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Cooking up some solutions
BY
AMY DeMELIA SUN CHRONICLE STAFF
Wednesday, December 12,
2007 11:26 AM EST
NORTH ATTLEBORO - Cooking
up a gourmet meal for children with food
allergies can be something of a challenge - but
two North Attleboro residents are hoping to make
the process a little easier.
Nancy MacDonald, a mother of three and parent to
a child with multiple food allergies, has teamed
up with celebrity Chef Rick Tarantino to produce
a local cable television show aimed at families
with children or loved ones who have food
allergies. The program, called "You Won't Even
Miss It" will premiere on North Attleboro's
Channel 15 on Friday.
MacDonald's interest in
food allergies began nine years ago, when her
then 9-month-old son Daniel was diagnosed with
multiple food allergies.
"He was allergic to
everything - eggs, milk and wheat - and it was a
challenge because he was the youngest of three,"
she said. "I didn't want to serve one meal to my
family and a separate one for Daniel, so I
started to adapt recipes to compensate for what
I needed to leave out."
She began compiling her recipes into a cookbook
and enjoyed sharing with family and friends,
especially when they said they didn't even miss
the traditional ingredients she had eliminated.
"That's where the name for the show came from,"
she said. "When I went to holidays, I tried
really hard to make something good that everyone
would enjoy. I didn't want it to be Dan's food."
It was thanks to a conversation at their
children's neighborhood bus stop that led to the
"You Won't Even Miss It" TV show. Known as "Chef
Rick," Tarantino, who has been featured
nationally on shows such as "Good Morning
America," the Home Shopping channel and the Food
Network, knew the time was right for a cooking
show that focused on food allergies.
"There are so many kids out there with food
allergies," Tarantino said. "I have allergies
myself - I can't eat nuts or gluten."
The Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Network
estimates 12 million Americans have food
allergies, which amounts to about 4 percent of
the population of the United States.
Approximately 3.1 million of those cases are
children.
Eight foods account for 90 percent of allergic
reactions - peanuts, milk, eggs, tree nuts,
fish, shellfish, soy and wheat.
The pair began collaborating on the television
show more than a year ago. Tarantino trained
MacDonald on how to cook before the camera and
helped to refine some of the recipes. He has a
few of his own to contribute as well - including
a gluten-free recipe for fried dough.
"He helped me with the flavor ideas. Sometimes
it took me 20 tries to get it right by myself,"
MacDonald said.
For future shows, MacDonald said she would like
to focus on particular themes, special guests
cooking up some of their favorite dishes and
experts who can provide information for families
who deal with food allergies daily.
"Eventually, I'd like to focus on requests for
recipes. Everyone has their favorites, and it
comes as a big shock when you realize - 'oh we
can't have pizza anymore.' You can but you have
to know what to substitute for the cheese," she
said.
"You Won't Even Miss It" will air on Channel 15
this Friday at 12:30 a.m., 9:30 a.m., and 11:30
p.m.; on Saturday at 9:30 a.m.; on Monday at 1
a.m. and 1:30 p.m., and again next Wednesday,
Dec. 19, at 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.
Recipes and additional information can be found
at
www.youwontevenmissit.com.
AMY DeMELIA can be reached at 508-236-0334 or at
ademelia@thesunchronicle.com
Our mission is to create
delicious healthy recipes that are milk free,
egg free, nut free, peanut free, shellfish free
and for the most part gluten free! |
