The Chef Who Can’t Eat What She Cooks
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- čas přidán 5. 06. 2024
- Can you imagine being allergic to your job? Meet the chef with severe food allergies.
Kathlena has made it her life mission to create delicious ‘free from’ alternatives for people suffering with restricted diets, but her own allergies are so severe that she can’t taste her delicious creations, and often has to wear a full face respirator to cook. Despite this, she started an amazing resource called RAISE that provides safe recipes for people living with food allergies and dietary restrictions.
Do you have a request for a peanut free Reece’s cake? No problem. Maybe even a dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan chocolate cream tart? Piece of cake.
Dive into these delicious recipes from The Allergy Chef.
00:00 Intro
00:30 The everyday life of an allergy chef
01:02 How she cooks safely
01:22 A trip to the grocery store
01:46 The birth of RAISE
02:29 Reinventing the world of cooking
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Show Kathlena some love in the comments ❤🙌 Find out more about her incredible platform RAISE: raise.theallergychef.com/
Can you fix the subtitles? The entire text fills up the screen for one second
Welcome back GBS❤
Thanks for the link!
My boys and I have dairy, wheat, soy, gluten, rice, chocolate, and citrus allergies to varying degrees and I need all the inspiration and help I can get cooking 3 meals a day.
I love the bit where she brought up how vegan food is commonly added with literally every allergen in it. It is so difficult to find any vegan recipes that aren't loaded with soy or nuts
Weird. I’m vegan and cook without soy and nuts all the time 🤷♀️
I mean yeah, you kind of need them to replace a lot of the stuff in a vegan diet.
Yeah, it is the main reason why I have never tried to go vegan, it is too stressful to find anything without it, and I do not have the energy to cook everything from scratch
@@seitanbeatsyourmeat666 I think the point is that it can be a lot harder to find recipes if you're allergic to soy or nuts because those are commonly used in things like faux meats as well as to fill in nutritional deficits. It's not impossible to do so and there are some people making recipes with those things in mind but the barrier for entry can be high enough to deter people.
Try recipes from cultures from around the world and you will find them. There are so many cultures out there whose diets consists mostly of non-meat, non-animal and non-nut protiens and they are extremely delicious and nutritious. So much out there, especially if usually working with anglo-american/western euro diets, look past them and you'll find a world of delights 🤤🥰
My sister has a catering business. She has Celiac disease…lacks the ability to digest gluten. She has to be extremely careful..mask and gloves…as the last time she was exposed to what was less than an eighth of a teaspoon of flour she ended up in the ICU. She loves to cook and people love her food. I’m very proud of her.
howd she end up starting the business w her condition? woah
@@RegstarRogstar very carefully!!!
I also have celiac disease and I know what your sister goes through. So sorry. She's very brave. I bake/cook EVERYTHING for my family from scratch for this reason. Send your sister lots of love
@@moonhunter9993 back at you…
So she can’t go to restaurants or grocery stores or anywhere with gluten?
“It’s about reinventing the world for people who cannot engage in it” YES MA’AM!!!!!!
that was so eye opening really
I teared up when she said that and started clapping while shouting “PREACH SISTER”
THIS.
0:38 Look at that physique! She ain't eating 1 meal a day.
@@tarstarkuszyou really can’t tell her physique because she is wearing baggy clothing but a meal can still be big you know? Also eating once a day usually means that your body is probably collecting calories in for when she doesn’t eat by fat. You know basic biology.
It's people like this who make life worth living
ikr, made my day alot better
Idk fam, not being able to enjoy many a small pleasures through taste can produce a lot of self-deletion thoughts. That's the reason I was mainly scared of COVID.
@@im.meghan the Fact that She makes a Cake for someone who didn't have a Cake in Her Life alone was Noteworthy Enough for me
@@im.meghan Same i wasn't really afraid of getting sick but i was scared that after i contracted covid i would lose the luxury of smelling and tasting food, that would ruin me
The callous of the world will tell you "Life isn't fair".
