Red Hook Vendors Have 10 Days to Address Health Dept. Concerns
Thursday, August 9, 2007
The vendors of the Red Hook Ball Fields, Brooklyn's underdog du jour, face a new threat to their existence in the form of one Department of Health. The Porkchop Express has the results of a meeting that took place yesterday between heath officials and Cesar Fuentes, head of the Red Hook Vendors Committee. Seems the DOH, who was on site for an inspection last Saturday, has some concerns with the way the vendors conduct the business of food service:
By Sunday August 19th they must:
· store more ice in coolers
· acquire portable hand washers/sanitation units
· wear sterile gloves and change said gloves regularly
· have a source of running water to wash hands, tacos, etc.
· rent commercial grade kitchens to prep food, or prepare everything on-site
Most significantly, The Powers That Be want everyone who works at a stand to be licensed. Anyone associated with a tent – from corn shuckers to pupusa stuffers – must undergo a training session to obtain a mobile food vending license. At present, only 12 tent operators are licensed; this number will (must) more than quadruple.
Non-compliance will, in theory, shut the ball fields down. But at present that doesn't seem to be the outcome anyone is looking for. The city has, for example, offered to send license trainers free of charge to the vendors to make the process as easy as possible. More at the Porkchop Express, but we're filing this one under low-grade threat.
· Red Hook: The Drama Continues [Porkchop Express]
· EaterWire Summer Friday Edition: Ball Fields Safe Until October [~E~]
the city might be going through this process with the ball fields so there aren't accusations that they're turning a blind eye, but enforcing code issues everywhere else in the city. it does seem that they are trying to be cooperative with the vendors so as to not appear adversarial. all in all, i'd say a preventative measure by the city, especially given the amount of press the ball fields are receiving these days.
Man I am heading down to the RedHook ball fields this weekend I hope the tacos are there. Sounds like this is more of a procedural thing they would be stupid to shut down a good thing in an emerging real estate market. Not worthwhile to them.
i like the going through the motions/covering your butt theory. still, the question of the moment: does anyone eat at street carts expecting the methods to meet food safety guidelines to a T? i sure don't!
They're cooking food in tents. Outside. By a soccer field. I think people realize that maybe these guys aren't sticking their hands in an autoclave after every pupusa.
Is there anything we, the eager consumers of this food, can do to help the cause at this point? Is there anyone at the Dept. of Health we should be sending letters to? I really want to pitch in to save the vendors, but don't know how to help.
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