Street food vending lottery winner David Duprey isn’t worried about getting a permit from Vancouver Coastal Health to sling chocolate-smothered bananas at Kits Beach. Duprey, owner of the Rickshaw Theatre, has a Vancouver Coastal Health-approved kitchen at his Narrow Lounge and a loading dock off another property he subleases where he expects to clean and store his future food cart.

Vancouver Coastal Health requires street food vendors to have a FoodSafe certificate, a food safety plan and a base of operations where they can clean, store and restock their food cart, trailer or truck. In most cases, a trailer with water, cooking facilities and refrigeration can’t be considered a base of operations, said Richard Taki, regional director of health protection for Vancouver Coastal Health.

“We’re going to look at all the menus on an individual basis,” Taki said. “The more complex the food in terms of preparation, it results in greater food handling and also the risk of food-borne illness… In a lot of places, they do not have that equipment needed to basically produce the food in a safe manner.”

Jenn Willoughby of the fledgling Off the Wagon taco trailer told the Courier last week that she and her partner haven’t been able to secure a permit from Vancouver Coastal Health.

Hot dog hawkers in Vancouver haven’t faced the same requirements because their product requires less preparation.

In Portland, most buses and trailers selling food prepare their fare ahead of time in a permitted kitchen and reheat it where it’s sold, Taki said.

He said local food vendors aren’t permitted to prepare items in their homes because the city doesn’t license home businesses. Inspectors need to be able to check kitchens at all times and home kitchens pose an increased risk of contamination.

“It sounds bureaucratic until someone gets food poisoning or you get a rash outbreak,” Taki said. “And then it’s like, ‘Why didn’t someone put something in place?’”

Vendors can use kitchens in restaurants and community centres. Some companies that sell food carts also have kitchens available.

Taki said last week he was surprised at the dearth of calls health protection received from potential and winning vendors in the city’s lottery for 17 spots on July 9. But Vancouver Coastal Health received calls from entrepreneurs considering establishing kitchens where street vendors could cook and store their food and vehicles.

The PHS Community Services Society has asked Duprey if he’d be interested in using its kitchen while providing prep skills or sales jobs to PHS clients. The clients help prepare meals that are delivered to needy residents of low-income hotels. They work under the guidance of professional chefs, have FoodSafe certificates and wear gloves when handling food.

Duprey isn’t sure whether he’ll accept the offer.

Claudia Kurzac, acting manager for health protection, doesn’t expect all 17 new food vendors to be operational by July 31, as per the city’s goal.

“It sounds like some went into the lottery without even a business plan and don’t even have an actual trailer or cart and would have to manufacture that first, never mind even find a base of operation,” Kurzac said. “Some are ready to go with everything, some are in the middle of the process and some have a lot of work to do.”

crossi@vancourier.com