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KD's Fish Fry:
Beyond
Gluten Free & Y?
Celiac is an auto-immune disease that is estimated to affect 1 in 125 people
in the US. My journey and education began in 1998 when, at age 38, my joints
suddenly began to age at an incredible rate. Thus began the doctors visits. The
first two years, my only symptoms were my joint problems and a constant low grade
fever. I was told by different doctors things like, ”it’s all in
your head” and my personal favorite, that I “swam”,” played
too much volleyball and softball as a child”. By 2000, my intestinal tract
had gone into revolt and twenty visits a day to the restroom did not support
either of the wonderful diagnoses to date. My symptoms were similar to Lyme disease
and I was tested on four different occasions with negative results. I researched
the web and knew I had either Celiac or its sister auto-immune Colitis. Still,
it was another four years before I was formally diagnosed with Colitis.
In January 2007, Kelly Clark and I decided to open a restaurant combining three
favorite foods we had grown up with in Brunswick. Two days after opening, our
first Celiac customer walked through the door and inquired as to what was safe
to eat. It is an overwhelming task to open a regular restaurant, let alone a
specialty one. Although I did have a couple of gluten free offerings, he brought
to the forefront the need to greatly expand what could be offered. So the quest
for gluten free fried products began. One week later, I had gotten nowhere. I
even had a major manufacturer tell me not only did they not have a breading product
they had no intention of developing one. My half Italian, half Irish, Taurean
nature kicked in and I developed my own breading. Two weeks later, my first Dairy
free customer walked in, followed by Soy, then Egg and of course Nut free. I
learned that the National Autism Association highly recommends the GF/CF (gluten-casein
free) diet for children on the autism spectrum. In addition to that, the CDC
cites an increase of 18% of diagnosed food allergies in children in the last
ten years.
In my quest to satisfy customers' needs, I have been shocked by the cost of products
and the lack of availability, especially in the Dairy/Soy free arena. I have
also heard horror stories from customers' dining out experiences (cross contamination,
the lack of knowledge, and/or awareness). I myself was served a piece of flourless
chocolate cake that had an OREO cookie crust, HELLO! I search high and low for
safe products at the best possible price and I pass those savings on to my customers.
Every item on my Food Allergy menu for the Fish Fry is the same price as the
regular diet menu. We have dedicated fryers and equipment to prevent cross contamination.
(&Y?) The answer is very simple. I can not say no to people. Eating safe,
tasty, nutritious food should be a norm, not the proverbial quest for the holy
grail. I also have genuine sympathy for those of us who HAVE to read every label
and know what that ingredient you can’t pronounce is.
By February 2008, my symptoms escalated and I am now a full blown Celiac. I am
known as the Kitchen Witch because what I do is Alchemy. Gluten free is difficult
enough but taking Dairy, Egg and Soy (found in everything) out of the equation
and coming up with products that are delicious is a fete of magic. My joy is
attained in seeing the expressions on people's faces when eating something they
thought they would never be able to and it’s tasty to boot. I added DAFFI
(Dawn’s Allergy Free Foods, I is Hungry) in August 2008 after spending
a year trying to get a manufacturer to make a dairy/soy free butter alternative.
I now have a patent pending on that product. I also offer many baked goods and
global menu fare that is safe and free of the various food allergens. I invite
you to visit us and once again enjoy those foods you have been missing!
Dawn O’Donnell- Kitchen Witch
KD’s Fish Fry/ DAFFI
418 Geyser Rd. Country Club Plaza
Ballston Spa, NY 12020
(518)-583-9677
www.kdfishfry.com
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Testimonial:
Amazingly great food, safe to eat,
reasonably priced!
I've been in KD's Fish Fry many times,
and have always been impressed
with the friendliness and helpful nature
of Dawn O'Donnell, and her food is fabulous.
My husband (not celiac) greatly enjoyed the fried shrimp,
and said it was as good as a 5 star restaurant
would make.
-
Charmi
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