San Antonio Chef Ticketed 2k For Feeding Homeless

The more laws you have the less free you are. If there are 100 laws to follow just in order to build a house on my own land that I worked hard for how free are you really? Freedom is just a loose term to promote political ideas but now its just an idea it no longer exist the sooner we realize that the better off we will be cause then maybe we will fight to get it back

Ok then, when your hypothetical house burns to the ground with yourself and your family inside, remember it could've probably easily been prevented had the house been built with the proper permits, up to building and fire safety inspections codes, and in compliance with all laws governing planning and zoning of buildings. Literally, if you're that willing to die, who am I to stand in your way? I might as well provide you with a knife to slit your own throat with right now, as nothing I or anyone else can or could say will change your mind.

BECAUSE there's laws governing product safety, I can sleep peacefully at night knowing the hot water heater in my basement won't kill me in my sleep by backfiring carbon monoxide fumes into the house.
BECAUSE there's laws governing how and where houses and buildings can be built, and to which purpose, I can walk into my house or a grocery store, safe in the knowledge the roof more than likely won't cave in and kill me.
BECAUSE there's laws governing food service and safety, I can go out to eat, or purchase food at a grocery store, take it home or sit down in a restaurant and eat there, safe in the knowledge that what I'm eating or drinking more than likely won't make me deathly ill.

So go ahead, Chyretta. Keep spouting off at the mouth. I suspect you're actually that Ryanx guy that's so against vaccinations that he can't argue his point beyond "it's bad because a celebrity says it's bad".

So your saying lets go back to the 1800's when gunslinging and the wild west was the thing or that was freedom then? If your talking about that kind of freedom, no thanks... Back to point, sure maybe that will happen at some point but i don't know if that will be in our lifetime tbh, considering all the craziness now in this world, then again maybe its not so far off.


And to the 2nd post I couldn't agree more, I sleep soundly knowing there are some laws in place for reasons stated on the 2nd post.

Chef Joan Cheever serves high quality, healthy meals to the homeless people of San Antonio, Texas out of her food truck each week, a project she started in 2005. Though she's been running the "Chow Train" for years, local police recently slammed Cheever with a ticket carrying a fine of up to $2,000 because she brought prepared meals to the feeding location in a pick-up truck, take-out style:



As the court date to contest the ticket approaches, Cheever is considering mounting a religious freedom defense, citing laws very similar to the RFRA, which caused so much controversy in Indiana this spring. "This is how I pray," she says, "when I cook this food and deliver it to the people who are less fortunate."

In the meantime, Cheever will continue to serve weekly meals in spite of the ticket. -Bonnie Kristian

Source

Oh no, he used the job card! Like people can't post from their office or cubicle desk jobs, or randomly from their phone.

Specific requirements by type of operation

Foot Peddler: Individuals selling pre-packaged, non-potentially hazardous foods and drinks on foot. Foot peddlers vending whole, farm fresh products are no longer required to obtain a foot peddlers permit.

Simple Sno-cone – Individuals selling sno-cones from a vehicle or pushcart where the ice and syrups are purchased from an approved, licensed food operation and the individual puts the two items together in their unit. No grinding of ice or reconstituting of syrups is allowed. The requirements for the unit are listed below.

Unit is a truck with a cover over the back, van, station wagon or hatchback, i.e. facility where persons can vend from the rear of the vehicle in a clean environment. Regular passenger cars cannot be licensed. Pushcarts must have an umbrella.
A gravity feed hand wash facility is provided in the unit with water, soap and paper towels.
Ice chests (for sodas and ice) that are in good repair, clean, easily cleanable and non-absorbent.
If shelving is provided, it must be easily cleanable and non-absorbent.

Ice Cream Vendor: Individuals selling pre-packaged novelty ice cream from a vehicle or pushcart. The requirements for the unit are listed below.

Unit is a truck with a cover over the back, van, station wagon or hatchback, i.e. facility where persons can vend from the rear of the vehicle in a clean environment. Regular passenger cars cannot be licensed.
Mechanical freezer utilizing electricity or dry ice to maintain ice cream in frozen state is provided and in good repair.
If shelving is provided, it must be easily cleanable and non-absorbent.
Open food handling (such as nachos, frito pies, grinding ice, or bulk pickles) are NOT allowed to be made inside vehicle.

