• Call ahead. Let the restaurant know your needs. Given a day's notice, many Chefs can create a custom menu for you.
• Bring an allergy card. Have your needs spelled out in black and white. Chef says: "Tell me everything, the more I know the better!"
• Talk to your server clearly, respectfully, patiently. They may not know every term or every allergy but your Chef will.

Chef Jeff's mantra is: "Everyone sitting at the table in his restaurant is entitled to the same dining experience." It is his mission to ensure that a diner with any special need doesn't feel marginalized. He never wants to see a diner apologize for having a medical need.

This was a revelation.

I still struggle with feeling apologetic to my server, or to my fellow diners for the barrage of questions I need to ask. I know I'm not alone in feeling this way, I'm sure we all have some lingering shame associated with having to ask for a special meal made separately. After speaking with Chef Jeffrey Brana, and many other Chefs who feel similarly to him, I'm further empowered to communicate my needs to a caring, compassionate restaurant such as his. With food allergies diagnoses rising rapidly -- 12 million Americans and counting -- these Chefs are at the forefront of what will be a growing movement to feed all Americans safely while dining out.

Read Sloane's interview with Robert Fisher -- Food Allergic World Traveler -- to find more tips on dining away from home with food allergies.