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Old 02-26-2010, 07:21 PM
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Ole Glory Ole Glory is offline
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Default Food permit, WTF

County pulls plug on free coffee, doughnuts at Camarillo store

By Mark Storer
Posted February 24, 2010 at 4:55 p.m. , updated February 24, 2010 at 5:58 p.m. Photo by Chuck Kirman

Randy Collins, owner of B & B Do it Center, assists Dan Gold of Agoura with fluorescent light bulbs Wednesday.

Ty Brann likes the neighborly feel of his local hardware store. The fourth-generation Ventura County resident and small business owner has been going to the B & B Do it Center on Mobile Avenue in Camarillo for many years. His company, Kastle Kare, does pest control, landscaping and plant care, and he’s a B & B regular.

So when he learned the county had told B & B it could no longer put out its usual box of doughnuts and coffee pot for the morning customers, Brann was taken aback.

“I was a little outraged, to be honest,” said Brann, 45. “They were putting this stuff out there out of the kindness of their hearts. They called it their little pink box of love. I thought it had to be a joke.”

An anonymous customer complaint to the county brought health inspectors to the store, who determined its tradition of more than 15 years of offering coffee and doughnuts to customers violated food-handling regulations.

“We’ve been doing this since we bought the place 15 years ago and the previous owner was doing it, too,” said Randy Collins, 42, co-owner with his parents of B & B. “We simply weren’t aware we were causing a problem.”

Inspectors told Collins that unless he was willing to install stainless-steel sinks with hot and cold water and have a prep kitchen to handle the food, he was violating the law.

“The state health and safety code talks about food regulations,” said Elizabeth Huff, manager of community services for the Ventura County Environmental Health Division. “Anybody who handles food is subject to the regulations.”

At issue is the level of permit required for a retail establishment to offer food to the public. “What some establishments do is hire a mobile food preparation services or in some cases a coffee service,” said Huff. “Those establishments have permits and can operate in front of or even inside of the stores. But where the public has access to food, permitting is required.”


Photo by Chuck Kirman, Chuck Kirman / Star staff

Don Staton of Camarillo talks with cashier Parvis Lalji as he checks out of B & B Do it Center after a purchase Wednesday. The store’s owner have been told they can no longer provide free doughnuts and coffee to their customers
Huff indicated there are several levels of permits, depending on the store’s needs. All carry various costs.

“We’re certainly working with the health department,” said Collins. “We want to be in compliance with the law.”

But some customers are upset.

“This is a small town,” said Brann. “I don’t think they did anything wrong, I mean, just coffee? Come on. This seems a little overboard and heavy-handed to me.”

“It’s the money, not the sanitation,” Thomas Frye, 75, of Camarillo said of the county’s motivation. “We’ve abandoned common sense where the need for licenses and fees are more important than tradition.”

Grace Pugliese, 70, of Camarillo said customers should be allowed to make up their own minds on a doughnut. “I understand where they’re coming from,” she said, “but we are losing that small-town feel.”
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Old 02-27-2010, 12:46 AM
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At least One Employee, or the Owner would have to get a National Restaurant Association ServeSafe certification, the studybook with anwer sheet ( required) is about 50 bucks, the class/test is usually free, or a token 20 bucks or something.

Whether You're slamming-out plates of chow, or selling bagged ice, Somebody's got to have a certificate these days.

A simple NSF-approved tray with hinged cover, and self-serve tongs, not too much of a problem, besides pastry (for the most part) does'nt require refridgeration. But where it might get expensive is the coffee maker.
Technically the County would require the Owner to get a commercial maker ($500-up), and possibly re-do some plumbing, and possibly filter the water, and periodically do tests on the water.

What a head-ache.
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Old 02-27-2010, 12:59 AM
rs232c rs232c is offline
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The closest I can remember was this case:

http://www.itsscaryoutthere.com/inde...lemonade_stand

This was worked out. I still remember when banks would have coffee and cookies to relax potential customers. And those PTA meetings...