Shrimp/Whole Fish Vendor: Individuals selling whole shrimp or fish from a vehicle. The requirements for the unit are listed below.

Unit is a closed vehicle, i.e. truck with camper shell, van, hatchback or station wagon.
Gravity feet hand washing station is provided with water, soap and paper towels
Clean, easily cleanable, self-draining ice chests in good condition with plenty ice for shrimp or fish.
If utensils (scoop) are provided, three five-gallon containers provided to wash, rinse and sanitize. Sanitizer provided on unit.
If shelving is provided, it must be easily cleanable and non-absorbent.

Sandwich Truck: Vehicle or pushcart selling pre-packaged, potentially hazardous foods and drinks. The requirements for the unit are listed below.

All potentially hazardous and non-potentially hazardous foods and drinks are pre-packaged.
Potentially hazardous foods are prepared in a licensed commissary and properly labeled (see commissary details below).
Unit has facilities to maintain potentially hazardous foods below 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
Unit has facilities to maintain potentially hazardous foods at 135F or above.
Unit is smooth, easily cleanable construction in good repair.
Garbage can provided for customers to discard trash when they stop.

Kitchen On Wheels: Vehicle or trailer that is selling approved open food products. Requirements are:

Enclosed room with walls, floors and ceilings that are smooth, easily cleanable, and non-absorbent.
Doors are tight-fitting and self-closing.
Windows that can open and have minimum 16 mesh per inch screening wire to protect from insects and rodents.
A three-compartment sink with hot and cold running water available to all three compartments. All three compartments are large enough to immerse largest piece of equipment for washing, rinsing and sanitizing.
Separate hand washing sink with hot and cold running water by mixer faucet and properly plumbed to waste water tank.
Unit has a minimum ten gallon water heater or an instantaneous (on demand) water heater.
If you have a ten gallon water heater, then the unit should have minimum a 15-gallon fresh water tank. If you have an instantaneous water heater, then the unit should have minimum 25-gallon fresh water tank.
Unit has minimum 30-gallon wastewater holding tank. In all cases, the wastewater tank must be 15% larger than the total volume of fresh water (hot and cold together).

Waste Water Tank Equation for any size fresh water tank

25 gallons 30 gallons .15 x fresh water tank size = additional amount
additional amount + fresh water tank size = waste tank size

For Example: for A 36 gallon fresh water tank
.15 x 36 =5.4
5.4 + 36 = 41.40 gallons waste tank
30 gallons 34.5 gallons
35 gallons 40.25 gallons
40 gallons 46 gallons
45 gallons 51.75 gallons

Facilities provided to maintain hot holding temperatures of 135F.
Facilities provided to maintain cold holding at 41F or below.
Facilities provided to reheat potentially hazardous foods to 165F.
All equipment is smooth, easily cleanable, and non-absorbent.
Unit is constructed of corrosion-resistant, durable materials.
Liquid waste servicing connection is of different size than water connection.
Liquid waste servicing connection is lower than water inlet.
Potable water inlet is equipped with a transition connection of size and type that will prevent its use for any other service.
Solid waste storage facilities provided.
Adequate counter and/or worktables are provided.
Equipment is clean and in good repair.
Single Service items are used and stored properly.
Ice is stored in proper facility and handled properly.
Operates from an approved Commissary (see commissary details below).

Hot Dog or Sausage Pushcart: Pushcart that has hot dog or sausage, non-potentially hazardous foods and assorted condiments. Requirements are:

Operates from an approved Commissary (see commissary details below).
Unit has a waterproof roof over food and drink area.
Unit has a two-compartment sink with hot and cold running water by mixer faucet.
Unit has sufficient fresh water for daily operation.
Unit has wastewater-holding tank that is 15% larger than water holding tank.
Unit is smooth, easily cleanable, non-absorbent construction.

