Spotlight: Kim Koeller–Author
Interviewed by Laura deCarufel
Published in Allergic
Living Magazine
 Kim
Koeller doesn’t do anything halfway. After diagnoses of food
allergies (seafood, dairy, pork, assorted food preservatives),
chemical and environmental allergies (goose feathers, ammonia,
penicillin, cat and dog hair), and then celiac disease, Koeller
decided if she couldn’t beat her allergies, she had to manage
them.
She scoured websites for information, joined
20 international allergy and celiac associations, read books and
hundreds of articles. But she found hardly any advice for avid
travelers trying to navigate airline meals and restaurants with
waiters who speak a different language. Koeller’s solution?
The seminal 2005 book Let’s Eat Out! Your Passport to
Living Gluten and Allergy Free (R&R Publishing). Co-written
with Robert La France, it’s dedicated to eating outside the
home while managing the 10 most common allergens. From the road,
Koeller spoke with Allergic Living.
Allergic people are often fearful of
travel and foreign cuisine. Were you ever intimidated?
I was daunted by eating out around the corner, especially
after I was diagnosed with celiac disease. But I was working as
an international management consultant, and by that time, I’d
already flown over a million miles, eating 75 percent of my meals
away from home in over 20 countries on four continents. I wasn’t
willing to give up what I loved to do, so I needed to figure out
how to eat gluten and allergy-free food anywhere in the world.
If you gave only one restaurant travel
tip, what would it be?
Arm yourself with the knowledge needed to safely eat allergen-free in
any restaurant. Always double-check ingredients and preparation techniques,
even if something might seem safe. For example, wheat flour or bread
crumbs may be added to a flourless chocolate torte, or risotto might
be made with seafood stock, even if the dish itself doesn’t contain
seafood. Knowing what questions to ask the staff and what modifications
can be made to accommodate your dietary needs will empower you to have
a safe and enjoyable dining experience.
What’s the best allergy-friendly
restaurant meal you’ve ever had?
That’s really difficult. A sampling of the best would include:
the In N Out Burger in San Francisco for the first burger I could eat
with my hands (it was wrapped in lettuce); Prêt a Manger in London
for my first “sandwich without the bread”; Café Marley
in Paris for my first entrée served with a superb allergy-free
sauce; Brazzaz in Chicago for an amazing Brazilian churrasquiera; Il
Fornello in Toronto for my first gluten-free pizza, and Bistro 990 in
Toronto for an incredible allergy-free gastronomic experience.
What’s been your worst travel food
experience?
I’ve gotten sick from dishes with allergens hidden in various ingredients,
or because of preparation techniques such as flour being added to omelettes,
steaks that were finished in butter. But out of all my experiences, I
think the worst one was in Washington, D.C. Some colleagues and I went
to a restaurant that refused to serve me anything out of fear of liability.
Not only was this shocking and embarrassing – it infuriated me.
Instead of leaving in frustration, one of my colleagues politely asked, “Can’t
you just make her a salad with fresh vegetables?”
A lot of parents of allergic kids think
foreign travel is too risky. What do you say to them?
I understand and empathize. That said, I believe it’s really important
for kids and adults to feel comfortable with traveling. It’s all
about education, communication and preparation. Having an understanding
of food ingredients, how food can be prepared and what techniques require
attention is key. Cooking oil, for example, has serious potential for
cross-contamination. When ordering French fries, celiacs should ensure
that a separate fryer is used, so the fries don’t absorb residue
from battered foods. Sauces also pose potential problems for the gluten-intolerant.
Marinades may contain soy sauce, which contains wheat, and sauces in
French cuisine are often made from a roux, which contains wheat flour.
Knowing what questions to ask in English before traveling to a foreign
country is critical, as is being prepared with medications, such as an
EpiPen, in the event that something goes wrong. This approach takes effort
and courage, but from my perspective, the end result is definitely worth
it.
First published in Allergic Living magazine,
Summer 2006
(c) Copyright AGW Publishing Inc.
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