Allergy-friendly bakery in central/south Indiana?
April 8, 2014 5:19 PM
We're looking for a bakery that can make us a small cake or a small batch of cupcakes with a mind to allergy restrictions (nuts and dairy are the major concerns, but there are a few other items we'd like to avoid as well) somewhere in the vicinity of Indianapolis or Bloomington, IN. Having someone deliver to those areas might also be an option if the price isn't astronomically high. Google turns up one bakery that can accommodate the dairy restrictions, but not the nut restrictions. Any recommendations, or do I need to get out the spray bottle and apron and figure out how to do this myself...?
Check with Rainbow Bakery in Bloomington. They're 100% vegan and they do some gluten-free stuff, so I imagine they'd also be nut allergy friendly. I've never been, but a lot of my friends have raved about them.
posted by amelioration at 6:00 PM on April 8, 2014
posted by amelioration at 6:00 PM on April 8, 2014
The Flying Cupcake is very aware of allergy issues and even has a dairy-free bakery. Info here: http://www.theflyingcupcakebakery.com/tfc-raw They're good, but they won't guarantee nut-free.
posted by meindee at 6:26 PM on April 8, 2014
posted by meindee at 6:26 PM on April 8, 2014
Just as a general observation, having worked in several bakeries: Everything gets everywhere. If any of these allergies are of the life-threatening variety, you are definitely better off making something yourself from scratch in your own well-cleaned kitchen. Seriously: if they are making macarons, for instance, there is almond flour involved -- or banana nut bread with walnuts, there's a giant box that's been poured into a smaller container, with nut-dust everywhere. Even the cleanest commercial bakery will never be safe for someone with life-threatening allergies to nuts, dairy, or wheat flour/gluten, unless that is their entire schtick and none of those ingredients ever enter the workspace.
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:41 PM on April 8, 2014
posted by fiercecupcake at 6:41 PM on April 8, 2014
Thanks for the thoughts so far.
I had heard good things about Flying Cupcake (and that was the one Google result I mentioned), but I'm a little deterred by the disclaimer on the website that they aren't certified nut-friendly. Gigi's has the same language.
I looked at Rainbow, but noticed that they did have items with nuts. It may be worth giving them a call to see if they are able to accommodate us.
Good call, fiercecupcake (eponysterical!). The allergies are bad but not life-threatening. I'll keep that in mind when deciding if it's worth going through a bakery that doesn't specialize.
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 7:29 PM on April 8, 2014
I had heard good things about Flying Cupcake (and that was the one Google result I mentioned), but I'm a little deterred by the disclaimer on the website that they aren't certified nut-friendly. Gigi's has the same language.
I looked at Rainbow, but noticed that they did have items with nuts. It may be worth giving them a call to see if they are able to accommodate us.
Good call, fiercecupcake (eponysterical!). The allergies are bad but not life-threatening. I'll keep that in mind when deciding if it's worth going through a bakery that doesn't specialize.
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 7:29 PM on April 8, 2014
Divvies makes cupcakes that are guaranteed both nut-free and dairy-free. They deliver their cupcakes to the whole continental U.S. and since they are located in New York they are not that far from you, so I imagine the delivery time would be short.
As a DIY option, Cherrybrook Kitchen makes a nut-free, dairy-free cake mix as well as frosting mixes and canned frosting, all of which are available for purchase online and also at many grocery stores.
As an aside, I'd advise you, gently, to reconsider the idea of categorizing any food allergy as "not life-threatening." It might be more accurate to say "This particular person with a food allergy has not suffered a life-threatening reaction yet." I am not a doctor-- just the parent of a kid with a food allergy and also not entirely coincidentally someone who does a lot of writing and research about food allergies and food policy. But the folks at Food Allergy Research and Education say:
"Food allergy reactions can range from mild to severe, but the severity of past reactions does not predict the severity of future reactions, so even someone who has previously only had mild reactions must be prepared for the next reaction to be life-threatening."
And the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says:
"Anaphylaxis caused by an allergic reaction is highly unpredictable. The severity of a given attack does not predict the severity of subsequent attacks. "
So please do be careful.
posted by BlueJae at 2:18 PM on April 9, 2014
As a DIY option, Cherrybrook Kitchen makes a nut-free, dairy-free cake mix as well as frosting mixes and canned frosting, all of which are available for purchase online and also at many grocery stores.
As an aside, I'd advise you, gently, to reconsider the idea of categorizing any food allergy as "not life-threatening." It might be more accurate to say "This particular person with a food allergy has not suffered a life-threatening reaction yet." I am not a doctor-- just the parent of a kid with a food allergy and also not entirely coincidentally someone who does a lot of writing and research about food allergies and food policy. But the folks at Food Allergy Research and Education say:
"Food allergy reactions can range from mild to severe, but the severity of past reactions does not predict the severity of future reactions, so even someone who has previously only had mild reactions must be prepared for the next reaction to be life-threatening."
And the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases says:
"Anaphylaxis caused by an allergic reaction is highly unpredictable. The severity of a given attack does not predict the severity of subsequent attacks. "
So please do be careful.
posted by BlueJae at 2:18 PM on April 9, 2014
sounds like Divvies may be a good choice for us. thanks BlueJae
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 7:18 PM on April 10, 2014
posted by FreelanceBureaucrat at 7:18 PM on April 10, 2014
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Tchad at 5:43 PM on April 8, 2014