Corn Roaster: These units are considered as pushcarts and must meet these requirements:

Unit has waterproof roof over the food and drink area.
Operates from an approved Commissary (see commissary details below).
Unit has a two-compartment sink with hot and cold running water by mixer faucet. (Note: cold water holding tank and pipes need to be insulated to provide cool water when corn burner is operable).
Unit has sufficient fresh water for daily operation.
Unit has wastewater-holding tank that is 15% larger than water holding tank.
Unit is smooth, easily cleanable, non-absorbent construction.

Commissary Requirement: Pushcarts that distribute hot dogs or sausage, sandwich trucks and kitchen on wheels units must operate from an approved commissary. This commissary is a licensed food establishment that fully meets the Texas Food Establishment Rules (TFER), and has a current license. The unit must be returned to that commissary daily for replenishing of supplies, and servicing of the mobile vending unit.

The Commissary servicing Kitchen on Wheels must have the following facilities in addition to the licensed kitchen:

Overhead protection for supplying, cleaning and servicing the mobile unit.
Areas for flushing and cleaning liquid waste storage facility on mobile unit that is separate from water servicing area.
Surface of servicing area is constructed of smooth, non-absorbent material.
Time/date device to record when a mobile vending unit is serviced.

There are currently seven approved commissaries in San Antonio that can issue Notarized Commissary Letters that will be honored by Metro Health. Those facilities are listed:

B & S Mobile Catering and Vending Supplies · 2805 Commercial Ave 78221 · 210.924.5323
Best Foods of San Antonio · 5312 Rittiman Road 78218 · 210.662.7204
Pinky’s Shaved Ice · 1301 E. Elmira St. 78212· 210.385.6209
Myrna’s Catering · 161 Ward Ave. 78223 · 210.609.8585
TBS Foods · 1910 Arvie 78253 · 210.767.2222
Potranco Commissary · 12135 FM 1957 / 78253 · 210.858.8124
Cheesy Jane's · 4200 Broadway @Hildebrand 78209 · 210.826.0800
Mission Trail Mobile Vendor, Waste Management & Services . 3500 Orkney Ave 78223 . 210.928.8285

To set up your own commissary, call 210.207.0135.

To obtain a mobile vending license, the vendor must take the unit to the Development Services Center at 1901 S. Alamo and request to purchase a mobile vending license. A Sanitarian will inspect your unit and tell you what you need if the unit does not meet standards. If you need a Commissary letter, bring the completed document with you when you are ready for inspection. You will be asked for your driver’s license and background check letter.

When approved, you will pay for your license, and receive a receipt that you may use to operate your unit while you are waiting for the computer-generated license to be mailed to you. A sticker will be placed on your unit noting the date when your license expires.

With this license you may move through the public streets of San Antonio or Bexar County and distribute the foods that your license allows. If you want to operate in any of the incorporated cities in Bexar County, you need to check with the authorities in those cities to see what they require. Listed below are additional parking and other restrictions on your unit:

Parking a mobile vending unit on private property is permitted with written, notarized, permission from the owner and toilet facilities are available and convenient. The property must be commercially zoned and you must move the unit daily.
When you are parked on a commercial property, you may not vend within 300 feet of any licensed food establishment in any direction unless you have written, notarized permission to do so from all food license holders. Failure to receive permission from any food license holder will deny you permission to vend from that location, even if you have the location owner’s permission.
You may not vend from the mobile vending unit within 300 feet of elementary, middle or high school grounds from 1 hour before school starts, during the time school is in session, and not vend until 1 hour after school is out.
All food vending from a mobile food vending unit must be done ON THE VEHICLE. It is not permitted to remove food items from the vehicle to sell from a table under a free standing canopy. Mobile food vendors that sell whole, uncut produce are exempt from this rule.
Parking your mobile vending unit is prohibited within 50 feet of an intersection.
Pushcarts may not be operated in the street. Mobile vending units may not be operated in the “Downtown Business District” unless you have a special permit issued by the Downtown Operations Department. Their phone number is 210.207.3677.
If you were required to have a commissary, you are to return the unit to that location every day you operate for servicing and cleaning.