Florida Catering/Commissary question

[willwillx]

So, let's say i just am doing smoked meats,beans etc... All ingredients must be stored at the commissary? How often does the HD or state HD want to meet you at the commissary? Most of them i see are shared spaces, how does that work? Do you like roll up with your smoker on the truck and smoke out in the commissary parking lot, and go in and out of the commissary with the meats etc.. on days of catering? I'm not talking about vending, or doing farmer markets etc.. Just straight up. John eglecias church wants a 100 person luncheon catered, or some random business. How do they inspect a smoker?

[ynotfehc]

I dknt live in Florida, but here in Minnesota it mostly depends on the local health departmentand, menu and setup on the truck or trailer. For the state, they care whether you have the ability to store, prep, cook and chill food. If you have enough refrigeration to cool and store food, and don't use a bunch of unwashed produce or have a need for a prep sink, then technically you dont need a commissary. This isnt the case in Minneapolis, they still require a commissary kitchen, you may not need to use it but you still have to have it. For the state, you'll need a prep sink if you're chopping your own romaine for salads, but if you buy pre-cut romaine dont need a prep sink. So even though it's often said, best thing is to ask your hr what those expectations are. On my trailer, I have 1 upright cooler that I use to store my prep and some raw ingredients. So i dont store everything at my commissary kitchen. I use it for storing the bulk of my inventory tho and for prep space when I need more room. I do cook outside my commissary kitchen, that way I can wash dishes in their rather than on the trailer.

[willwillx]

Originally Posted by ynotfehc

I dknt live in Florida, but here in Minnesota it mostly depends on the local health departmentand, menu and setup on the truck or trailer. For the state, they care whether you have the ability to store, prep, cook and chill food. If you have enough refrigeration to cool and store food, and don't use a bunch of unwashed produce or have a need for a prep sink, then technically you dont need a commissary. This isnt the case in Minneapolis, they still require a commissary kitchen, you may not need to use it but you still have to have it. For the state, you'll need a prep sink if you're chopping your own romaine for salads, but if you buy pre-cut romaine dont need a prep sink. So even though it's often said, best thing is to ask your hr what those expectations are. On my trailer, I have 1 upright cooler that I use to store my prep and some raw ingredients. So i dont store everything at my commissary kitchen. I use it for storing the bulk of my inventory tho and for prep space when I need more room. I do cook outside my commissary kitchen, that way I can wash dishes in their rather than on the trailer.

Thanks, it's all confusing to me.. Problem is there is 3 different counties here within 30 mins of each other, 4 if you count manatee... I suspect the biggest issue is with more vendors than caterers, it'll mostly be state doing the "opening" inspection at the commissary and whatnot.