Not all gluten-free brownies taste like cardboard: a look at how the college dining industry is redefining allergen-free dessertsNot all gluten-free brownies taste like cardboard: a look at how the college dining industry is redefining allergen-free desserts

Growing up, Nubian Simmons grew accustomed to eating fruit for dessert. Her family would enjoy brownies a la mode or crème brulee, while she would eat orange slices. Simmons has severe food allergies that often leave her with limited options, especially when it comes to desserts. And while, the disappointment of not knowing what a chocolatey brownie tastes like bothered her, what bothered her more was the sense of exclusion that came along with this experience. While her loved ones would all enjoy the same dessert together, she always had to have something different.

“I felt like something was wrong with me because, you know, anytime it came to any type of dessert, I always had to have something different, you know, and you internalize that,” Simmons said.

Part of the problem was that there wasn’t much out there, in terms of allergy-friendly desserts. And the products that did exist, were, quite frankly, not enjoyable, according to Simmons.

Allergen-free baked goods haven’t exactly gotten the reputation of being particularly tasty, and they can be difficult to execute as so many ingredients used in baking are filled with allergens. It can be difficult to find a baking recipe that doesn’t include eggs or milk, for instance.

“There were a lot of things at the time that tasted like cardboard. And so, I really felt like it was more of a punishment to eat than it was an enjoyable experience,” said Simmons. “And so, for years I just sat in that space.”

Fast forward a few years and Simmons was well established in her field of graphic design, but the frustration at the lack of available allergen-free desserts and baked goods continued to weigh on her. The frustration was felt not only for herself but for the other people out there who struggle to find quality food due to their allergies. She began to feel this desire to help those people have access to the desserts she never was able to enjoy growing up.

It wasn’t until about ten years ago as Simmons was continuing to become frustrated with the lack of allergy-friendly desserts, both in grocery stores and at foodservice operations, when things started to change for her. This is when Simmons decided to completely pivot her career and address this problem herself.

Despite having no experience in the foodservice industry and with baking not necessarily being one of her strongest skills, Simmons began the process of trying to create desserts and baked goods mixes that are free of the top 14 allergens. And this is how her company, The Pink Bakery, based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was born.

Developing the products was the first challenge. Simmons said it took her about five years to not only learn how to bake allergen-free products but also make sure she wasn’t compromising on taste or presentation.

Nubian Simmons founded The Pink Bakery in 2014. | Photo courtesy of The Pink Bakery.

Simmons wanted her products to taste just like traditional baked goods and desserts, that do include allergens.

"I wanted to create a brownie that actually looks like a brownie, didn't have weird textures, make sure it doesn't taste like cardboard,” she said. “Something that actually has that crispy top and fudgy inside."

Flavor and texture were very important to Simmons who said that at first, the products weren’t turning out quite right, and worse, she thought they were terrible. But she didn’t give up and kept working on it.

“I wanted it to be good. Not only for me and the people who had allergies, but the people who didn't,” she said. “When you are the one with the allergy, you get something different. So, if we can all eat it together, I could feel as though it was an inclusive experience.”

And that is exactly what Simmons has since accomplished—she has created allergen-free baking mixes that are so good, even diners without allergies are drawn to them, allowing for this inclusive environment.

At the University of Maryland, the dining team operates two allergen-free stations, dubbed  Purple Zones, and some of The Pink Bakery’s products can be found at those locations. Right now, the lineup includes brownies, banana bread and biscuits.

Bart Hipple, assistant director of marketing and communications for the university’s dining services, said that students love The Pink Bakery’s products, as well as the university’s allergy-friendly offerings, regardless of whether they have a food allergy themselves or not.

“People are eating from the Purple Zones who do not have allergies,” he said. “It's good food, whether it's an allergen or not. It tastes very good.”

Creating an inclusive dining experience

Aside from ensuring the safety of diners with food allergies, inclusivity is the driving force behind the University of Maryland’s allergy-friendly offerings. And it goes beyond just serving a well-rounded variety of food free of the top allergens and is even showcased through the messaging around the food.

“One word we do not use in Maryland Dining is the word option, because it is not an allergen-free option for the people who have allergies. It's the way they eat,” said Hipple. “We don’t want you to feel as though you are a minority. This is where you live, this is where you eat.”

The dining team at the University of Maryland doesn’t want students with food allergies to feel as though the food they are served is just an alternative “option” but instead that they’re given the same dining experience as those without food allergies. So, it’s important for the allergen-free meals and desserts to be as full of as much flavor as the food that contain allergens.