People like her are the ones who stand up and say "well then let's make it as fair as it can possibly be".
That's what a creator I enjoy said, when I discussed a recurring thing in my childhood where my dad would only respond "Life's not fair": "Anyone who says that should follow it up with 'so that's why it's up to us.'"
(What my dad used to do is, my mom would bring home enough treats (e.g. popsicles) for the whole family, but I wouldn't want one right then, so I'd leave it in the freezer or whatever. But the next day, when I went to get it, I'd find out that my dad had eaten a second one. I got trained that I couldn't rely on my treat being there if I didn't eat it immediately when offered, and that was one of the key formative elements in training my brain to react to food scarcity mechanics: "Eat the delicious thing now, even if you don't want to, eat more of it, you don't know when it might be gone." It's taken decades before I was able to start working on dismantling this mindset, and it's still a big struggle.)
Shutting down problems with “ha but what about the woman who cooks with allergies?!?!” is infantile at best
@@muffinconsumer4431Your take on this comment is incredibly reductive and ignorant. Anyone with at least elementary reading skills could interpret that it isn't about shutting down problems with a woman who cooks with allergies, it's about how people like her are part of the solution of problems, as opposed to people who just say "sucks to sucks".
@@pearlwhiteist Shutting down my comment by commenting on my reading skills is infantile at best
@@muffinconsumer4431 Have you just heard the phrase "infantile at best"?
I had a friend like this growing up. Was allergic to new things each year. By the end of high school, she was allergic to over 60 foods. But she was the best pastry chef and cook! She said her condition made her have to get creative and learn how to provide for herself. What an inspiration!
@@blackqweenmars Probably the most ignorant comment that I have read this week. That is not how desensitization works, you would be committing suicide.
But the problem is it's not an allergy it's poison and although we all react differently its affecting all of us 🙏
@@christinemonte3477no allergies are real.
The fact she can’t taste it and it’s still good speaks volumes about how good she is at what she does
Right?! She must have such a deep understanding of texture and flavor
Man that's pretty incredible. I'm in no way a chef, but I can't imagine not being able to taste what I'm cooking
It's not incredible, she feels bad when these reaction happens.
@@shiba9592 I'm talking about being able to cook without tasting, what are you talking about?
@@evolancer211
You should feel bad for her first not she is doing something differently, in her opinion it's pain that she is dealing with everyday.
@@shiba9592 yeah no, don't victimize her. I shouldn't feel bad about a chef who overcame a big ass hurdle
@@shiba9592 why? She doesn't feel bad for herself. If it was painful like you claim, she would have mentioned it in the video. She's someone people should aspire to be like, giving hope to people with food allergies that you can live a normal life foody life, albeit with some changes.
I think we're watching different videos cause clearly she's happy
When she talked about corn and how its in everywhere you wouldn't even expect, I felt that. I am allergic to carrots and let me tell you, carrots are everywhere! Even in cookies, ice cream and candy. Carrot and black carrot extract is used as a natural food coloring. Some things you never notice unless you have to.
This is why I think it's important for kids with dietary restrictions to know what they can and can't eat and how to decipher food labels. I've had 12 year-olds who when I've said to them "I think you can eat this, but can you check please" have literally no idea. One girl in particular would only eat brands and products that her parents said were safe, but didn't know *why* a particular product was safe/unsafe. She's now a adult and I really hope she eventually learnt how to check her own food!
My biggest eye-opener was going on an Allergen-Reduction Diet for a few months one year. I was just trying to figure out if I was actually reacting to something in my diet or if it was something else (or just in my head). I decided to just drop a combo of all the allergens I could find, starting with what I considered the big four (Gluten, Dairy, Corn, Soy) and also Eggs, Nuts, Citrus, Nightshade (potatoes, tomatoes, peppers), Apples (the main thing I was testing for: apple juice often seems to give me a stomachache), nearly all the meats, artificial dyes and flavors, I forget what all. (Didn't have to drop seafood because I barely eat it.)
