About this episode

The episode discusses designing allergy-friendly menus with Chef Karen O'Connor, focusing on inclusivity and safety for guests with food allergies.

Here's the truth most event professionals don't want to say out loud: we often treat food allergy requests as a nuisance instead of a responsibility. This week — Food Allergy Awareness Week — I'm bringing a conversation to Eating at a Meeting LIVE that I believe every meeting planner, caterer, hotel F&B team, and event organizer needs to hear. I'm sitting down with Karen O'Connor, Executive Chef at Toronto's renowned Daniel et Daniel Catering & Events. Karen has spent more than 30 years building menus that don't just impress — they include. She's a CATIE Chef of the Year, past President of the International Caterers Association, and a sought-after speaker at Catersource who has led sessions specifically on designing allergy-friendly menus that work for guests and still deliver the wow factor clients expect. We're going deep on the operational side of food allergy management — how her team collects and communicates allergy information, how they build menus around common allergens like gluten, nuts, dairy, and soy without stripping out the soul of a dish, and what it really means to make guests with food allergies feel not just safe, but celebrated. For planners: this is about…

People in this episode

Host: Tracy Stuckrath

Guest: Karen O'Connor

Topics covered

• food allergies
• menu design
• event planning
• catering
• inclusivity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Daniel et Daniel Catering & Events, International Caterers Association

More episodes of Eating at a Meeting

• California's Food Allergy Law has Arrived. Is Your Event Safe? · July 7, 2026 · 32 min
• How One Venue Cuts Food Waste, Costs, & Exclusion With Smarter Menu Design · June 30, 2026 · 40 min
• Feeding Gluten-free — How the Events Industry Can Support Gluten-free Food Equity · June 23, 2026 · 50 min
• How Event Planners Can Save Lives: A Food-Allergic Guest's Perspective · June 2, 2026 · 53 min
• Off-Premise Catering and Food Allergies: Why Event Safety Requires More Than Menu Labels · May 26, 2026 · 52 min
• How THE UK Events Industry Is Standardizing Dietary Needs Management · May 19, 2026 · 58 min

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