Should restaurants have to cater to people with food allergies?
We are asking the question, should restaurants be required to cater to people with allergies and when is it appropriate to turn food allergy patrons away? Restaurants have many working parts and are not always able to ensure a safe space for food preparation. Is it realistic for food allergy diners to expect service?
Panelists:
- Nick Liu, Executive Chef & Partner at DaiLo and Iron Chef Canada Judge
- Kyle Dine, Founder of Equal Eats
- Gayle Rigione, Founder of Allergy Force
- Lindiwe Lewis, Food allergy blogger at The Allergy Table
Moderator: Kortney Kwong Hing, Co-Founder The Zestfull & The Itch Podcast Co-Host
Watch: Should restaurants have to cater to people with food allergies?
Panelist Bios:
Chef Nick Liu is the Executive Chef & Partner at the critically-acclaimed DaiLo and Little DaiLo in Toronto, Nick is known for his delicate handling of bold Asian flavours with traditional French techniques. Chef Liu celebrates diversity and continuously encourages everyone to do the same. As an expert on New Asian Cuisine, he is a TEDx speaker, TV personality (including Iron Chef Canada) and a culinary pundit. Having worked at Michelin-star restaurants around the world and owning one of Canada’s top restaurants, Chef Liu has earned numerous awards and accolades for his contributions to the culinary world.
Kyle Dine is a trusted food allergy educator who has performed allergy education assemblies in 900 schools across North America. Kyle has worked with Food Allergy Canada since 2008 on multiple programs and resources and recently awarded the Michelle Harkness Mentorship Award for his work in mentoring children living with food allergies. He is also the Founder of Equal Eats; a company that provides food allergy translation cards in 50 foreign languages.
Gayle Rigione is the CEO and Co-founder of the Allergy Force, the food allergy management app. Gayle is an allergy mom. Her eldest has been anaphylactic to multiple allergens for over two decades. Gayle’s career has spanned senior business development roles from financial services, strategy consulting and higher education to the digital space. She’s raised funding for non-profit community organizations as a volunteer and has served as a Director on various non-profit boards. She earned her MBA from Columbia University and her BA from UCLA.
Lindiwe Lewis is a writer, blogger, podcast host, YouTuber, stroke survivor, allergy ally and allergy advocate. She is behind The Allergy Table blog that was created to include everyone who manages allergies so that they will never be alone in their journey. Lindiwe’s mission is to help people advocate for themselves and others and bringing joy to an otherwise, suffering condition. Lindiwe is also the Zestfull Test Kitchen Contributor.
Resources Discussed in Panel