What I was left with, at first, was rice, chicken/turkey, tuna, and a subset of fruits and veggies. And spices, which is where I wound up learning how to make curries (currently my primary "meal prep" now that I've established that peppers and tomatoes don't seem to harm me).
Trying to find store-bought food without hitting any of my categories was... like I said, eye-opening. Dairy is in a surprising number of places you wouldn't expect it. Corn and Soy are in EVERYTHING. You can't even find lunch meat without some additive, and now I laugh at people who call liberals "Soy Boys" as if we're not *all* eating big juicy soy-filler burgers any time we hit fast food.
And of course the food that deliberately avoids one or two types of allergens typically has a bunch of *other* entries on my list (e.g. fake meats are typically soy and/or nuts).
Basically, I wound up withdrawing from premade food for much of that diet, and it did make me feel a lot better. Which I think is less about allergens/sensitivities and more about how premade food isn't really all that good for you. I also lost a lot of weight on that diet (gained it back slower, after I went back to normal eating) -- I hadn't gone on the diet with any thought to weight loss, but that turned out to be an added benefit ^_^
Just like Beethoven, Kathlena is living proof that when you focus on your desire to create instead of on your limitations, anything is possible. Her positive attitude and confidence are contagious!
Beethoven did hear the piano. He did it with bone conduction.
Yeah but in Kathlena's case she needs to be extra careful because it could send her to the hospital or kill her.
EOD personnel be like
Turing food from an “obstacle to be navigated” into a “treat to be enjoyed” is so beautiful to me
Kathlena, as someone with severe IBS, extensive dietary restrictions and a few food allergies... you are awesome!
You should write an extensive cook book for every food allergy/sensitivity combination!
You should visit the link in the pinned comment! It’s an online cookbook that contains all sorts of recipes that are incredibly inclusive to people with all sorts of combinations of allergies. There’s an advanced search tab where you put in everything you are allergic to and it will pull out the recipes that you can’t use and leave you with the ones you can! She’s a genius :D
I have severe IBS as well along with carb sensitivity and sugar sensitivity 😩
I would love a food sensitivity cookbook 😍
Got diagnosed with IBS as well , i couldn't eat anything spicy or sour anymore while it was my favorite things from food 😓
@@JaskulGamingi have gerd and i LOVE her now!
I was once working in an italian restaurant and this lovely girl who came to dine in with her family brought up a huge list of things she could not eat. I was so unprofessional and said wow i am sorry you cant eat any of this but she was so gracefull and just laughed it off with a joke. She said she had dine in before in this place and gluten free pasta with tomato sauce and salt would do. She never made a fuss or complained but i still havent forgot that we could not feed her something nicer and that we should have been able to, even tho she mentioned she was so happy at this place bc there was actually an option for her that seemed normal.
I remember going to a pizza restaurant *once* as a family when I was a child. Literally the only thing the restaurant provided for my brother was the tomato sauce, my mum had to provide all the other ingredients for them to use.
He was honestly delighted that he was eating pizza cooked in a real restaurant, but looking back it's so sad that they couldn't properly cater for him (his dietary needs weren't even that complex).
Your honesty was likly refreshing. Just a true "That sucks." can be so nice.
I can't consume caffeine (including coffee, chocolate, and tea) and nuts (peanuts, almonds, hazelnuts, etc), so every time I see a dark-colored dessert I have to ask if it contains chocolate or nuts.
Despite so, I've made desserts containing chocolate and nuts for my friends, and have served tea and coffee to guests that come to my house. I love seeing their faces when they find the food and drink I make delicious, even though I don't even know how they taste like.
She's right, when you can't taste it, you'll learn to find another way to be able to tell whether it tastes good or not. For me it's mostly by looks and trial-and-error, because even smelling the things I can't consume makes me dizzy and if I inhale it too long I'll start getting suffocated and numb.
