<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>

This is going to sound like an advertisement for a resort, but I have no
economic interest in it whatsoever:

This month, my family spent five days at the Banff Springs Resort (403)
762-2211, in the Canadian Rockie Mountains.  Since we were on a plan which
included three meals per day and have two children on gluten/milk/egg free
diets, we were skeptical that the resort could handle us.

The head of catering, Tom Killingsworth, did an incredible job.  The resort
has over a dozen different restaurants, and we planned ahead on which one we
would visit for each meal.  Tom made a large purchase of special products
from Kinnikinnick foods, and met with the head chef at each restaurant the
week before we arrived.  Each chef and each waiter was given a 3 page memo I
had written about Celiac Disease and diet restrictions.

Once we got to the resort, we felt like "normal" people in that for the first
time since my son's celiac diagnosis, we could walk into a restaurant without
brining any food and without calling in advance (remember those days?).  Out
of 15 meals (5 days, 3 meals a day) there was only one time where there was
any problem, and that was a 20 minute delay in obtaining the special chicken
we had requested.  My sons were never once served food which was off their
diet.

The food was excellent too, although my young children are fairly picky
eaters and did not utilize the full culinary potential of the resort.  The
chef made fresh fruit sorbets which were so good that my wife and I
(non-Celiacs) ate them instead of the regular desserts for many meals.

We plan on returning to Banff for another vacation in the future -- beyond
the food, its a magnificent part of the world and the resort has lots of
great things to do for people of all ages, but especially for families with
children.

Bill Elkus
Los Angeles