“We are their main source of nutrition and the food, therefore, it cannot be boring, it cannot be monotonous,” said Hipple. “It has to have a variety of really good sparkling flavors. And it's got to be something they want to eat. And it we feel that that is our mission to provide that.”

Marquette University, another partner of The Pink Bakery, which also recently became "Spokin Verified," a process done by Spokin, a tech company that runs a food allergy app and provides other resources for colleges regarding allergen-free food, and also centers inclusivity through its allergen-free offerings.

“It's part of our mission to have the most inclusive dining experience. And so really this is just creating the larger sense of belonging,” said Melanie Vianes, general manager for Sodexo at Marquette Dining. “Our whole program is just really about the inclusivity of everyone so having a dynamic and friendly program increases our goal of belonging.”

Marquette University first partnered with The Pink Bakery in 2022, marking the company’s first college partnership. Originally, in 2014, The Pink Bakery started off selling baking mixes to consumers themselves, but Simmons eventually saw the potential for her products in the on-site dining space.

“It really opened my eyes to the fact that there's a whole college population that are not being accommodated like the other students are on campus. First of all, they leave home where it's safe. At home, it's safe to eat there, and they're coming to college. And oh my God, there's cross contacts everywhere,” said Simmons.

Now, the university serves an array of allergen-free desserts made from The Pink Bakery’s mixes. The dining team on site turns the mixes into the final product, creating brownies, cookies and other sweet treats.

Allergen-free bannana bread. | Photo courtesy of The Pink Bakery.

“it's great for those students who, you know, maybe have never had a piece of cake before or never had a brownie, now they're able to try these things,” said Lucas Flaherty, regional dietitian for Sodexo. “When you take it and make it allergy-friendly, it’s actually a really good product and it compares pretty well.”

The Pink Bakery now provides its products to several universities, with more partnerships in the works. And as Simmons continues to expand, she said she hopes she can make a positive impact on the lives of people with food allergies.

“To be able to spread this inclusivity is just a joy I can't even describe. It is helping each of these students or staff members who have food allergies in all these universities or these organizations to feel a sense of normalcy” she said. “It's like all the pain and struggle I went through, for me personally to be able to help others makes all that worth it.”

Food allergies on the rise

Demand for allergy-friendly foods seems to be on the rise on college campuses. Foodservice provider Sodexo’s recent Student Lifestyle survey revealed that out of the students and parents surveyed, 86% of respondents indicated that they were looking for their school to accommodate for their dietary needs.

This demand makes sense, as research indicates that food allergies are on the rise.

 According to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious diseases, adults with food allergies make up about 11% of the U.S. population while around 8% of children have a food allergy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), these numbers have been on the rise for quite some time. Between 1997 and 2011, the prevalence of food allergies in children increased by 50%. And then, from 2007 to 2021, that rate increased again by 50% in children.

And while there are varying estimates of food allergy prevalence, based on different research, the commonality between the statistics is that the numbers are much larger than they were in the past. Sodexo conducted a study on this topic, and foodservice provider Compass Group also gathered research that indicated similar results.

“Our findings are very similar, and they're pretty staggering. The percentage of students that are reporting some sort of intolerance or allergen is 20% to 25%,” said Tina Reddington, Sodexo’s national manager for health, wellness and nutrition for the company’s campus and government sectors. “This isn't a fad. It impacts activities of daily living— it impacts your ability to digest food, to breathe, your major bodily systems—which is the definition of why you need to accommodate.”

And many colleges are seeing these numbers in action.  In 2015, after noticing increased demand for the gluten-free baked goods on the menu, The University of Connecticut (UConn) launched a dedicated gluten-free bakery, the first of its kind in the college and university space. The bakery started out with a few simple products like cookies or brownies and now, ten years later, the product lineup has evolved into almost 20 items. And while the concept is specifically focused on gluten-free baked goods, they have also expanded it to meet the needs of other dietary restrictions as well by producing vegan and nut-free products.

Photo courtesy of UConn Dining.

Robert Landolphi, assistant director of culinary development at UConn Dining, said that over the years, the concept has proven itself to be a success. The team plans to continue to work on the concept, especially as Landolphi noted that he doesn’t believe the number of students with an allergy or intolerance to gluten will not be decreasing anytime soon.

“If I go back 24 years ago, we had a half dozen students [with food allergies] on campus, maybe. And now it's 1,200 registered and we probably actually sit down and meet with 300 or 400 a school year,” he said. “There's so many more people running into dietary needs and allergy issues right now than we've ever seen before.”