Big respect for her for doing what she does 🙏
I cannot like (LOVE) this episode enough! I was diagnosed with Alpha-Gal Syndrome in my 50’s. After a lifetime of steaks, burgers, bacon and dairy…it all started trying to kill me. Anaphylaxis is the worst…nonstop GI distress and hives are the best I can hope for when exposed. I am so inspired by this episode. And so grateful. Thank you GBS & Chef Kathlena!
Fun fact scientists have genetically modified pigs to remove the alpha-gal so you can have bacon from those pigs
Damn the lone star tick! More cases of alpha-gal allergies seen post tick bite as that tick’s territory expands northwards due to climate warming.
I’m a chef and I love making food for people who have allergies. There is no greater feeling than presenting someone who has complex allergies a dish that is just for them.
That's actually one of my greatest fears is dealing with ppl with allergies bc I'm like "oh f- did I touch this or is there this with that or I cooked this with this pan can I use it shit shit shit clean everything clean everything.
"It includes the entire community. No one gets left behind."
Love this! What a talented and dedicated chef!!
I honestly can’t imagine making such delectable food but I can’t even eat em.
Hopefully with recent advancements in treating allergies she will one day be able to taste them
It's like standing in the middle of a deep, freshwater ocean while having no mouth to drink it with.
Bless this chef.
@@utisti4976 Well, most oceans are saltwater, so you shouldn't drink it anyway.
The mind can make up for any sensory deprivation by way of imagination.
My younger sister loves to cook shrimp. She can't eat it. It sucks since she thinks it looks so good
Yassss! I’m a vegetarian by choice (15 years now) but 2 years was diagnosed with some autoimmune disorders that severely restrict my diet. It’s been so freaking hard trying to satisfy my tastebuds of the foods I used to love when the substitutions are all things I can’t eat now! I’m here for this work. This is a divine calling and so needed in today’s world. Thank you! ❤
I agree so much. It affects your mental health so much when you have to restrict so much. Or your other option is be in pain/super sick. Whenever I find a new food I can experience it's like heaven. I can only imagine how hard it is for kids with this situation
She is amazing. I suffered from many food allergies which pretty much cuts out the happy things in life such as desserts, restaurant food, and homemade foods from friends/families. I always believed that one of the most hardest challenges that a chef have to face was being able to satisfy a person with food allergies.
Kathlena you're the best of us, keep it up!
She's inspiring us all 🙌❤
Strongly agree! Thank you GBS for both helping cover interesting stories but also helping to highlight some of the best in humanity!
My gosh even the wax on fruits has corn and there is corn on the stickers of packaging ?! 1:37 I really feel for severe food allergy sufferers. ❤
She is doing the purest most selfless work there is out there. I know many people who can't eat the things they like due to allergies and other stuff like IBS and it's a genuine shame that there aren't more people like Kathlena that are putting in genuine effort to make food more accessible for people who aren't able to have it.
Going from being a foodie who loved experiencing the vast world of food, to having dramatic restrictions, felt like loosing a huge facet of life. It has taken a lot of experimenting and creativity to rediscover the joy of food I can eat. It is so powerful to see people stepping up and making food restrictions visible, it makes the experience far less isolating. Thank you!
Wait they’re back?? So happy now 😎
Been back for a while.
@@Butter_Warrior99I never knew until now!
@@slovicturtle7170 same here!
We are indeed and bringing you stories every week! Watch this space 👀🚀❤
@@GreatBigStory, It’s been a long time coming.
I love stuff like this where people find ways to accommodate for niche problems. I feel a lot of the world just tries to be one size fits all but there are always gonna be people who don’t fit in those molds. So it’s so cool she’s coming up with ways of making these foods for people that big food corporations will never cater towards
I am also an allergy friendly baker who has tons of allergies. Good to see there are more of us out there!
I feel this. My niece has a number of food sensitivities that give her horrible migraines. Gluten, eggs, dairy, nuts, onions... the worst is soy. Soy lecithin is in EVERYTHING (even cupcake sprinkles) and she can't eat it. So many of our celebrations are centered around food, so I research my tail off to make sure we can make dishes that include her.
