We are a publisher dedicated to serving the informational needs of those requiring specialized diets. In association with AllergyFree Passport™ http://www.allergyfreepassport.com, and its affiliate GlutenFree Passport™ http://www.glutenfreepassport.com, we are proud to offer the Let’s Eat Out! series of books and pocket-size reference guides. This series has been nominated as a finalist for the Publisher's Marketing Association's 2006 Benjamin Franklin Awards for Best Book in Health, Wellness and Nutrition and for Best First Book in Nonfiction.
About the Authors of the Let's Eat Out! series:
Kim Koeller, Founder and President, has been living with various food allergies and sensitivities for the past 30+ years. Her food-related allergies include gluten, seafood, dairy, fish, pork, food colorings, food additives/preservatives such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and sodium nitrate. In 2002, she was diagnosed with celiac/coeliac disease. She has extensively explored food allergies and Western/Eastern medicines and therapies due to her recovery from 12 orthopedic surgeries, three years of physical therapy and her multitude of food allergies.
For the past 23 years, Kim has spent typically 75% of her time traveling across the globe and eating approximately 80% of her meals in restaurants. Prior to establishing AllergyFree Passport, she was a partner with Accenture, the world’s leading management consulting and technology services organization. In this role, she worked with Fortune 500 clients delivering sales and service related business solutions on a worldwide basis. The combination of Kim’s health concerns and her extensive domestic and international travels has provided her with a practical understanding of dining out with food allergies.
Kim holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree in International Management from Thunderbird, the Garvin School of International Management and a Bachelors of Arts degree in French from Purdue University
Robert La France, Executive Vice President, has spent over twelve years in the restaurant industry and has dealt extensively with Asian, European and North American cuisines. The spectrum of his professional experience has ranged from small single restaurant operations to large publicly traded companies with over one hundred locations. This experience has given him deep insight to guest requirements, fears of cross contamination and hidden allergens in food preparation. Over the past fifteen years, he has devoted his time to a passion for the culinary arts. Independent study and many informal cooking sessions with professional chefs have given him a breadth and depth of understanding, as well as a practical working knowledge of most international cuisines.
The combination of restaurant operations and his culinary pursuits has afforded Robert a unique understanding of the impact of living with food allergies. He has witnessed the struggles and anxieties associated with dining out, as both his brother and close friend have celiac/coeliac disease and other food sensitivities. From a dining perspective, supporting family and friends and having compassion for restaurant clients with food allergies has always been an important part of his personal and professional life.
Robert attended Arizona State University under a full talent-based scholarship and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Music degree in Vocal Performance.
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