Gone Missing
Yes, I've gone missing of late. Actually, I'm still around but just busy as with the coffee shop as a one-armed wallpaper hanger with the hives.
The natives, it seems, have become restless and want to know exactly when their coffee shop will open. It's truly amazing that I get that question anywhere I go in town. The sign maker, who I met for the first time yesterday, said he had been asked at least a dozen times. Others have simply stopped in and asked, usually with an inquiry of whether their favorite will be offered. So, pressure is building for an earlier date, perhaps as early as March 1.
It has been interesting to use food and beverage regulations to advantage. I've been dealing with the NC Department of Agriculture on the in-store bakery which by general statute is NOT regulated by the NC Department of Health as a restaurant. In fact, the folks at DOA have been very helpful in defining what I can and cannot do to avoid becoming a restaurant and all the time and expense that entails.
So here's the deal. I can make and sell beverages such as coffee, tea and smoothies so long as they are served in one-time use vessels. I can make and sell baked goods so long as they are served in one-time use tableware. I can sell food and beverage prepared elsewhere in accordance with food regulations. These can include bottled water, soda, and other such beverages that you might find in a grocery store as well as prepackaged foods such as those you might find in a grocery store. These foods include not only such things as bagels, donuts and other baked goods but also all those things from the deli, including sandwiches. Now, if I serve them from behind the counter (as opposed to letting them be self-served in a case) they need not be labeled. I simply tell you that it is a "ham and cheese" but I cannot alter them in any way as that would constitute "food processing". Accordingly, I can serve you a bagel with cream cheese (with the cheese in a one-time use package) and point you toward the toaster and microwave oven where you can "process" them in any way you see fit before consumption. Same thing with sandwiches and other prepared foods. While I cannot add or delete anything from a sandwich, I can point you to the condiments table where you can alter the sandwich until your heart is content. Accordingly, I can serve virtually any food or beverage without being a restaurant so long as it was properly prepared and labeled and I do not "process" anything except those exempted by statute (beverages, jams, jellies, baked goods, sauces, salsas and pickled vegetables). And, with that, I can, with impunity, tell the county health inspector who enforces state restaurant regulations to go take a hike.
Eat, drink and be merry!
The natives, it seems, have become restless and want to know exactly when their coffee shop will open. It's truly amazing that I get that question anywhere I go in town. The sign maker, who I met for the first time yesterday, said he had been asked at least a dozen times. Others have simply stopped in and asked, usually with an inquiry of whether their favorite will be offered. So, pressure is building for an earlier date, perhaps as early as March 1.
It has been interesting to use food and beverage regulations to advantage. I've been dealing with the NC Department of Agriculture on the in-store bakery which by general statute is NOT regulated by the NC Department of Health as a restaurant. In fact, the folks at DOA have been very helpful in defining what I can and cannot do to avoid becoming a restaurant and all the time and expense that entails.
So here's the deal. I can make and sell beverages such as coffee, tea and smoothies so long as they are served in one-time use vessels. I can make and sell baked goods so long as they are served in one-time use tableware. I can sell food and beverage prepared elsewhere in accordance with food regulations. These can include bottled water, soda, and other such beverages that you might find in a grocery store as well as prepackaged foods such as those you might find in a grocery store. These foods include not only such things as bagels, donuts and other baked goods but also all those things from the deli, including sandwiches. Now, if I serve them from behind the counter (as opposed to letting them be self-served in a case) they need not be labeled. I simply tell you that it is a "ham and cheese" but I cannot alter them in any way as that would constitute "food processing". Accordingly, I can serve you a bagel with cream cheese (with the cheese in a one-time use package) and point you toward the toaster and microwave oven where you can "process" them in any way you see fit before consumption. Same thing with sandwiches and other prepared foods. While I cannot add or delete anything from a sandwich, I can point you to the condiments table where you can alter the sandwich until your heart is content. Accordingly, I can serve virtually any food or beverage without being a restaurant so long as it was properly prepared and labeled and I do not "process" anything except those exempted by statute (beverages, jams, jellies, baked goods, sauces, salsas and pickled vegetables). And, with that, I can, with impunity, tell the county health inspector who enforces state restaurant regulations to go take a hike.
Eat, drink and be merry!
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