Every Jan 1, I pick at least two things I’ll adopt in the coming year to eliminate plastic in my life and reduce my waste stream. I hope I get more ideas, resources, and great hacks from others on cutting the plastic umbilical cord.  My suggestion is what a yoga teacher told me long ago: […]

Gov. Pritzker providing updates 2:30pm every day.  Volunteer, Give Blood Koval Distillery Making Hand Sanitizer!     Jon Bon Jovi joining Rogers Park Karaoke! Contact-free plant and garden pop up at City Grange

As all the people that feed us every day are under siege, I ask the Food Protection Division of CDPH, and all other State and Local Environmental Health Agencies that oversee our food businesses to institute a few simple steps immediately: Isolate the critical practices in the code, and instruct field inspectors to narrow its […]

The Food Protection Division of the Chicago Health Dept. meets with food industry folks four times each year. All are welcome to attend. Meetings last one hour. I encourage anyone that wants to learn more about CDPH oversight of the food industry to attend.  We food business folks may ask questions or request agenda items […]

The Chicago Board of Health ratified the new Rules and Regulations for Food Protection last week. You can see the announcement, along with links to more information and dates for training seminars HERE. There are significant changes in records that must be maintained– and I anticipate some confusion for the first 6-12 months as the […]

Our Food Protection Division of Chicago Dept of Public Health has been busy for the past two years re-writing all ordinances and rules regarding food businesses in Chicago.  The reason? FDA periodically introduces new code, and States and Cities across the country adopt the latest and greatest in food safety. This overhaul happens in two […]

Effective January 1, 2018, all food establishments must have at least one Manager on duty at all times that has undergone Allergen Awareness training.  Click here to see the law passed by Illinois General Assembly. This training is completed online in about an hour, and renewed every three years.   You can take it HERE, now […]

I’m honored to have been invited to speak at this year’s conference of the Illinois Entrepreneurship and Small Business Growth Association.  This organization provides support to would-be entrepreneurs and small businesses across Illinois.  Since many of the businesses that come seeking guidance are food-related, I’ve been asked to explain food regulations (I know, so thrilling!…but […]

Garfield Park Conservatory Alliance is hosting it’s annual Bee Forum on Sunday, March 26 from 10am-4pm. This year’s theme is “The art of beekeeping, the science of bees”. We have 3 speakers who will provide more details about the theme with their presentations and panel discussion; Dr. Meghan Milbrath – coordinator of the Michigan Pollinator […]

Four times each year, the Chicago Dept of Public Health has a working group meeting with the food industry.  All are welcome to attend– concerns specific to food safety and operating a food business in Chicago are discussed with Gerrin Butler, Director of Food Protection and Virginia Casteneda, Chief Sanitarian.  The Commissioner, Dr Julie Morita, […]

It’s that time again– where curling up inside my warm house with a good book gets high on my list.  Here’s a reading list of some of my favorite food books, and others I hope to tackle this winter:   The Seasons on Henry’s Farm, by Terra Brockman.  I love this book for so many […]

Thanks to the fabulous gentlemen at House of Pretty, the new logansquarekitchen.com debuted this past week. This long overdue overhaul gives food professionals more resources at their fingertips– and phones!  Our old site was not mobile-friendly, but this one is.  Here are some of the other new benefits: Resources : quick links to food industry regulations, as […]

ALERT: this is way off topic for my little blog about my little food business in Chicago.  But I have to get this out of my head.

Politically, I’m a solutionist.  I know lots of our problems are very complicated, but guns don’t seem like a complicated problem to me.  And I keep thinking, I can’t be smarter than anyone else…

What if a gun were like a car?

 This law went into effect for restaurants two years ago; now it rolls out for all other food businesses.  So this applies to any commissary, production facility, grocery, gourmet food shop–or any other non-restaurant.  

Two big changes go into effect for restaurants in Illinois on July 1, 2014:

1) Food Safety Managers’ certification goes from a 2-day class to one; renewing students must take one day class and test every five years.

2) ALL Restaurant Food Handlers in a restaurant MUST complete Safe Food Handler training. This means anyone that handles food or food contact surfaces: dishwashers, waitresses, busboys, line cooks, prep cooks– anyone that is not a manager that handles food or food contact surfaces.  

UPDATE: November 14, 2012, Food Trucks filed suit against City of Chicago challenging the passed ordinance’s constitutionality. Details on HuffPost

Original post, 7/19/12:

Mayor Emanuel stood in our place in April to announce the dramatic reduction of business licenses in Chicago– from 116 to 49, to cut the red tape. Today, City Council will see a Food Truck Ordinance introduced that will allow for cooking on food trucks. Sounds like good stuff is happening, right? mmmm…..