I wonder if the coffee drank from the court house coffee pot has the proper business permits, water coolers, the bake sale at the high school...my list is pretty long.
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Old 02-27-2010, 05:21 AM
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Ayatollahgondola Ayatollahgondola is offline
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All food handlers should be knowledgeable about the spread of bacteria and food handling. One person's carelessness can sicken a few hundred. This shouldn't be a problem if the permitting process is not too restrictive. Sometimes people sieze upon this type of event to break down safety rules to increase profits and create an environment that is pro business. There's a lot of that going around now. The swinging pendulum again
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Old 02-27-2010, 08:01 AM
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Ole Glory Ole Glory is offline
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What about all the illegal food vendors out on the sidewalk. Corn, tamales, chips, tacos, you name. A guy pushing a cart. Curb side. Yuck!
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Old 02-27-2010, 11:09 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ole Glory View Post
What about all the illegal food vendors out on the sidewalk. Corn, tamales, chips, tacos, you name. A guy pushing a cart. Curb side. Yuck!
Oh, They're exempt...
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Old 02-28-2010, 05:05 AM
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ilbegone ilbegone is offline
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Last night we were watching a Spanish language tour of the cities of Jalisco in Mexico. Even though I fell asleep during portions of it (I was really tired) there were a few things that really struck me.

I looked for trash left in the street and on the walkways. I saw a few pieces here and there, but not like what I see in the San Fernando Valley every day.

There was no graffiti, nor painted over portions of walls. Over all, even though much of it is relatively older architecture, the cities and towns looked clean.

Even though not extravagant, and definitely with some obvious attempts at economy with some improvisation, the people were indeed dressed more like Americans than some of the just-jumped-the border look I have seen quite a few wearing in the US, a combination of maybe a look not seen among Americans for decades and ill fitting clothes, garish combinations of clothing which seem to have fallen off the Salvation Army rack.

The graffiti in our cities seem to have originated here, regardless of who the original graffiti vandals were.

I'm not sure of what to make of the trash thrown in the streets of our cities turned into run down barrios. I don't believe that even the most traditional or backwards villages in the sticks would tolerate trash spewed all over the place.

Of course, they aren't going to show the living conditions of people like the trash pickers of Mexico City, but it it isn't in the scope of the budget of the film I saw to fake it either.

Does some of it have to do with a general class of people who are coming here, or is it disrespect for a country one has no intentions of remaining in but never leaves?




The movie was by Univision, and it's on a CD titled: Mexico en la Sangre - Jalisco - Anoranzas De Mi Pueblo.
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Last edited by ilbegone; 02-28-2010 at 05:20 AM.
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  #8  
Old 02-28-2010, 06:03 AM
rolfing rolfing is offline
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Default Donuts and Coffee

Under Calcode 113789.(c) "Food Facility" does not include any of the following5) Premises set aside for Wine Tasting as long as no food is served except for crackers. I suggest to Elizabeth Huff from the County Environmental Health Division , that since no coffeee and donuts are allowed , maybe it would be better to set up a wine tasting location at B and B Do it Center.

Now let's study Calcode
113739 "Beverage" liquid including water
113781 "Food" beverage
113789 "Food Facility" (1) an operation where food is consumed on or off premises,regardless of whether there is a charge for the food.

Therefore any operation that has water to drink by Calcode definition is considered a Food Facility requiring permits , food prep area, stainless sinks etc.

I do not believe that that was the intent of Calcode and I believe this Code needs to be further evaluated . The code is too broad as can be seen by this example.
I will contact Elizabeth Huff on Monday for her interpretation and take on this Code.
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Old 02-28-2010, 09:35 AM
Twoller Twoller is offline
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This is kind of like the trhead at the old site about requiring a food permit to pass out food to the homeless. Passing out food is a responsibility and the bigger your output of food or the more anonymously it is dispensed, the more accountable you should be.

But leaning on some little hardware store is definitly a bit rough.
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