MBE 2010
Food
continued from page 3
doors, no pets or children in
the kitchen. And you should
expect spot inspections at any
time. Is a home kitchen less
safe than a commercial
kitchen? Food safety expert
William Keene says it’s all
about the equipment needed
to serve food in volume. Walk-in refrigera-
tors, for example, cool food to correct tem-
peratures more quickly than small fridges.
Register your café, restaurant or food cart
(officially known as a mobile food unit)
with Multnomah County, pay the required
license fee and expect an inspection. You’ll
need a temporary event license if you want
to sell food to the public for even just one
day. There are a few exceptions to that rule.
If all you are selling are baked goods, such
as cookies or candy, you won’t need a
license. You can sell coffee without a
license – but you won’t be able to offer
cream with that.
PHOTO BY BrIan STIMSOn
Anyone who sells food must
follow Oregon’s Food Safety
laws
sue metz, william Gaddis of the best of shevens catfish cart at the boise-eliot
outdoor market at the corner of williams avenue and Fremont street.
food in a client’s kitchen, but must not bring
food from an unlicensed kitchen.
Avoid paying commercial kitchen license
and fees by becoming a personal chef
instead of a caterer. Caterers must prepare
everything in a commercial kitchen. As a
personal chef, you must prepare and cook
every dish you serve in your clients’
kitchens. You are allowed to serve your
clients bought food however, for example,
potato salad or hummus purchased in a
supermarket.
Can you license your home kitchen? Yes,
in theory, but it had better be a huge kitchen
or a converted garage with separate space to
rapidly refrigerate and safely store large
quantities of food. You would have to com-
ply with all kinds of rules including closed
Pay the Fees. For a restaurant the mini-
mum license fee is $495 for a cafe serving
15 people or less. That rises to $705 for din-
ing rooms seating 150 people or more. For
food carts, the fee is $315. For a one-day
temporary event you’ll pay $120.
If the kitchen you are using is a new com-
mercial kitchen that will cost you an extra
$375 for a restaurant or $290 for a food cart.
Make sure your kitchen is up to the required
standards. Food carts, for example, are
licensed to serve different foods depending
on the facilities they contain for example,
hand washing and water supply.
If in doubt, help is available from
Multnomah County’s “Sanitarian of the
Day” a food safety expert who can answer
any of your questions. Call: 503-988-3400.
COUNTY FOOD ADDRESSES
http://www2.co.multnomah.or.us/foodhandlercard/
http://www3.multco.us/MCHealthInspect/ListSearch.aspx
http://www.mchealth.org/mchealthinspect/mfu.html food carts
Fees http://www.mchealth.org/mchealthinspect/info/feeschedule.pdf
September 29, 2010 • the Portland and Seattle Skanner • Minority Business Enterprise • Page 5