A chef with food allergies may sound ironic, but for chef Sarah Daulton, founder of Denver Cooking Classes (DCC), it’s been her way of life. Throughout the years she has struggled to find answers for why certain foods she loves make her so sick. Eventually she got diagnosed with the autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s.
While not everyone with the condition has the same food sensitivities, common allergens include gluten, dairy, soy, grains, nightshades, nuts, and seeds. Unfortunately for Daulton, she can’t have any of these without getting really sick. So, not only does the chef watch what she eats when dining out, but she makes sure her clients who have allergies are safe too. But when she’s not working and wants to go out for a bite, it can be tricky. Read on to learn more about her business and favorite places around town that cater to dietary restrictions.
Denver Cooking Classes
Daulton launched DCC about five years ago, right before COVID caused her to pivot the original school plan. While at the time running the classes proved challenging, Daulton said she ended up developing the current model of in-home cooking classes. She also added corporate cooking classes, each based on global menus featuring 10 different countries.
The creation of DCC came about serendipitously. At the time Daulton worked at a wine shop, having taken a break from the world of kitchens. That didn’t stop her from putting together food for wine pairings or helping customers decide what to cook with what wine or what bottle would go great with supper.
Eventually a customer started talking to her about teaching cooking. He wanted, said Daulton, an activity to do with his adult children. The chef decided to try it out, and after a lot of trial and error while teaching the family (including a lost side of beef and a bag of rice accidentally placed on a hot stove), she decided to go forth and create a business out of it.
With $500, Daulton started DCC. Initially she had a couple aprons and embroidered them with the logo. Now, she has almost 100, and knives and cutting boards to match. As COVID protocols and fear died down she opened a kitchen and started hosting corporate cooking classes for 10 to 14 people. Today those classes reach around 75.
Through all this Daulton has had to deal with food allergies, and suspects many come from her autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s. Because of all this, the chef pays even more attention to the dietary needs of others, and accommodates classes accordingly. She also respects restaurants that do the same for her own needs. With that, the chef shared her favorite places to eat, focusing on those that allow her to feel safe while dining out.
Sonny’s Mediterranean
We met up with the chef at the Highland fast-casual spot Sonny’s Mediterranean. It’s one of Daulton’s favorite places. When she goes she likes to order, well everything without dairy or gluten. Lucky for her, a lot of Mediterranean cuisine caters to these allergies.
The best plan of action, she said, is to order the family meal. While a $62.50 price tag may sound like a lot, it includes either a whole roasted chicken or 30 falafel balls, as well as a pint of hummus, two sauces, two mezze items, and four pita. Daulton does mourn the loss of eating fresh pita, but considering the rest of the food fits in the diet and tastes so good, she’s okay with it. Don’t skip the harissa or zhoug sauces, she adds, they go on everything. 2622 W. 32nd Ave., Denver, sonnysmed.com
Bonnie Brae Ice Cream
For someone who can’t have dairy but loves ice cream, Daulton has found the perfect work around. Enter the almost 40-year-old sweet shop in the Bonnie Brae neighborhood in Denver. Here, said the chef, there’s always at least two dairy-free ice creams made with either oat or almond milk, which means she can have the classic cold treat without feeling sick. 799 S. University Blvd., Denver, bonniebraeicecream.com
La Diabla Pozole y Mezcal
Not only is chef Jose Avila’s RiNo spot delicious and lauded around the country, but Daulton praised how well it caters to her allergies. Being able to comfortably eat somewhere she trusts, she said, is how a restaurant wins her heart.
“I had told them about my allergies and about orange juice, which was more my concern in Mexican restaurants,” said the chef, adding the items can often be found in simple syrup and margaritas. “They were just so on top of that, they said they double-checked and tripled-checked.”
The last time she visited she safely enjoyed a house margarita, carne asada tacos, and guacamole, and suggests you do the same. 2233 Larimer St., Denver, ladiabladenver.com
Kumoya
It’s been a year since Kumoya opened in the former Tony P’s space in Highland. With chef Corey Baker at the helm, the Japanese restaurant has been strong ever since.
“It’s the best meal I’ve had, and they were also really good about telling me what not to order,” said Daulton, adding the staff informed her which dishes couldn’t be altered without ruining the integrity of the item. She ordered the hamachi collar, something the chef uses to help gauge the quality of a restaurant like Kumoya. It’s like the salad test, she said, “If you can’t make a good salad I don’t usually trust the rest of the menu.”
It turned out perfect, and so did the rest of the meal. In fact, after we sat down for our dinner at Sonny’s and the restaurant recommendation conversation, she went over to Kumoya for an uni nightcap. 2400 W. 32nd Ave., Denver, kumoyadenver.com
Safta
One of Daulton’s top places to dine out at is Safta in RiNo. Here, she said, hospitality goes above and beyond, and for someone dealing with Hashimoto’s and food allergies, that’s important. For example, when faced with her dietary restrictions, the team brought her a menu with all the dishes she could eat circled. Not only did that take away the fear of choosing wrong, but it gave ordering an autonomy not always found when needing special considerations.
Like Sonny’s, which was started by Safta alumni David Schloss, chef and restaurateur Alon Shaya’s restaurant also specializes in dips, roasted meats, and pita (not that Daulton can eat the bread). Unlike the aforementioned Sonny’s, Safta offers upscale, full-service dining, and the cuisine is more modern Israeli than Mediterranean. But no matter what you call it, Daulton loves them both. 3330 Brighton Blvd., inside the Source, Denver, eatwithsafta.com
