August 10, 2017

Dear Reader,

I’m a college student and eldest of five siblings, three of which have a number of food allergies including eggs, dairy, peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish and sesame seeds.

A little about myself– I’m majoring in Electrical Engineering and Bioengineering. Some of my hobbies include art, running, playing trombone, and jigsaw puzzles.

How did I come up with the idea for Allergy Safe Menus?

It all started back in high school… Over the years, our family developed a system of collecting allergen menus for restaurants that we frequently visit.  Used primarily for vacations and road trips, my family always carries in the car what we call the “Allergy Binder,” a print-out of allergen menus from various chain restaurants.  Each time we visited a restaurant, we would update and revise the Allergy Binder.  One day, I suddenly had an idea– What if the Allergy Binder were online? This would eliminate the hassle of constantly reprinting allergen charts, and even allow others to benefit from our Allergy Binder.  I began researching and compiling restaurant menus, first launching Allergy Safe Menus summer of 2011.

I hope Allergy Safe Menus will provide a valuable service for your families and loved ones with food allergies.

-Elissa