Public food service at a theme camp?

[FireShaman]

I know there are forms and fees to pay out to the NV government, but I was wondering if anyone has ever done this? Did you have lots of issues with the health inspectors? Some of the requirements (specifically the requirement that ALL food prepared off site be prepared in a licensed food prep facility) seem a bit.... over the top.

[Elderberry]

We've gotten a food service permit for the last two years, but we only serve root beer floats. They came to inspect and were very nice--gave us some pointers and checked the temperature of our freezer.

JK

[FireShaman]

I kept trying to come get a root beer float this year and never did make it over. I was thinking along the lines of fried carnival food, so I suspect they would check out my setup quite a bit more carefully.

[Lassen Forge]

Oh yeah, a lot of camps do this (I almost did it for my bar on the offchance we did bar canapes, etc.) and IMO I like the Health Department there - really cool, keep burners safe, and will show you what you need to get into compliance or better. Wish the HD in my old county of residence were that awesome. They WILL shut you down, but they will also open you right back up if you can get into compliance PDQ!

There are 2 things that are really important if you do food - one is a proper wash station (Wash/Dry/Sanitize) for all your gear, the other is a 40/140 thermometer, that has the "calibration" lines at 32 and 212. That way you can see if your temps are OK. Spend a little more, get one that goes to -5, and you can check your freezer as well! Available at most restaurant supply houses.

Oh yeah, interesting note - Carnival "Floss Wagons" (food joints) usually pass with flying colors - they have the whole storage and sanitation thing to a science, traveling (sometimes) 11 months out of the year. Ex Boyfriend of mine ran a fleet of these for a show, VERY cool business.

[Ugly Dougly]

I kept trying to come get a root beer float this year and never did make it over. I was thinking along the lines of fried carnival food, so I suspect they would check out my setup quite a bit more carefully.

Deep fried twinkies?

[FireShaman]

deep fried everything. Including deep fried Grey Water (my signature drink I'm slowly developing) in a thin pastry shell.

[theCryptofishist]

I don't want to accuse anyone of being unsanitary.
I just want to say that I appreciate the idea of being able to glance at the permit and feel fairly sure that this meal isnt' going ot come back up or go out really quickly after a nasty stomach ache.
I don't go to the playa to entertain Sam and Ella.

[Bluemandrew]

(specifically the requirement that ALL food prepared off site be prepared in a licensed food prep facility) seem a bit.... over the top.

I think you'll find that this is the rule for any food vending service, and isn't BM specific

[FireShaman]

[quote="Bluemandrew"][quote="FireShaman"] (specifically the requirement that ALL food prepared off site be prepared in a licensed food prep facility) seem a bit.... over the top.[/quote]

I think you'll find that this is the rule for any food vending service, and isn't BM specific[/quote]

Absolutely. And when you are vending for a profit you can use that profit to rent food service preparation facilities.

[sierra_kink]

We served breakfast burritos with chorizo & eggs among other things. I was happy to get the green light from the inspector before we served. They are super cool and really do have everybody's best interests at heart. The year before last I lost half of my week to the shits (unrelated incident). I wouldn't wish that on anybody on the playa!! So we take sanitation very seriously. It really isn't difficult. Good hand washing, sanitation and proper food handling is more common sense than bureaucratic muscling. They are there to help you not to bust balls.

[Token]

We served breakfast burritos with chorizo & eggs among other things. I was happy to get the green light from the inspector before we served. They are super cool and really do have everybody's best interests at heart. The year before last I lost half of my week to the shits (unrelated incident). I wouldn't wish that on anybody on the playa!! So we take sanitation very seriously. It really isn't difficult. Good hand washing, sanitation and proper food handling is more common sense than bureaucratic muscling. They are there to help you not to bust balls.

*BINGO*

+1

It's easy to comply and pleasant to boot. The inspectors even gave out test strips for out bleach water dip container. Nice folks.

[C187]

We had no issue (from what I heard), the inspectors rocked, the permit was easy to get, and everything we did is what you would aspect from someone serving a sandwich. Follow the rules, ask questions, have fun.

[maryanimal]

Is a small food service really possible? I suspect you have to give a lot of thought to things to serve that's playa friendly!

[Elderberry]

Is a small food service really possible? I suspect you have to give a lot of thought to things to serve that's playa friendly!

What might you consider playa friendly? French Crepes? Fresh Tuna Fish (not out of a can)? Root Beer Floats? Bacon and Eggs? Fruit Smoothies? I'm trying to think of even more exotic things I have seen people serve on the playa. My point being, people serve just about anything you can think of out there--which is what makes discovering those camps so much fun.

