For New York church and community kitchens
Church kitchen food safety, even with new volunteers every week.
Volunteers check in for the event day, see only what is due, and every reading lands in one binder.
Start your 25 days free See it work
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
The dinner
What makes a church dinner
risky?
New hands in the kitchen every week, and a room full of people to feed.
- Funeral lunches, potlucks, public dinners: some of them need a permit from your health department. For a church that serves the public, New York waives the fee and the plan review.
- Volunteers change every week, and nobody knows who took the fridge temperature.
- You serve to care for people, not to chase clipboards.
First things first
Do we even need
a permit?
In New York, a church, fraternal or charitable organization that serves food to the public gets a two-year permission from your health department. There is no fee. Plan review is waived. You tell the office you intend to serve food over the next two years, and mailing that notice is enough (10 NYCRR 14-1.184). That section does not cover a food service run more often than weekly.
A one-event public dinner, like a festival booth, is a temporary food service establishment. That is one event of up to 14 days in a row, with a permit from your health department (10 NYCRR 14-2.1, 14-2.2). Each office sets how far ahead to apply, and some say three to four weeks. Meals for members only: we did not read a rule for those, so ask your office before the first one. The app can set you up as a members-only kitchen either way.
Whether a church needs a certified person is your county's call. Monroe County wants a certified food worker present whenever food is served; Suffolk a certified person in charge at all hours. New York City charges no course fee to the person who supervises food for a church or charity that feeds the needy free of charge.
How to open a food business in your county
The permit question comes first, and the app keeps a copy of the permit in the binder.
The buffet line
Which rules apply to
the buffet line?
Church kitchens run on volunteers, so the app treats every volunteer like a first-timer. Here are New York's rules behind the buffet line.
Employee health: report, exclude, restrict
A sick volunteer stays off food: no one works while sick with an illness that spreads through food (10 NYCRR 14-1.70). A guest sick from your food is reported to your health department within 24 hours (14-1.200).
CleanCleaver: Health questions before the event. You see only
OK to work
orNo food work today
.New York: 10 NYCRR 14-1.70
Guide: Sick workers: report it and stay homeHandwashing
Wash hands at the hand sink, with hot and cold water, soap and single-use towels. A handwashing sign hangs at every employee hand sink (10 NYCRR 14-1.143).
CleanCleaver: Each volunteer signs the handwashing rules in the app.
New York: 10 NYCRR 14-1.71, 10 NYCRR 14-1.143; FDA Food Code (model) 2-301.16: not in New York's code, so this line is our advice
Guide: HandwashingHot and cold holding
Hot food at 140°F or hotter on the buffet. Cold food at 45°F or colder under the state rule (10 NYCRR 14-1.40), 41°F in New York City (Health Code 81.09). We recommend 41°F everywhere, so the app's limit is 41°F.
CleanCleaver: Each reading is saved with the time and the volunteer's name. A warm one asks what they did.
New York: 10 NYCRR 14-1.40(a)
Guide: Hot and cold holdingCooling
Cool the soup from 120°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 45°F within 4 more (10 NYCRR 14-1.40). The app's clocks run colder: 70°F in 2 hours, 41°F within 6.
CleanCleaver: Start cooling sets the 2-hour and 6-hour timers; each reading is saved with time and name.
New York: 10 NYCRR 14-1.40(b)
Guide: Cooling food in two stages
What else can the inspector check? 4 more rules
Buffet and self-service protection
Sneeze guards or covers over the buffet. A utensil for each dish. A trained person watches the line. Food a guest took is never served again. Subpart 14-1's own buffet section was not matched line by line; the source here is the FDA Food Code (3-306.11).
CleanCleaver: The app lists the clean-plate sign, with the rule beside it.
New York: 10 NYCRR 14-1.88, 10 NYCRR 14-1.41; FDA Food Code (model) 3-304.16, 2-103.11: not in New York's code, so this line is our advice; docs/source/research/buffet-and-dinner-service.md
Guide: Buffets and self-serviceAllergens
Every menu, a printed one too, carries an allergen line, such as
If you have a food allergy or intolerance, please notify us.