I took Prilosec OTC and my food triggered migraines dropped from every day to once per week.
thank you so much!! as a scientist with celiacs disease, words cannot convey how grateful I am for what Kathlena is doing. She's doing THE WORK and changing people's lives.
When she said she eats once a day to minimize allergic reactions, I totally found myself nodding along. I have IBS, a generally overly-sensitive stomach, food intolerances and food allergies. I limit my menu to foods that are "failsafe foods" because the simple act of eating to curb hunger and provide my body the nutrients and vitamins it needs has landed me in the ER more than once. And don't get me started on how many times I've passed out on the toilet from stomach cramps so bad, I blacked out. I love Kathlena's message here but I also would not pass on the opportunity to replace eating with a pill - like if someone were to invent a pill that would provide me with all the things my body needs to sustain itself and make me full. You know, like that 3-course meal gum in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
I assume that Soylent is outside your possible choices? 'Cuz it was specifically designed to let people just chug a drink, get all the nutrition for... I think a third of a day? and then just keep moving. (It's not designed to be a total meal replacement, I don't think, but it covers a lot of it. And they have a flavorless or at least low-flavor option.)
This is my mighty need! I am severely allergic to 100+ things, many of which are foods, and to have someone like her helping us with this issue is soooo appreciated.
Amazing! I am on a very restricted diet for migraine, which is not the same as an allergy, but I appreciate the work that goes into cooking around disabilities.
What do you avoid?
@@emilysha418 For me, I have to avoid anything aged, cured, pickled, or fermented because they have high levels of tyramine. A little bit makes me feel malaise, a large amount triggers a migraine.
She's amazing and a treasure!
I developed severe peanut, tree nut, and shellfish allergies while i was in pastry school, I'm still a pastry chef but there's definitely been times I've walked into the main kitchen at work and started itching and getting watery eyes/ coughing because someone is roasting peanuts... so while I'm sure it's to a smaller degree, i feel her pain
Chef Kathlena is ... a hero. For so many people struggle with allergy, her work is not only cake, it is hope. And seeing her own struggle to do what she loves despite all those conditions, she is indeed a bright star.
This person is a BADASS. Now this is someone worthy of being called a Chef
Ugh this is so validating, I also have pretty bad allergies and it's so difficult to find vegan recipes without nuts, soy, sesame, and lentils
I literally have to make my daughter’s bday cakes because she’s just like this woman. Allergic to everything including corn, which is why I have to peel all of my daughter’s produce that most people just normally bite into. The elbow grease comment is so real. I put in so much work into my daughter’s diet to make sure she isn’t feeling left out. She’s 7 and can’t eat nothing that the kids her age normally eat but just like this chef I do the same thing. Get things that resemble other foods but just with slightly different ingredients
It's comforting to know there's someone with such food allergen severity like me. My diet is like dog food; no more than 3 ingredients makes up my 'meals'. My allergies kill my desire to cook and bake because of how limited and expensive specialized ingredients are. I'm just glad she uses it as inspiration instead of just daydreaming about it like me you know?
The story about that little girl was touching, she will never forget that cake.
She is so inspirational, the way that she speaks about everything this calmly, and the way that she encourages everyone to continue on even through all these different difficulties. Truly, genuinely inspirational.
Dude she’s AMAZING
I have MCAS. This is so inspiring and so exposing to how difficult it is to live when your body refuses to work anymore.
imagine the gumption it takes to make eating safer for others when you have the most severe food restrictions yourself. Food allergies can be so restricting but she really turns it around.
She needs to write a cookbook! And good point on the vegan stuff mostly being nuts or soy based. There's so much stuff you don't expect to be in something (like furikake has egg yolk powder and lactose, or gummy bears with lactose).
