I think I'm stuck in a Kafka story.

Oct 20, 2008 12:42

At what point do I give up on my little dream of my own little chocolate business ( Read more... )

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Comments 9

cindy_lu October 20 2008, 20:29:56 UTC
BIG HUGS. This sucks in ways that only governmental level bureaucracy can.

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lionofgod October 20 2008, 20:31:30 UTC
I'm trying to persuade myself that it's not worth breaking down in tears over, but it's really, really hard. I wanted so badly to make this work, and I thought I was reaching the end of the hoops...

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truthspeaker October 20 2008, 21:36:51 UTC
Wait a minute. I thought catering out of a residential kitchen was not uncommon. Or is it that it's common in places other than Waltham?

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lionofgod October 21 2008, 03:58:46 UTC
It is common. It is just apparently not allowed here.

On my list of questions to ask when I call the state board tomorrow is "So, can the city really just tell me that I can't follow the posted state regulations?" Sadly, I suspect the answer is "yes"; after all, they're being stricter.

I still am not sure what threat they're trying to guard against with this. There are no separate dishes rules that I've heard about, so it can't be cross-contamination. The state rules already specify that surfaces should be sanitized and that business food must be stored separately and clearly labeled. And it's not like there is any lower risk of dust or pests with two kitchens.

...I think that's the worst of it. Everybody else seems to do this with no problems, and I can't come up with any logical reason not to allow it here. But I'm still not allowed.

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topologist October 20 2008, 22:14:37 UTC
My sister was in a similar situation about a year ago, trying to run a small business based off preparing various desserts in her own home. Ping me if you want details.

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topologist October 20 2008, 22:17:48 UTC
Oh, and I don't think it really counts as Kafkaesque unless there's an element of secrecy involved. If there's a secret cabal of bureaucrats thwarting you, then it counts. (But, judging from the only secret cabal of bureaucrats I'm familiar with, you'd also probably wind up covered in hippo shit. I'm not sure Kafka ever wrote about hippos.)

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earthdragon October 21 2008, 02:59:30 UTC
If you are looking for a kitchen via barter, you may also keep in mind classes for use of space.

I had no idea that waltham was so messed up.

*hugs*

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lionofgod October 21 2008, 03:59:08 UTC
That is an *excellent* idea.

Me neither. ;)

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capsicumanuum October 21 2008, 06:14:22 UTC
My church has a commercial kitchen, that I'm sure we would be happy to rent to you. I don't know for sure what the rental rates are, but I do know that most of our tenants rent for significantly below market rates. If you'd like, I'll email you contact info for the person in charge of the physical plant.

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