I walked into my pantry and all I could see was gluten…gluten everywhere. If I walked into that same pantry a week prior, I would see crackers and cookies and cereal, but now all I see is gluten.

I co-founded Enjoy Life 8 years ago, and as I have stated in one of my earlier blogs, I do not have any food allergies or intolerances. However, I have had probably thousands of conversations with our customers over the years about their personal and family food issues.

I thought that I had a great understanding of the challenges that one would face on a daily basis when needing to avoid gluten and/or other foods due to allergies. I have heard the stories about children going to birthday parties and not being able to eat the same way as other children, or going shopping and needing to read labels religiously, or calling up the food manufacturers directly to have the additional reassurance that the products are made in a safe environment and on dedicated equipment, or going to a restaurant and having the wait staff not fully understand why you would ask if there is wheat in the entrée or peanuts in the kitchen.

As a wise man once said, “to understand a man, you’ve got to walk a mile in his shoes, whether they fit or not.” Well, I’m not sure I walked a full mile, but I did walk a few blocks. I decided that I was going to go on a gluten-free diet for two weeks, to try and understand the challenges someone with gluten sensitivity may face, on a deeper level.

In addition to eating our wonderful Enjoy Life products, I also went to my local Whole Foods and purchased some additional gluten-free products. Being in the industry, I already had a head start in knowing which products I could trust. For me personally, it was most difficult to find an acceptable substitute for bread. I tried many, including toasted and untoasted, but was not able to find bread that I really enjoyed. Instead, I just decided to do without (which probably wasn’t the worst thing, because I ended up losing a few pounds in the process).

The part of going gluten-free that I found most difficult was going out to eat. I realized just how scary it can be and how vigilant one must be at all times. I have gotten quite used to going out to eat with friends and colleagues who have various food sensitivities, and thus have seen the process of asking lots of questions of the wait staff to ensure a “safe” meal. However, being the person actually asking the questions turned out to be quite a bit different. I questioned everything…Was the broth made with flour? What do they use as a thickener in the sauce? Do you use separate utensils? I started to understand the challenges even further… Did this waitress “get it”? Is the restaurant gluten-free friendly? If I don’t feel 100% confident, do I still eat the food, or do I change my order?

As careful as I tried to be, I definitely made a mistake one evening when I went out to dinner with my family, my brother’s family, and my parents. The restaurant had a hors d’oerves buffet and since I was starving, I couldn’t wait to dig in. The Swedish meatballs looked great, as did the spicy Buffalo wings (I love spicy food). It’s not that I was totally oblivious to the fact that I was on a gluten-free diet, it’s just that I did not go through the whole process in my head about what happens in the kitchen with these items. At face value, I was eating meat and chicken… no big deal, right? But of course, as many of you know, these items are usually dusted or rolled in flour (and not the gluten-free type).

My gluten-free experience was a great help in understanding what our valued customers deal with on a daily basis. I know that the big difference, and something I could not replicate, is the sick feeling I should have had after eating those meatballs and Buffalo wings. And although I did not walk a full mile in your shoes, I think by walking a few blocks, I accomplished at least a few things. First, it has increased my appreciation for those who truly need to be vigilant on a daily basis even further. And second, it has increased my desire to continually strive for excellence at Enjoy Life, so that our foods are known not for being gluten-free and free of all the common allergens, but rather for being great tasting, better for you foods that are perfect for everyone!

Hi everyone.  May I be the last to wish you a very happy and healthy New Year!!  As some of you might know, despite founding Enjoy Life 8 years ago, I do not have any food sensitivities myself — although, sometimes I feel that I should.

Despite not having any food sensitivities, I most certainly know what its like to prepare parties for people with food sensitivities, as we have many employees that need stay away from various foods.

Growing up, I never knew what it meant to be a “high maintenance” eater – when my family went out to eat it was pretty much stick to the menu.  Yes, I would like the Linguini with Pesto, house salad with the house dressing and a cup of the chicken noodle soup…and a Coke please. A similar pattern continued around the table to my brother, my mother and my father.  We just stuck to the script because, we like it all, and that is how the chef designed it to be prepared.

So fast forward to married life, and my “appreciation” for the art of ordering whatever you wanted whether or not it was on the menu began.  My wife and her side of the family are just the opposite.

Despite not having any true food sensitivities, it was the typical When Harry Met Sally scene: I would like the Spaghetti Marinara; no spices; add chicken and broccoli; no oil; no butter; Caesar salad, but with the vinaigrette dressing (on the side) instead of the Caesar dressing; no cheese; no croutons; definitely no anchovies…oh and a diet coke with a lemon (easy ice).

So, I believe my wife helped “warm me up” to going out to eat with many of my fellow Enjoy Life employees, many of whom have various food sensitivities.  So now the stakes were increased substantially, this was not just about liking or disliking a food, it was about being safe.

Over the last 8 years, I have definitely seen a significant change in attitude by the wait staff at various restaurants.  If you told them you had a food allergy and couldn’t eat wheat or dairy, they would look at you a little strange and give that uncomfortable nod of the head that basically says “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I am going to nod like I do.”  Or, you get the person who tells the waitress that “This guest is gluten free” and they respond back with, “GLUTTON??  What is GLUTTON??”  Unbelievable, we have come a long way baby.  Discretion: I continue to order directly off the menu because after the waitress spends a good 10 minutes making sure that the other 3 people in my party are properly taken care of, the last thing I want to do is further complicate the situation.

So during the holidays, like most companies, we have a holiday party where we bring in a lot of food.  Now to “complicate” things further, we have an extremely diverse workforce, something that I am incredibly proud of. In fact our 70 person company is represented by people from 20 different countries, yes 20!  So when we had our holiday party, we tried to bring in many different types of food to accommodate as many people as possible — foods representing many different countries and foods that meet the needs of our food sensitive employees.  Trying to put together this party and the logistics of getting all of the various foods from all of the various restaurants takes quite a bit of planning and patience.  It turned out the party was a great success and a ton of fun!!!

After taking a couple week breather, I am moving forward on preparation for the Enjoy Life holiday party 2010 – as a I fear that if we don’t get started soon we are not going to meet everyone’s needs.  I love my “high maintenance” crowd at home and at work!

Happy and healthy eating,

Scott