I have IBD, Ulcerative Colitis. I am on a special diet to control it and it would take days to explain. Simply put, it is about soluble vs insoluble fiber. I felt so seen with this. I'm not allergic or intolerant per say but the diet is beneficial! Mad props to this wonderful woman!
Kathlena I met you a few years back at a GF food show in the bay at the San Mateo fairgrounds. I want to say thank you so much, your views and work have allowed people like my partner and one of my extended family members to be able to eat and have celebrations just like any of the other kids. Thank you so much for the good work.
Ugh, I am one of the people she mentions that has a very restrictive diet.. I have both allergies, kidney stones, tremors, and high triglycerides, so something that isn't on one list will actually be a no-no on another list. If I find something I like, I have to try it in small amounts or risk a flare up of one-or-the-other, and sometimes I just plain forget, and end up either a state of too shakey to function, too all-over-itchy to sleep or get comfortable, screaming in ER-level pain from a stone, or getting myself into a too-high-cholesterol position risking terrible heart disease. There are loads of sugars I can't have, so even the thing with the fewest ingredients will have some one-off sugar I can't have. Fruits and vegetables that are largely considered healthy to most, are packed with calcium oxalate which my system turns into kidney stones that are screaming bloody murder childbirth level pain for between 3 days to 2 weeks to pass, with 2 out of the 23 so far have required surgery to remove. Fruits and veg also have weird little secretions and juices that I am super allergic to. Once, knowing that he has a bad kiwi allergy, saw that I was about to try a piece of kiwi for the first time, suggested I first try to touch the tip of my pinky finger to the cut-open fruit to dab juice off, and then touch to the tip of my tongue. Did so, and my tongue swelled up right at that point on the end, so had I actually swallowed it, I could have suffocated on the spot. I have to find a handful of safe foods, and just rotate those around, forever, and hope that the manufacturer doesn't change the recipe on me to go for a cheaper sweetener or outsource to a factory that also processes peanuts, etc. I appreciate the efforts of this chef =)
Easily one of the most massive obstacles for me is the failure of packing to include calcium oxalate content on their nutrition label. I have to rely on random diet lists from unvetted kidney stone experts who sometimes use just trial-and-error science rather than hard testing data, to find out only generalized guesses of which foods contain more or less, and I wish I could know this specific detail on nutrition labels..
I never thought of that. There's so many restrictive diets that would benefit from having a more detailed ingredient list picking out calcium oxalate, histamine, fiber... it would take so much guesswork out of eating a medically restricted diet. Probably too expensive for most companies to consider. :(
@@artesiandifferentit’s not about expense. They know exactly the levels of every single ingredient in each batch with eye wateringly narrow margins. The FFDCA and all it’s little amendments without betraying too much that might be proprietary. Quality control and consistency is vitally important for large scale production as nobody is going to buy your product if it’s different each time .
I’m suprised that your not taking a statin to help control your triglycerides. There are multiple studies linking high HDL and kidney stone formation as well as a decrease in incidence when the patient is taking statins. Barring an allergy perhaps you should consider it?
@@codename495I am taking a vascepa/icosapent that is handling it decently, which is a kind of high-dose fish oil substance, that concentrates the good bits of fish oil into the same size as a regular fish oil. seems to be doing OK so far, working to lower it according to my GP
@@codename495 yeah, they already employ quality control chemists who could find this particular detail out on their own at the command given, I wager. It would be great if one company would start doing it, and receive the praise for being the one to get started on it, and many others follow suit, without having to be forced to.
So inspirational! Definitely should do a cookbook with segments for different food allergies. Keep going Kathlena!
I'm gonna show this video to everyone! So many people find it hard to believe that I'm allergic to most veggies, my list 18+ long. Going to restaurants is a nightmare, but Disney World really has their stuff together. The chefs were so understanding and accommodating.
*if you have a long list of allergies, best to print it out*
I have bad rosacea and also lupus, I don’t have food allergies, but I have developed a growing list of food intolerances, they either mess up my stomach, and/or my face and/or my head meaning I get out of it/or am really foggy. It really blows not eating anything I want anymore. What this lady does is really cool.
