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Let Them Eat Cake: EDS Brings Buddy’s Allergen Free Desserts to GUS Mart

Everyone loves dessert. From cupcakes to cookies to brownies and s’mores – there’s no denying that a sweet treat always brings a smile to our faces. However, for the 15 million individuals who have food allergies in the United States, indulging in desserts isn’t always easy. Thankfully for students with food allergies at Georgia Southern, that’s where Buddy’s Allergen Free Cakes come in.

Founded by Laura Catron in 2015, Buddy’s Allergen Free offered a solution for dessert-lovers with food intolerances.

“I found out our son is intolerant to all the major food groups,” Catron said. “He couldn’t have anything. What he missed most as a child were treats.”

Catron struggled to find treats for her son Alex (or “Buddy” as he’s known) that didn’t contain at least one of the food groups he couldn’t eat and found that large portions of homemade allergen-free desserts did not stay fresh for more than a short period of time. Catron decided to find the solution herself, but crafting her own recipe for a single portion, delicious dessert for her son was not easy. After painstaking trial and error and more than 50 attempts, she finally found the perfect ingredients.

Brittany Parham, Nutritional Coordinator for Eagle Dining Services, found parallels in Catron’s situation with Georgia Southern students- many of whom also struggle with food allergies. 

“The biggest thing students tell me they miss is dessert,” said Parham. “That’s why it was so exciting when I met Laura at a conference this past year. I couldn’t wait to share these treats with Georgia Southern.”

Buddy’s Allergen Free Cakes are free of the top eight allergens: gluten, dairy, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, corn syrup, artificial flavors and artificial colors. These delicious cakes, which are available at GUS Mart in the IT Building on the Statesboro Campus, come in three delicious flavors: Very Vanilla, Chocolate Fudge and Warm Spice.

“We’re trying to incorporate more allergen free options throughout campus, and being on the opposite end of campus from our allergen free station in Dining Commons, No Whey!, it makes it a lot easier for me to help students find options throughout campus,” Parham said.

With Buddy’s Allergen Free, you can enjoy delicious, small portions of cake without having to worry about allergens and artificial ingredients.

Click here to read more about Buddy’s Allergen Free in the Aux Now Magazine.

 

-Amy Hicks
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