Hipple has noticed this at the University of Maryland as well, and oftentimes students and even parents are proactive in gathering information about their university’s allergy-friendly offerings.

“Every year there are more and more students telling us in advance of the start of the school year that they have an allergy, and they'd like to conference with us about it,” he said. “We also note that parents in particular are very concerned about the ability of their students to eat safely on campus.”

The ‘science’ of allergy-friendly baking

One of Simmons’ goals is to make it as easy as possible for foodservice operations to offer allergen-free desserts. And with The Pink Bakery’s mixes, Simmons is taking the complexity out of allergen-free baking, with most of the products simply requiring the baker to add water and oil.

After all, baking allergen-free products can be a difficult task, but The Pink Bakery’s mixes don’t require chefs to become experts.

“We’re helping the chef. He or she doesn't have to try to do this on their own,” said Simmons.  “Like we've already done it, we've done 5+years of research and development. It’s tried and tested, it works.”

Simmons said she believes the reason allergen-free desserts are so scarce in the foodservice space is because of the difficulty in executing quality products, noting that baking is “unforgiving.”

“When it came to trying to create mixes, It's so difficult. Like it's really that hard to make because baking is not like cooking,” she said. “It takes so much time and effort to put into and focus to just put into baked goods.”

For the gluten-free bakery at UConn, being the first concept of its kind on a college campus presented some unique challenges. Specifically, Landolphi said that sourcing was difficult at first, but now there are more gluten-free ingredients available in the marketplace.

When it comes to actually creating the products, the process of trial and error was helpful along the way. And now, UConn’s baking staff has it down to a science.

“It's definitely more of a science and you always hear people say, well, baking in general is a science, gluten-free baking is much different in that what you'll find is gluten-free flours tend to absorb more moisture, more liquid,” said Landolphi.

This means it is important to make sure batters lean more on the wet side, to avoid unpleasant textures.

“This way, no one feels like they're eating a dry, cardboard, gluten-free product,” said Landolphi.

Photo courtesy of UConn Dining.

At UConn, gluten-free baked goods are prepared in a dedicated gluten free kitchen space and then packaged up and distributed across all the dining halls on campus. The bakery produces everything from a range of different cookies to cupcakes and brownies.

And while, Landolphi agrees that baking gluten-free desserts can be challenging, over time the team has learned best practices and developed a robust line-up of tasty treats.

It is important that allergen-free desserts are properly packaged and labeled. | Photo courtesy of UConn Dining.

“Biggest issue we might run into is the gluten free baked goods are so good, the people who aren't gluten free are actually taking some of the product,” he said.

Another important consideration when serving allergy-friendly fare is the space where the food is being prepared. It is vital that allergen-free food is prepared in the proper spaces, in order to avoid cross-contamination. Food allergies are not something to be taken lightly, and diners should feel safe about consuming the food they’re served.

The University of Maryland operates allergy-friendly dedicated stations called "Purple Zones" | Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland.

Everything produced from the University of Maryland’s on-campus bakery is labeled with allergens that it may have come into contact with.

“Everything has to have a disclaimer on it that says baked in equipment that may have come into contact with allergens,” said Hipple. “That's why it's so important to have allergen-free made somewhere else, because they’re certified to not have come into contact with the allergens.”

Thorough food allergy training is also very important for foodservice operations, so all employees know the proper way to handle allergen-free products. Sodexo said that all of its facilities have food allergy training in place. Training isn’t done just once either, the foodservice provider conducts them regularly.

“We want to make sure that that's top of mind because this is not something to take lightly. It's not just following a standard,” said Reddington. “It's making sure that a student feels safe to come and eat their meals. This is really their home, right? It’s their dining room when they're at school, so we want to make sure that they feel inclusive, they feel safe.”

As food allergies continue to increase in prevalence, it’s more important than ever for foodservice operations to offer a robust array of allergy-friendly meals as well as desserts, ensuring everybody’s dietary needs are being met. While there are challenges in the allergy-friendly baking space, there are more resources than ever and innovative allergy-friendly desserts are beginning to pop up more and more. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for growth.

“I feel like there should be something for someone who has food allergies or dietary restrictions at every university, at every K-12 school, at every convention center,” said Simmons.

Looking toward the future, Simmons plans on continuing to grow,  driven by her passion for helping people and advocating for inclusive dining.

“So however many places I can help get my products into to help create that normalcy for this growing population of people,” she said. “I love to be able to give that to someone. Again, it's a sense of normalcy that a lot of us have not experienced."

Check out FSD's recent roundup of gluten-free baking recipes.