An open letter to Bojangles from my 7-year-old

Bojangles, Bojangles, Bojangles,

I know you're out there. And this letter is for you, from my son Elias. And also from me, as his mother.

You see, Elias has life-threatening food allergies to peanuts and tree nuts and also celiac disease. Prior to his celiac diagnosis last year, Bojangles was his favorite place to eat. The fries. The chicken supremes. And the biscuits. I'd buy a dozen and he'd eat them constantly.

This kid has handled his restrictions like a champ for years. But I dare say one area he constantly has trouble with is giving up his 'Jingle Bells' (his name for you when he was younger).

He's asked me to find matching recipes. He compares any and all eating out experiences to how it tastes compared to your fries or your chicken or your biscuits. I've tried so many things, and still, while coming close it's never just right. Bojangles right.

He brought this all up again last night for about the 7,000th time. And I said, "You should write them a letter and tell them how you feel. It's always good to share your thoughts and suggestions with businesses. They may not be able to change anything, but they will at least hear from you. And I'll help."

Today, I pick him up from school and he says, "I started my letter to Bojangles during quiet time today. I will finish it after homework and then you can take it to the one Bojangles we usually eat at. What do you think they will do?"

I just, again, encouraged him to express himself. And we'll see what happens. He made sure the envelope was Bojangles yellow. And that he signed it as 'fan' so you wouldn't know his real name. (Which, is pointless now that I'm hitting up the interwebs with this letter.)

But, Bojangles, if you're out there and listening, I'm not expecting you to change a thing. You are so good at what you do. And with celiac disease myself, I so miss those biscuits. You are a raging success because you do what you do and you do it well.

However, for those of us (and there are millions) struggling with food allergies and diet restrictions for serious and life threatening reasons, will you let my son know you hear him? Is that possible? It would mean the world to him. Truly. (And to this mom, too.) We deal with a lot of 'no's' and 'can't go there's' and 'you must eat this instead's' and in reality, just knowing we are heard and loved and respected can mean as much as the food itself.

Here's your letter, Bojangles. And in case you don't read 7-year-old writing, I'll transcribe for you. And if you want to reach out, feel free to contact me. (He spelled our address wrong anyway.)

With love for my son and his will to speak out and be brave,
Kira Kroboth

To: Bojangles
From: Fan :)

I love your food. But now I can't have it. Because of gluten.

(heart),
Fan

[portion of our misspelled address]

Make something gluten free. Please!!