(NYSDOH required signage), and the staff allergen notice goes up (Public Health Law 1356). For a church dinner, we recommend a written card beside the dish anyway.CleanCleaver: The app makes the written allergen note for you.
NYSDOH required signage; Public Health Law 1356
Guide: Food labelsCleaning and sanitizing
Wash, rinse, sanitize, air-dry. Test the sanitizer with a strip.
CleanCleaver: Each strip test is saved with the reading, time and name.
New York: 10 NYCRR 14-1.111, 10 NYCRR 14-1.112, 10 NYCRR 14-1.116
Guide: Cleaning vs sanitizing, and sanitizer strengthsVomit and diarrhea cleanup procedure
A written plan for cleaning up vomit or diarrhea: stop service nearby, gloves and mask, clean, disinfect, throw away what was near. The FDA Food Code's rule (2-501.11), our recommendation: Subpart 14-1 was not matched for it.
CleanCleaver: A cleanup is saved as a report, with the rule beside it.
FDA Food Code (model) 2-501.11: not in New York's code, so this line is our advice
Guide: Vomit and diarrhea cleanup
See the steps a volunteer sees on the day.
Kind by design
Will a volunteer be
embarrassed?
No. The person in charge sees only what to do.
It reads like No food work today
. The symptom stays with the volunteer. New York's rule for the worker is plain: no one works while sick with an illness that spreads through food (10 NYCRR 14-1.70). We found no state rule that has you report a sick volunteer to the health department. A guest who got sick from your food is reported within 24 hours (14-1.200).
So nobody has to say the symptom out loud.
Set up
How long is
setup?
Three steps for the whole building.
Pick Church or community kitchen
It starts as a members-only kitchen with soups, a buffet and cut salads.
Invite volunteers for an event day
Their access ends the day after.
Get one PDF
Every reading is saved with the time and who took it. The binder is one PDF.
$19 a month for the whole building, with unlimited volunteers.
The cost of a gap
What if a sick
volunteer serves?
A volunteer who was sick yesterday, a pot of soup cooled on the counter: that is how a church dinner makes people ill.
The app asks each volunteer the health questions and keeps the cooling record. New York's rule: soup cools from 120°F to 70°F within 2 hours, then to 45°F within 4 more (10 NYCRR 14-1.40). The app's clocks run colder, 70°F in 2 hours and 41°F within 6.
After the dinner
Serve your people.
The record keeps itself.
Try it on one dinner within the 25 days.
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Questions? Call or text (415) 640-1667.
Plan one dinner, invite your volunteers, and see the binder fill.
Questions
Before you
start.
Do we need a permit for a church dinner in New York?
A church, fraternal or charitable organization that serves the public gets a two-year permission from your health department. There is no fee, and plan review is waived. You tell the office you intend to serve food over the next two years; mailing that notice is enough (10 NYCRR 14-1.184). That section does not cover food service run more often than weekly. A one-event public dinner is a temporary food service establishment with its own permit (Subpart 14-2). Members-only meals: we did not read a rule, so ask your office. The app can set you up as a members-only kitchen either way.
Do our volunteers need a food handler card?
There is no statewide card. Your county can require training (10 NYCRR 14-1.73). Monroe County wants a certified food worker present whenever food is served, Suffolk a certified person in charge at all hours. Whether that reaches your volunteers is your office's call, so ask. In New York City, a church or charity that feeds the needy free of charge pays nothing for its supervisor's food protection course.
What does a church pay?
$19 a month per building, with unlimited volunteers. 25 days free. Cancel anytime. Billing is on Stripe's own page. The 25 days start when you add a card.
We only cook twice a month. Does it want me every week?
Open the app on the day and the list shows what is due. A volunteer is invited for one event day, and the invite ends the day after.
Can a volunteer see who was sent home sick?
No. The person in charge sees only what to do, like "No food work today". The symptom stays with the volunteer.
How does a volunteer get in?
They open the link you sent, type their name and answer the health questions. It works in the phone's browser. There is also a 6-character code, and a shop tablet with a PIN.
Your binder is ready when the inspector is.
Pick your place. Start with one shift.
Start your 25 days free See it work
25 days free. Cancel anytime.
Questions? Call or text (415) 640-1667