Celiac Disease Program and Support Group

I told the chef about the celiac diet and my fantasy that my child would be able to eat at least part of each meal and maybe even one entire meal a day provided by the camp. I asked about the types of breakfast foods typically offered to the campers, and found out that usually a version of eggs and potatoes were offered every day in addition to the traditional wheat containing breakfast items. Now I talked to the chef about the concerns I had regarding cross contamination. I asked if he used the same griddle to cook the eggs and potatoes as for preparing pancakes and other gluten containing breakfast items. He said it was the same. I suggested that he should prepare the breakfast foods in a particular order (the eggs and potato dished first) in order to make the cooking process easier for him.

I was in luck. How often do you find a chef who is willing to reschedule his cooking order to help one child?

I made a menu chart listing which items were safe each day and gave a copy to the chef and my daughter. I supplied pre-cooked or frozen ready-to-bake pasta dishes in individual servings to the chef. I also gave him gluten-free crackers, cookies and frozen cupcakes to put on my child's tray at meal times. Other celiac campers have supplied their camps with a toaster oven so that either the chef or the camper could use it to toast bread or waffles.

Field trips, which include snack bars or stores, are sometimes done spontaneously, so you might want to send a few gluten-free treats or snacks for your child to take with them on those trips. In my child's situation, a weekly trip to a local ice cream stand was part of the program. As the store was near the camp, a short visit to research a safe choice for her really paid off.

Any child loves to receive a box filled with treats from home and this provides a wonderful opportunity to send safe and sharable gluten-free snacks and treats if allowed by the camp.

Not surprising, there were evening campfires at which marshmallows were toasted and s'mores made on occasion. I packed a box with some gluten-free graham crackers (I like the recipe for mock graham crackers in Bette Hagman's More from the Gluten Free Gourmet) and gluten-free marshmallows.

When all was said, there were always eggs and potatoes at breakfast. Lunch offered cold cuts, chips, and sometimes even French fries (the chef agreed to dedicate a fryer for only fries to avoid cross contamination). Dinner was more difficult, but two out of the five meals were safe each week.

The camp experience turned out to be very liberating for both my daughter and me. She learned she can safely experience life 'on her own.' It was a small first step towards the ultimate independence all of our children mature to.