I feel you so hard. I have both allergies and intolerances. My intolerances often produce more symptoms and for longer periods of time. (Think hives for a couple hours vs. stomach issues, migraines, and exhaustion for weeks).
Wow! She’s amazing! Wished more chefs like her would find innovative ways for people to enjoy food that they’re allergic to.
I love Kathlena's work - especially that everything candy cake!
I have Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) which comes with an autoimmune MCAS.
While there's just two (known) food triggers, when I do have a reaction from something I eat it causes physical damage, in addition to allergy symptoms and possible anaphylaxis. Two food triggers are soy and meat preservatives - like even a trace transfer amount.
I was on gastro meds for 8 months because of the damage that soy did. Soy is in everything now - bread, crackers, soup, sauces, frozen fish, gum, candy, chocolate, ice cream, Starbucks drinks, even eggs - because farmers feed their chickens soy based feed.
My eggs cost $10/dozen because they're from a local farm with pasture raised heritage chickens. (The eggs are multiple colours from dark brown, to white to light blue and even light green with speckles.)
I went for over a year without having any cake or cupcakes - then my friend made me a home made marble cake for my birthday with the expensive eggs, and a really awesome Brazilian chocolate icing.
I'm so happy you guys are back and making videos on niche but really interesting stuff
My family has a load of food related issues, we have Celiac, cow dairy allergy, soy allergy and even corn allergy when I say cooking is hard I mean it especially baking. There's a whole shelf just for flours to mix together for baking, there's kinds I bet most people haven't heard of. We're lucky that most of the allergies are on the milder side and that fumes aren't an issue. Mad respect to this lady cooking for unconventional allergies/allergy combinations takes a lot of work and love, keep on bringing joy to peoples lives.
A lifesaver, literally! I have food allergies and sensitivities, but I’m also on immunosuppressants because I go into anaphylaxis from grass and tree pollen. Ever grateful for Xolair. I’m thrilled to watch more of her content!
This inspires me to do things I thought I couldn't do. Kathlena, you show that anyone can do something they love even when something can set them back. You didn't let your allergies hold you back from doing things. Thank you for being an inspiration.
What an inspiration. I really admire what she does
I love how determined and positive she is. She’s someone who’s truly fearless!! Thank you for being such an inspiration and just a great human being overall Kathlena :)
this is very uplifting. it's wonderful to see how she makes these wonderful dishes even though she can't eat them
thanks for these videos guys
I am a chef and I have at least 38 food and drug allergies. I developed my food allergies as an adult.
I too always wear a mask when I cook (just a usual one, not a resporator).
I do my best to go above and beyond for those with dietery restrictions because I know the pain of not being able to eat and socialise because of my restrictions.
I am also happy to see this story because I feel like I am the only one crazy enough to keep cooking with all my challenges; and clearly I am not alone~
What a power house. Where can I learn more about her?
Here is Kathlena’s website where you can learn more about her and her platform RAISE 🙌 raise.theallergychef.com/
It's great that she's makes things for people with different allergies. Thanks for letting people know that you have to put in the work to be sucessful.
Kathlena, what a great thing you’re doing for people with allergies. I wish you great success! 💕🤗
so so so much love for Kathlena. as someone who has several allergies, knowing Kathlena exists gives me so much warm feelings.
She has such a wonderful personality and attitude towards life, thank you for highlighting her.
I love cooking and then trying my food. Hard to imagine not being able to!
Amazing story. I wish her all the luck in her crusade to make the world a better place, even if just in a small way.
You are amazing. I guess we needed a chef with all this allergies to step up the game. Allergies drive me crazy. I don’t want to accidentally hurts someone
It's amazing yet frustrating to figure out sudden culinary alternatives, not for yourself, but for relatives from forgetting that you don't go through those struggles, poor sister suddenly can't eat much of lactose or heavy gluten foods, so the simplest things like spaghetti is off the menu, or has to be reinvented with new noodles.