Some things, however, are easier to serve and meet health department requirements; but that doesn't stop people from doing it and doing it well.

JK

[maryanimal]

Is a small food service really possible? I suspect you have to give a lot of thought to things to serve that's playa friendly!

What might you consider playa friendly? French Crepes? Fresh Tuna Fish (not out of a can)? Root Beer Floats? Bacon and Eggs? Fruit Smoothies? I'm trying to think of even more exotic things I have seen people serve on the playa. My point being, people serve just about anything you can think of out there--which is what makes discovering those camps so much fun.

Some things, however, are easier to serve and meet health department requirements; but that doesn't stop people from doing it and doing it well.

JK

I was thinking cannoli and coffee. Can a fridge be run on propane? I know I'll need one.

[Fire_Moose]

Is a small food service really possible? I suspect you have to give a lot of thought to things to serve that's playa friendly!

What might you consider playa friendly? French Crepes? Fresh Tuna Fish (not out of a can)? Root Beer Floats? Bacon and Eggs? Fruit Smoothies? I'm trying to think of even more exotic things I have seen people serve on the playa. My point being, people serve just about anything you can think of out there--which is what makes discovering those camps so much fun.

Some things, however, are easier to serve and meet health department requirements; but that doesn't stop people from doing it and doing it well.

JK

I was thinking cannoli and coffee. Can a fridge be run on propane? I know I'll need one.

Everything can be run on propane my dear...everything.

[Elderberry]

Is a small food service really possible? I suspect you have to give a lot of thought to things to serve that's playa friendly!

What might you consider playa friendly? French Crepes? Fresh Tuna Fish (not out of a can)? Root Beer Floats? Bacon and Eggs? Fruit Smoothies? I'm trying to think of even more exotic things I have seen people serve on the playa. My point being, people serve just about anything you can think of out there--which is what makes discovering those camps so much fun.

Some things, however, are easier to serve and meet health department requirements; but that doesn't stop people from doing it and doing it well.

JK

I was thinking cannoli and coffee. Can a fridge be run on propane? I know I'll need one.

Yes, but propane refrigerators are REALLY expensive. Your best bet is to buy a chest freezer, which takes very little power (under 200 Watts for our 7cu ft freezer) to run and a small generator. Then to turn the freezer into a refrigerator buy a Johnson Controls Digital Thermostat Control Unit.

We run the freezer for our ice cream--only run it during the day--it stays cold all night--actually the instructions that came with the freezer say it will keep things frozen 24 hours if the power goes out.

We're getting another one for next year to use as a refrig. They are very efficient and the biggest reason why is that all the cold air doesn't fall out every time you open the door.

JK

[Artemis]

I, for one, had no interest for my first year in being so ambitious as to bring a fridge and/or do food service.

[Boijoy]

Is a small food service really possible? I suspect you have to give a lot of thought to things to serve that's playa friendly!

What might you consider playa friendly? French Crepes? Fresh Tuna Fish (not out of a can)? Root Beer Floats? Bacon and Eggs? Fruit Smoothies? I'm trying to think of even more exotic things I have seen people serve on the playa. My point being, people serve just about anything you can think of out there--which is what makes discovering those camps so much fun.

Some things, however, are easier to serve and meet health department requirements; but that doesn't stop people from doing it and doing it well.

JK

I was thinking cannoli and coffee. Can a fridge be run on propane? I know I'll need one.

biscotti & coffee & you won't need a frig.

[bud buddah]

@JK, where you the folks at 7:30 just off the Esplanade making root beer floats every afternoon? I was at Mal Mart just next door, and loved those afternoon treats. Good job you guys!

If the original poster wants some help with biscotti, I'd be happy to help out. I have a friend who recently offered to lend me an industrial mixer for making big batches, and I think biscotti would hold up really well on the playa.

JR

[bud buddah]

@JK, where you the folks at 7:30 just off the Esplanade making root beer floats every afternoon? I was at Mal Mart just next door, and loved those afternoon treats. Good job you guys!

If the original poster wants some help with biscotti, I'd be happy to help out. I have a friend who recently offered to lend me an industrial mixer for making big batches, and I think biscotti would hold up really well on the playa.

JR

[motskyroonmatick]

I was thinking cannoli and coffee. Can a fridge be run on propane? I know I'll need one.

YES! I picked up a classic small propane RV fridge off of craigslist for $25. It runs on propane and 120V AC(normal house current).

