Cooking in a closed room w/ no ventilation (Portland: apartments, live)

[kdkncub]

Hi, I run a concession stand in the kitchen at our church ( we sell to the kids mostly). We are moving the youth group and my snack area down to another building that has no kitchen. They intend to put the snack area in a back room ( 20x40) with no windows or ventilation ( there is one small sink). My only concern is we fry food and I'm not sure how this will turn out in a closed area... does anyone know what the regulations are on this.
Thank you

[Rob Allen]

You should check with the city or county health department. Do it BEFORE cooking anything in the new location.

[Minervah]

I have lived in apartments with small kitchens and no windows but there was always a fan installed in an outside wall ventilation. I don't think it's safe to do a lot of cooking in a room that doesn't have some sort of ventilation. You can check with the city ordinances or maybe contact the fire department to see what they have to say.

If nothing else, it's going to be very odoriferous not having any way to remove the cooking smells.

[Steve Pickering]

Can not do it legally, and as a church you will want to. Everyone must have a food handlers permit and they would know by passing the test online that you need a seperate hand washing sink. What about refrigeration? Ventilation is the least of your problems, but it is a must. Fire in a cooking area is another thing especially in a public building. I would guess no more cooked snacks for the kids is the end result.

[Larry Caldwell]

You are going to have to change your menu. Besides the county health department, you need to contact the Portland Fire Marshal to get information on what is allowed. Cooking is only one of the problems. There are minimum light, ventilation and egress standards for assembly rated areas, and from your description you can't safely pack a bunch of kids into that building.