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Delivery and Pick Up Are Now Available!The Kitchen Blog | |
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The history of how my in-home cooking business moved into a commercial kitchenEver since I started this business in 2002, many people have asked me if I can cook food and deliver it instead of cooking in their home. The reasons vary, but all are valid (person recovering from surgery, kitchen torn out for renovation, no kitchen in a dormitory apartment, and so on). At this point I can't tell you how many people I have had to turn away for that type of service.New York State law allows for very few home kitchen exemptions where you can cook food at home and sell it. Food contained in the meals I cook is not allowed to be cooked in a home kitchen and sold. Why not rent a commercial kitchen? I have researched this a few times over the years. The nearest legal "shared kitchens" from my home are each 1 1/2 hours drive one way. Too far. Kitchens in churches and brotherhood facilities are exempt from health department inspections, so a food service permit cannot be issued for these facilties. Restaurants kitchens are in use even when the restaurant is not serving. Defunct restaurants have usually sold off their equipment, so a seemingly idle ktchen is now just an empty room. What does it mean to be legal? In my county it means a kitchen must meet very specific requirements for plumbing, sanitizing dishes and utensils, having easily cleanable surfaces, certain sinks are required for certain chores (hand washing, ware washing, mop washing, food washing) and in most cases sinks cannot do double duty. All food items must be stored six inches or more off the floor. There are many more requirements. The result is a kitchen that can be inspected by the county health department. Passing an inspection is only part of the process of obtaining a food service permit. Other parts include fillng out a very long questionnaire testing the operator's food sanitation knowledge, and upon acceptance, paying $400 for the permit. Clearly, this is no small undertaking. In the past it was too much for me to do by myself. For whatever reason (maybe because now I get three contacts a week asking for this service), the spark has finally been lit. I am actually looking at empty commercial spaces where I can lease space, set up a basic kitchen, pass health inspection, get a food service permit, and cook custom meals that I can deliver to you! I think it's fair to say that this will be a unique service in the Capital District, and I am VERY excited about making it a reality. I'll post updates in The Kitchen Blog. For now, all I can say is I might have found some promising space in Rensselaer. More to come, soon, I hope! Sincerely,
Lori |
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Lori Doyle • Personal Cheflori@personalchef-llc.com324 3rd Street, Troy, NY 12180 Ph: 518-286-1650 |
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