Thank you for doing this! I seen a lot of patients that have numerous allergies and I am always trying to help them. This will be soooo fantastic!
The Contentment and opening doors, is gnarly. Definitely, Livin It Up 🤘
I'm severely allergic to fish now & it kills me not to eat it or prepare it for myself. Luckily my boys don't like seafood, but I grew up on it. But this lady gives me hope cuz I LOVE..... to cook. Thank you Great Big Story & sweet lady 😊💕
Love you kathlena. You encourage me to continue to move forward in life. Keep making moves major, rocking with you all the way. You can't lose you heard.
I LOVE this story! Kathlena is so confident and her mission is incredible.
She is incredible for doing this
This is amazing, and I can't love it enough. Kind of wish it'd have recipes that'd work for someone close to me in my life, but the individual is allergic to elemental chrome. Essentially one of the primary parts to making stainless steel, so it's nigh impossible to avoid. Also a lot of plants absorb it from the ground, so again, very very hard to avoid. Though we've managed to find some options so far.
With that said, from living close to someone that has an almost unavoidable allergy, what Kathlena does is beyond amazing. Thank you so much, even if it doesn't help in the case I previously described!
As usual with stories from Great Big Story, what an incredible person, passion and cause!
I'm sorry your case has few hopes of getting better.
I'm glad you're making it better for everybody, thank you for making the world a better place :D
Kathlena is amazing. Love her personality. Love her clever creativity.
I have such an awful dairy allergy that I basically gave up on eating out. this is so sweet!
My husband can longer go anywhere near ANY kind of starch, and is the cook in the house: he's feeling like his food options are insanely limited! I've sent him this video, to hopefully raise his spirits, so thank you!!
Amazing, she has such a good outlook on life and she is really helping others too.
I have severe allergies and this video nearly brought me to tears ❤ keep up the great work
Combining compassion and creativity. Amazing woman!
I hope they do a chefs table episode about her! This is so wonderful!
The fact that the little 12 year old girl has never had a cake because of her allergies is so heart breaking but when this woman who goes through the same thing makes a cake for her to safely eat... Im just.... like this utterly melts me I almost wanted to cry so bad. ❤
God, I love Kathlena's work. Great story.
OMG I need her book!!! My family also deal with food restrictions and this would help so much!
I absolutely love her energy!
She's very inspiring! Thanks for sharing her story :)
This Woman is a great inspiration and Hero
Omg please cook for me😭😭😭 This woman is so cool, we need more ppl who care about allergic ppl ❤ Wish her condition improve and she has less reactions🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Honestly very impressed by her achievements and i didn’t expect for great big story to be back too!
More power to you Kathlena.
I'm allergic to corn (among various other things), not as severely, though. It really is everywhere!
I learned how to cook and bake so I could eat things I wouldn't otherwise be able to buy.
This is so wonderful and inspiring 😁 It's such a wonderful feeling when others take the time to learn how to cook or bake for me and I'm so glad she does this for others. Food is so important in conneting with other people, especially being able to share food with them and eat what they eat. I didn't understand how much it meant to eat what everyone else was eating until I couldn't. Even more so when now I can in many situations because my friends and family cook with me in mind.
Thanks for sharing about this chef! I'm glad more people can hear about allergies and giving people the opportunity to eat delicious things in innovative ways ☺️
What an amazing person!!! ❤️❤️❤️
While I don’t have any food allergies, I do have a connective tissue disorder that, depending on what I eat, can cause really bad flare ups. Weirdly enough I’ve figured out that raw or very specifically cooked fish, rice, and specific vegetables really help with preventing them, so stuff like poke is godsend for me. I am extremely glad though that there’s more effort and research being put into ingredient conscientious recipes, hopefully with more information available I’ll be able to work out good conversions of my favorite foods 🤞🏻
Great big story is back 😍
We are indeed 🙌☺