Community Corner

In Wake Of Girl's Death, A Mom Of Allergic Kids Navigates Food Choices

She knows peanuts, tree nuts, legumes or egg yolks could kill her children.

When Angie Dwyer and her husband Mike take their children out to eat, they pore over the menu carefully and quiz the server, and sometimes the manager or cook, about how the food is prepared.

They have to. Three of their five children, who attend St. John Brebeuf School in Niles, have food allergies, and even a trace of the allergens could kill them. 

That's why the Dwyers, who live in Morton Grove, were shaken to learn that 13-year-old Chinese Inn and Chop Suey in Niles at a school party in mid-December. The case was in the news again last week after Michael Carlson Jr., Katelyn's father,

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The lawsuit contends the food contained peanut products, even though, it said, the teacher who ordered the food specified no peanut products. And although many Chinese restaurants use peanut oil, the Dwyers haven't ruled out Chinese food. 

Angie Dwyer has found that no matter the type of restaurant, the attitude of the server or manager, and how well they speak English, matters. She's had good luck, allergen-wise, with the China Chef restaurant on Lincoln in Morton Grove.

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"I just tell them that I want to order something with no nuts, no cashew, no peanut oil," she said. "Michael has talked to the owner. Every time I order, I have to ask them again."

Their two sons are allergic to all nuts and legumes, and their oldest daughter is also allergic to egg yolks. So they have to specify that the food can't be cooked in the same pan, with the same utensils, as fried rice, which contains egg.

Both Angie and Michael are quick to note whether the servers or managers take their requests seriously or brush them aside.

"We've walked out of places," she said. "Once I was asking questions and the waitress was just replying, 'I don't know' to everything I asked. She never offered to go ask in the kitchen--she wasn't helpful.  So we just said thank you, and we walked out." 

On the other hand, many servers and managers spring to attention when they hear the children have allergies, she said, and want to make sure they understand exactly what the children can safely eat.

That's one reason the Dwyers like China Chef--the manager speaks good English, listens to their requests and explains their food is cooked in vegetable oil, not peanut oil.

The Dwyers have also learned little tricks about avoiding allergens in restaurants. For example, at breakfast time, they steer clear of pancakes, which might be cooked on the same griddle with eggs. Instead, they know they can safely order waffles, which are cooked in a separate waffle iron. 

The two youngest girls in the family, who will soon turn three, have not yet been tested for allergies. 

"We eat at home most of the time," said Angie. "It's a nut-free zone." 


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