Award-winning authors Kim Koeller and Robert La France have created the first-of-its-kind book series Let’s Eat Out! Your Passport to Living Gluten and Allergy Free for individu­als following specialized diets. This pioneering series is dedicated to eat­ing around the corner and around the world while managing 10 food aller­gens including: corn, dairy, eggs, fish, gluten, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat.

As an international management consultant, Kim Koeller has spent the last 20-plus years eating 80% of her meals in restaurants across the globe while managing over a dozen food-related allergies/sensitivities and celiac/coeliac disease. Robert La France has spent over twelve years in the restaurant industry and devotes his spare time to a passion for the culinary arts. Collectively, they have traveled over 2 million miles across the globe, dined in 30-plus countries on four continents, and have conversational skills in 5 languages.

Kim Koeller–Kim has been living with various food allergies and sensi­tivities for the past 30-plus years. Her food-related allergies include sea­food, dairy, fish, pork, food colorings, food additives/preservatives such as aspartame, monosodium glutamate (MSG), and sodium nitrate. She also has chemical and environmental aller­gies and in 2002 was diagnosed with celiac/coeliac diease an autoimmune disorder with a permanent intolerance to gluten.

Prior to establishing AllergyFree Passport®, Kim was a partner with Accenture, the world’s leading man­agement consulting and technology services organization and spent 75% of her time traveling across the globe. She led the Global Customer Interac­tion Solutions Practice and worked with Fortune 500 clients delivering sales and service related business solutions on a worldwide basis, She has been a keynote speaker present­ing at 100-plus US and international conferences to audiences of up to 1000 participants. 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 special dietary requirements. She earned 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 the French language from Purdue University.

Robert La France–Robert has spent over 12 years in the restaurant industry and has worked 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 100-plus locations. He has interacted with restaurant guests across many areas of service including: bus boy, food runner, waiter, head waiter, bartender and trainer. Over the past 15 years, he has devoted his time to a passion for the culinary arts. Independent study and 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 his brother has wheat allergies and his close friend has celiac/coeliac disease and other food sensitivities. His experience in the restaurant industry has given him deep insight to guest requirements, fears of cross contamination and hidden allergens in food preparation. From a dining perspective, supporting family and friends and having compassion for restaurant clients with specialized diets has always been an important part of his personal and professional life.

With over twenty years as a professional actor and singer, Rob­ert has extensive media and pub­lic performance experience. He has performed for over 1 million people in live theatrical productions, starred in travel programs, films, and recorded voiceovers for radio and television. He attended Arizona State University under a full talent-based scholarship and graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Music degree in Vocal Performance. Kim and Robert now promote awareness of food allergies and celiac/coeliac disease as President and Executive Vice President respectively of AllergyFree Passport®.