RYE BROOK, N.Y., March 17, 2025—CulinArt has stepped up its focus on allergy training with the debut of its Allergy Awareness Bootcamp, an allergy training program designed to inspire associates to be “hyperaware” of the allergy needs and requirements of customers of all ages.
CulinArt’s team of dietitians, including one national director and nine regional directors, began piloting the Bootcamps late last year. Come late summer in 2025, they will fan out across the country with the goal of conducting sessions at each CulinArt account at least once a year in person. This will complement the virtual FARE Food Allergies and Celiac Disease training that is mandatory for all associates. In this manner, all accounts will receive twice-yearly allergy training that keeps pace with evolving allergy needs, allergen research, and on-site staff and account requirements.
The training aims for “hyperawareness” among staff members rather than mere knowledge of common allergens and avoidance techniques. “CulinArt is committed to making every guest’s dining experience an exceptional one, where they feel safe and comfortable eating with us,” says Stephanie Dorfman, MS, RDN, director of nutrition and wellness. “Food allergies, celiac disease, and other dietary needs are more prevalent now than ever before. They are serious and must be handled with care in all locations. This commitment has led us to create our enhanced, in-person Allergy Awareness Bootcamp.”
The training takes all CulinArt team members—chefs, managers, and front-line associates—through a series of engaging food allergy–related activities and learning experiences, creating a more relatable level of awareness of what it is like to live with a life-threatening food allergy. Activities include:
- Top 9 Allergen Scavenger Hunt: CulinArt team members are assigned an allergen and provided a sample CulinArt menu. The activity requires them to act as if they are allergic to that allergen and review the menu, coming up with questions about menu items, ingredient usage, food preparation, and potential for cross contact that they would want to ask CulinArt’s Ingredient Expert before choosing what to eat. “This activity creates thought-provoking discussions between team members and puts them in the shoes of students and guests with food allergies,” Dorfman explains, “and gives them a sense of how nerve-wracking it can be to choose something safe to eat.”
- Read that Label: CulinArt team members are provided with a variety of food labels, which they scrutinize to determine ingredient lists and whether any of the Top 9 allergens are present. “We also highlight the important fact that gluten is not required to be called out on the ingredient list,” Dorfman adds, “that students and guests may have a food allergy that is not part of the Top 9 allergens—and the necessity to read through every ingredient.”
- Case Studies: CulinArt team members are provided with a series of case studies and review what went wrong and how to prevent it from happening in the future at their location.
- Allergen Action Plan and SWOT Analysis: CulinArt team members work together to review their specific strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats, and come up with an action plan to enhance their own allergy awareness at their location.
Once the in-person training is complete, that location is provided with their “I’m Allergy Aware” kit, which includes “I’m Allergy Aware” buttons for all team members to wear, as well as posters to place throughout the cafe informing students that all team members have been trained. Dorfman notes that monthly training videos on specific topics are under development as allergy-training refreshers “to help our team members acknowledge how important allergy awareness is and to keep allergy awareness top of mind all year long.”
