Smart Ways to Handle Special Diets

Everybody Eats Inc.'s gluten-free mini pizzettes with wild mushrooms, fontina, truffle oil, and microgreens.
Everybody Eats Inc.'s gluten-free mini pizzettes with wild mushrooms, fontina, truffle oil, and microgreens.
Courtesy of Choice Cooking Company
Can you recommend some caterers that can accommodate strict dietary restrictions?

Whether your guests have celiac disease (gluten intolerance) or are lactose-intolerant, diabetic, or vegan, there are plenty of local catering companies that can provide diet-friendly fare to suit everyone’s taste. Gobo offers a wide selection of global-inspired, mostly vegan (and some gluten-free) dishes like butternut squash risotto, five-spice tofu rolls, and green tea noodles with bolognese sauce. Appetizer platters, main dishes, salads, and box lunches can be delivered (the radius is typically from Chambers Street to 30th Street, river to river, although the restaurant has made exceptions for large orders), and servers will be provided if needed.


Everybody Eats Inc. makes gluten-free foods ranging from pizzas and baguettes to party cakes. All products can be delivered throughout the five boroughs, and some items (like cookies, bread, and brownies) can be shipped nationwide. The company has provided food for large events, such as the 2006 International Celiac Disease Symposium, and works with caterer Choice Cooking Company if you need staffers to set up and serve their food at an event.

The Raging Skillet is a full-service catering company that welcomes special requests of all kinds, from dietary restrictions to exotic cuisine from places like Morocco or Ecuador. Owner Chef Rossi—as she bills herself—and her team can create custom sugar-free, gluten-free, or lactose-free menus for corporate and private events.

And to satisfy everyone’s sweet tooth, Babycakes NYC offers bakery treats including cupcakes, apple pie, and sandwich cookies that are wheat-, gluten-, dairy-, casein-, and egg-free. Bakery owner Erin McKenna (who’s allergic to wheat and dairy) uses ingredients like agave nectar (a natural sweetener that’s diabetic-friendly—and found in tequila), spelt flour, and coconut oil to create desserts that will fool even butter- and sugar-loving skeptics. (Her cupcakes were voted best in New York by New York magazine in 2006.) Delivery throughout Manhattan is extra, or you can pick up your treats at the Lower East Side shop.
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