Do you ever dread going out to eat with your family or your friends? Do you ever feel anxious when you go to a restaurant, and you have to bombard your server with questions to clarify that the dish you are ordering is free of any ingredients you are allergic or intolerant too? If you have said yes to all of the following questions, then you know exactly how I feel.
Last month was my birthday, and I wanted to go out and have a celebration with my friends. The problem was many restaurants have limited gluten and dairy-free options. The only dish I seem to order regularly is salad with grilled chicken. When it comes to the dessert menu, choices are even slimmer.
There goes my idea of having a special birthday dinner. Just when I was going to give up all hope, I stumbled upon a restaurant called, Sorelle and Co. Sorelle and Co. is a restaurant that serves all gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, and vegan dishes and desserts. There are two locations in Ontario; one is located in 1050 Rutherford Rd in Vaughan, and the other is located at 161 Yorkville Ave in Toronto.
According to the Sorelle and Co. website, the inspiration for the restaurant came from a woman, who’s five daughters suffered from a variety of food allergies, such as, gluten, dairy, eggs, soy, and nuts. This motivated the girls’ mother to create the restaurant, as a safe place where her daughters could go to eat.
I knew that it would be the perfect place to host my birthday because not only it would accommodate my diet restrictions, but it would also accommodate a good friend of mine. Jess has gluten and dairy intolerances and is vegan. She is definitely someone that can relate to my struggles.
At my birthday dinner, it was such a treat to experience going to a restaurant and being handed a menu where I could choose anything that is featured on it. For once in my life, I had many options in regards to what I was going to eat; for a minute, I didn’t even know what to pick!
Being Italian, I decided on lasagna since I have not eaten it in years. The food was absolutely delicious. Check out this picture of the food we ate.
My favourite part, however, was selecting a dessert! Oh my goodness! Walking up the counter where they had the freshly baked desserts on display felt like I was a kid in a candy store. The desserts varied from cupcakes to cookies, to donuts, to cakes, and they even had smores.
The dessert I picked out was a vanilla-glazed donut that was embellished with multi-coloured candy sprinkles. My review of the doughnut can be summed up in one word: Yum! Each bite was to die for and honestly better than the last.
Here is a picture of the yummy desserts we enjoyed!
Now, if you are craving desserts as much as I am after writing this, you can check out this blog I found called Gluten, Sugar, Dairy Free Lifestyle, and try their sweet dessert recipes. My favourite recipe that I’ve tried is one for Pumpkin Cake.
I believe that focusing on nurturing the special connections that matter the most to us is what makes life more enjoyable and meaningful. I think that Sorelle and Co. is the perfect place to go to with family or friends because of how inclusive it is. It is a place where anyone no matter what their dietary restrictions are can go to indulge in good food, as they bond with the closest people in their life to celebrate birthdays, milestones, and other special occasions.
I highly recommend that the next time you go out to eat, you visit one of the locations of Sorelle and Co. I know, you will not regret it!
References List:
DeBerge, Michelle. “Home.” Gluten Sugar Dairy Free LifeStyle, 6 Feb. 2019, glutensugardairyfree.com/.
Sorelle and Co., http://www.sorelleandco.com/.
Living with Food Restrictions 