probably imagine, I set a very high standard for baked goods. IZZI B’s Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cupcake with Chocolate Ganache Frosting was nothing short of fabulous. It was so good that I went back for a second sample. Everything IZZI B’s makes is top eight allergen-free and gluten-free.

At the Long Island event I met Tarah from Allergic Traveler. Tarah could probably be described as the “original” allergic traveler. Her company sells international dietary alert cards. I’ve known Tarah online for at least a year now, and it was great to meet her in person!

One of the walk traditions is team T-shirts and I love checking out the creative team names. This one really caught my attention:

The part I enjoy most about these events is helping moms with their food allergy baking questions. I love to solve problems, especially if they involve baking pans and an oven. On Sunday I’ll be at the FAAN walk in Ridgewood, NJ, so stop by and ask me your questions!