Filling The Need For Nut-Free
Baker Kelsey Munger discusses the challenges and rewards of running a nut-free bakery.
Food allergies affect 33 million Americans, a combined third of which are allergic to peanuts and tree nuts. Despite the prevalence of nut allergies across the country, restaurants, bakeries, and cafes that provide nut-free environments and products are few and far between. With limited access to safe foods, those with nut allergies tend to stay home rather than run the risk of a bad reaction. Enter: Kelsey Munger. At Monumental Market, Munger offers not only nut-free baked goods, but an accessible, transparent, and compassionate environment where those with (and without) allergy sensitivities can enjoy the sweeter things in life.
photos: alex zeren
How do you source nut-free products that are actually nut-free?
To be honest, because I had to do so much [research] in my personal life, I have come to know what brands and what products are safe in general. It's important that there are no nuts, but also that they’re coming from a nut-free facility. I look at the entire website [of a company] and see if they have any nuts in their brand line. There are products specifically created to be top-eight-allergen-free (dairy, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, and soybeans), which is great, but I don’t need it to be all that. Sometimes I want dairy or wheat in the product. Luckily, a lot of bigger companies like Hershey or King Arthur Flour have certificates for allergen testing for every product. If that's available to me, I like to print those out and have them in a binder for customers to see. There are so many levels of allergen sensitivity, and customers like me want to know that extra steps and precautions were taken.
What goes into creating a safe, nut-free space?
When I was thinking about opening up a space, it wasn't just about the ingredients. The staff has to be so well-trained about cross-contamination and different allergies. For example, you can't wear lotion with almond oil and you can’t bring snacks in here with nuts. You can't eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and then walk in to work. You have to think about the bigger picture. We’ve had people come in who are excited and say, ‘I have a nut allergy, and I haven't been to a bakery in 20 years.’ But we’ve also had people come in who are nervous to try things because they have never had this experience. They ask, ‘Is it really safe?’ It shows you how deep and how scary it can be growing up with these allergies. Trust issues can form. It's about understanding the guests.
What do you hope for the future of Monumental Market and nut-free baking?
After settling in and going into the fifth year [of Monumental Market], I finally feel like we found our flow, and I'm finding myself wanting to be more in the community and be more front-facing. I would love to educate more bakeries and restaurants—even if they are not necessarily nut-free—how to be sensitive to allergies. For example, we have a dairy-free steamer and a dairy steamer. Having bakeries learn and implement those small things can help their customers be safe. When guests who have allergies feel that the bakery understands them and understands the severity of their allergies, it makes them feel seen and heard. I want to provide that for people and continue creating community with events, baking classes, and packaged baking mixes—making it easy and accessible so that people with allergies, and people without allergies, can enjoy them.
