Filtering by Tag: Special Dietary Needs

IzzI B: Allergen Free Cupcakes Everyone Will Love

Ingredients Kids Bites Bakery Norwalk Special Dietary Needs Kid Friendly Dessert

Sarah Green

Do you have a child with food allergies? I do. It stinks. It’s not the end of the world, I realize that, but it certainly makes everyday events (and I really mean just about EVERY day in this town!)  like birthday parties a hassle. My son is allergic to dairy, egg, sesame, and tree nuts. OK, the sesame isn’t usually a cupcake issue. But there haven’t been a lot of options for dairy free or egg free desserts! And I have several friends whose children also need gluten-free food. ( Yikes!) There ARE products out there that you can bake yourself;  Cherrybrook Kitchen has a whole line of boxed items that you can order on-line and even purchase in some grocery stores. But the cakes and cookies from Cherrybrook are just -ok. They are not particularly tasty, especially for the sophisticated and discerning taste buds of the seven-year-olds in Fairfield County! And, you have to bake them yourself. 

But there’s a new kid in town and she is singing my song- her name is Pam Nicholas and she is the owner and baker at Izzi B’s Allergen Free Cupcakes. I recently purchased Izzi B cupcakes for my son’s birthday party and they were a colossal hit! Delicious, ‘B’utiful, fun, and 100% allergen-free


Health in a Hurry: Fast Food That's Good for You

Features Restaurant Fairfield Organic Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy Farm Fresh

Liz Rueven

Entering Health in Hurry in Fairfield is like entering a close friend's kitchen after she has prepared fragrant dishes for you all day. Owner, Sue Cadwell, greets customers while literally standing in the kitchen of her 275 Sq. foot storefront tucked away off the Post Road.  There is nothing but a short counter to separate you from the simmering pots and a couple of dedicated cooks chopping and packing healthful, mightily flavored dishes to go. Sue's philosophy is simple. She provides a welcome alternative to fast-food for busy people using organic, whole foods, seasonal produce and ethnic flavors from around the world. 

What she does in this tiny kitchen is remarkable, and even while working she is always ready to  pause and greet her customers with a welcoming smile and a hug.  She will ask if it is your first time there and gladly explain as much or as little as you would like to hear about each dish and its ingredients.  Food allergies? Food sensitivities? No problem. Sue caters to all dietary needs and to her loyal following. This may be a small, intimate operation, but Heath in a Hurry has a big heart and big intentions.


Raw Vegan Food Done Right: Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe

Restaurant Fairfield Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian healthy Lunch

Liz Rueven

Here in Fairfield County, there are a number of interesting vegetarian cafes, restaurants and markets that focus on mostly organic, mostly vegetarian ingredients and healthy eating. The most recent addition is Catch a Healthy Habit Cafe, just past the Community movie theatre in Fairfield.  In the ever burgeoning foodie scene that is sprouting in Fairfield, this one is unique and specific in its orientation and intention.  Be assured that everyone who ventures (and I mean adventures) into this cool spot is in for an unusual experience.

CATCH A HEALTHY HABIT is a raw, vegan cafe.  HUH?  No need to be stumped.


A Better Bread: Wave Hill Breads in Wilton

Ingredients Bakery Special Dietary Needs Wilton healthy Breakfast

Stephanie Webster

My first experience with Wave Hill Breads was at The Dressing Room in Westport. Ordinarily, when the "bread course" arrives, I sample but only pick as I like to save my appetite for the main event. That evening, however, when the waiter strolled to the table, the smell of freshly baked bread immediately altered the dining plan. It was warm to the touch, had a strong crunchy crust, and the kind of dense spongy inside that has great mouthfeel. It required no spread. It was perfect all by itself... although the sweet creamy butter slathered on sure didn't hurt. When asked where this resplendent loaf had whence come, they answered Wave Hill Breads.

Googling Wave Hill Breads from the restaurant, I found to my great excitement, that these lovely loaves were made locally in Wilton, in a small bakery right off Route 7. I was there the following day. I had to find out more.


Brunch Pick: Bloodroot Restaurant, Bridgeport

Restaurant Bridgeport Special Dietary Needs Vegetarian Breakfast Lunch

Stephanie Webster

I first caught wind of the somewhat elusive Bloodroot Restaurant on Fat Cat Pie Co’s menu. In the midst of the pizzas and salads (more on that later), you will find “Bloodroot Oatmeal Sunflower Seed Bread," a thick slice of homemade, cake-like bread that tastes both healthy and decadently delicious at the same time. With its crunchy crust and spongy interior, the Bloodroot bread became a personal obsession. To my surprise, I found that Bloodroot is more than just heavenly bread. It is a full-blown “feminist restaurant & bookstore” in the midst of a residential neighborhood in Bridgeport, serving organic, seasonal, local vegetarian food. If the bread was this good, I could only imagine what the rest of the menu had to offer.

The Organic Market: Westport's Hidden Treasure

Restaurant Organic Special Dietary Needs Westport Farm Fresh

r2d2

Natalia working her magic behind the counterWith more stores and restaurants evaporating around me every day, I live in fear of the Organic Market closing its doors. Not that there are any known plans or rumors of this, but I would have to pick up and move to Berkeley… or beg and plead with Maggie – the owner and food genius, as far as I’m concerned – to come home and cook for me. She could name her price. And I would just as soon give up my car, a limb, or possibly one of my children before living without her irresistible fare.