Lately I have been scoping out small refrigerators that are slightly bigger than dorm room size. I'm interested in running one off of solar power.

If you look on the back of the refrigerator or freezer you will see a UL tag. That tag will contain the power use information of that device. Basically voltage and amps. Using that information you can see what size of power source you will need to power it. Remember that the altitude of the playa generally makes generators loose 10% of their rated output.

The Honda EU series of generators seems to perform very well on playa and is a great thing to have around for when the power goes out.

[curiousgnate]

We did grilled cheeses this year. just send in your form ahead of time and go meet the peeps in center camp on mon -tues morning and all will be cool they will come out and are really nice, and the son of the mom who both do this is super cute, unfortunately he is most likely straight, but definately super cute! just follow all the rules and you are golden. prepare your food on the playa not off.

[BRC_Santa2003]

...includes SELLING food?

I was against selling coffee at Center Camp when it first started, so wanna' guess where I am on Government Permits for Selling Food Stuffs?

Next you people will want to rent spaces for Elephant Ears, flags, t-shirts, key chains, and batteries.

Why not just CATER the whole fucking thing?

[Eric]

...includes SELLING food?

My.

We're really worked up over something that doesn't exist, aren't we?

The permits are for food that is Given Away. Just like always. By law even free food has to meet Nevada safety regulations, that's what this thread was discussing, which you probably would have realized if you had actually read it instead of just going ballistic.

If this thread got you that agitated I highly recommend avoiding the political ones. Or the snarky ones.

(What's he going to do when he finds out some rich people had their trip catered last year?)

[theCryptofishist]

I don't know, but "apoplexy" comes to mind.

[ygmir]

...includes SELLING food?

My.

We're really worked up over something that doesn't exist, aren't we?

The permits are for food that is Given Away. Just like always. By law even free food has to meet Nevada safety regulations, that's what this thread was discussing, which you probably would have realized if you had actually read it instead of just going ballistic.

If this thread got you that agitated I highly recommend avoiding the political ones. Or the snarky ones.

(What's he going to do when he finds out some rich people had their trip catered last year?)

that's how I stay calm and centered.

[BRC_Santa2003]

...includes SELLING food?

My.

We're really worked up over something that doesn't exist, aren't we?

The permits are for food that is Given Away. Just like always. By law even free food has to meet Nevada safety regulations, that's what this thread was discussing, which you probably would have realized if you had actually read it instead of just going ballistic.
[/size]

Actually, I did read it all, before posting. I just irks me. I have been in camps that got around all that by 'supplying' a kitchen and 'theoretically' having everyone cook their own food.
[/color][/size=18][/size][/b]

[Eric]

...includes SELLING food?

My.

We're really worked up over something that doesn't exist, aren't we?

The permits are for food that is Given Away. Just like always. By law even free food has to meet Nevada safety regulations, that's what this thread was discussing, which you probably would have realized if you had actually read it instead of just going ballistic.
[/size]

Actually, I did read it all, before posting. I just irks me. I have been in camps that got around all that by 'supplying' a kitchen and 'theoretically' having everyone cook their own food.
[/color][/size=18][/size][/b]

The regulations apply to camps giving away food to the general population (like a bar camp, but food). Theme camps/ villages with their own private kitchen areas don't fall under the regulations unless a thresh-hold of people are being served (I think it's 20, but I can't remember the exact number)

Camps that have a kitchen but don't do communal meals (which seems to be your reference above) & don't serve to the general public don't fall under the regulations.

[theCryptofishist]

My.

We're really worked up over something that doesn't exist, aren't we?

The permits are for food that is Given Away. Just like always. By law even free food has to meet Nevada safety regulations, that's what this thread was discussing, which you probably would have realized if you had actually read it instead of just going ballistic.
[/size]

Actually, I did read it all, before posting. I just irks me. I have been in camps that got around all that by 'supplying' a kitchen and 'theoretically' having everyone cook their own food.
[/color][/size=18][/size][/b]

The regulations apply to camps giving away food to the general population (like a bar camp, but food). Theme camps/ villages with their own private kitchen areas don't fall under the regulations unless a thresh-hold of people are being served (I think it's 20, but I can't remember the exact number)

Camps that have a kitchen but don't do communal meals (which seems to be your reference above) & don't serve to the general public don't fall under the regulations.

I don't know, the whole idea of a group of people "theoretically" cooking their food on playa, does sound like a recipe for food poisoning. Especially if they were "theoretically" keeping their meat cold, too.