Posted on 03/15/2009 10:27:50 AM PDT by Glenn
ROCHESTER TWP. — Louis Slima looked over the apple, cherry and blueberry pies lining the dessert table at St. Cecilia’s Friday fish fry, trying to pick the best one.
The trouble was, Slima, 60, of New Sewickley Township, wanted homemade raisin pie, which for years has been one of his favorites at the event.
“This is the only time of year that I get them, during the Lenten season,” Slima said.
Not anymore. On Feb. 27, a Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture inspector stopped for an annual inspection at St. Cecilia’s kitchen in Rochester Township. The kitchen was spotless. But across the hall, the inspector caught sight of something troubling: women slicing pies, preparing to serve them to the public.
The inspector asked whether the pies had been baked in the church kitchen. They weren’t.
Chris L. Ryder, spokesman for the department, said the church was informed that since the pies didn’t come from an inspected, licensed kitchen, they couldn’t be served, according to Pennsylvania food code. Church-baked or store-bought pies are OK.
“Not only pies, but things that have been jarred at home or self-butchered meat, that type of thing,” Ryder said.
Any church, fair vendor or fire hall with a temporary food license serving the public on more than three occasions must be inspected each year. The agriculture department works with the state health department to perform inspections.
St. Cecilia’s is among many churches that host fish fries during Lent, a great fundraiser.
The Rev. Mike Greb said that for years, church women, many retired, have baked and donated pies for St. Cecilia’s dinners. Everything from coconut creme and apple strudel to pecan and lemon meringue pies poured in, and were their way of contributing. Greb said he sees both sides and understands the state is following procedure, but he also understands why the women are feeling as if the state overreacted.
“These women are master bakers and cooks … now their kitchens are suddenly suspect. Suddenly it’s considered dangerous.”
Ryder said that if the inspector hadn’t happened to see the women cutting the pies, the department wouldn’t have raised the question.
During St. Cecilia’s checkup, the inspector also took issue with a tray of covered pirogi left on a counter overnight.
Marlene Kislock, head of the kitchen, said the cooked pirogi were left out to cool and forgotten. They were later thrown out, she said.
St. Cecilia’s is the only venue recently warned, but Ryder said there were 16 instances last year in which temporary licensees received warnings.
For Slima, who ended up taking home a slice of blueberry pie, it was the homemade raisin pie he really wanted, whether it was carried or dragged in on the floor, he said. “A cup of coffee and raisin pie is just, whoa,” he said. “I miss that now.”
The women should have announced to the visitors they couldn’t sell the pies but they could give them away. I’ll bet if people had known the whole story they would have eaten the free pie and donated more money than if it had been sold.
We’re here to make you safe. Now, if you’ll just give us a little of what’s left of your freedom, we’ll check those pies.
I remember the good old days, when we were trusted to make up our own minds.
Our Volunteer Fire Dept used to have wonderful community fundraisers. The Health Dept stepped in and did the same thing regarding the pies. This stops fundraising.
The little Methodist Church up the road combatted the fund-raising police. They go to the CHURCH kitchen at midnight and start frying the chicken. Because it couldn’t be fried in the women’s own homes The health dept has shown up in the middle of the night to police them.
That’s right, the oppressive nanny state that is Illinois shows up to police the church ladies.
Attempt to stop fundraising for faith-based people? Can I get an Amen?
I heard Obama on the radio a couple days ago, saying that only the government can determine if food is safe.
As to somewhat understandably not being allowed to cut game or slice gift hams, try being refused slicing of packaged meat, still wrapped and in the meat-case.
Couldn't be done, because it was beef, and pork was currently being cut. FDA would require the saw and other equipment to be totally cleaned and sanitized before cutting the beef; then repeated before going back to the pork, to prevent ‘adulteration and cross-contamination’.
Wasn't the store's nor the butcher on duty's fault. Had I wanted whole pork shoulders or fresh hams sliced, would have been, and had been before, done right away. I just showed up at the wrong time that day.
Safety, yes; safetied to death, so life no longer has any savor, no. There's too much I already miss, without losing more.
Too bad bureaucrats and legislators, in a fit of self-serving zeal, outlawed tar & feathers being applied to them. To me, that should be at least as much “protected political speech”, as the the Lefty’s “anti war” and “gay rights” protesters’ antics.
“And you trust the inspections?”
You got that right. There’s a Chinese take-out kitchen where the cute little kids are part of the “ambiance”. One day I picked up an order and the kids were splashing around inside one of the large stainless sinks.
“The idiot local government decided that homemade food donated to the homeless shelter could not be accepted. So our youth group had to throw the turkey they had bought and cooked in the dumpster. As soon as the officials were gone, the homeless folks went dumster diving for that turkey...”
At least it wasn’t muffin stumps.
Will the 0’bama gov’ment soon pull Capt. Sullenberger’s Pilot’s license because he did not file the proper Flight Plan to put down in the Hudson River. /sarc
Is the area in question a blue zone or red zone? I know if a food inspector tried to pull this at my GF’s country church there’d be so much hell raised at the next County Commissioner’s meeting the Health Inspector would end up feeling like he’d received a Habanerno colonic.
More blue than red. Used to be steel country.
Those sprouts were grown in a facility that inspectors reported was one of the CLEANEST they had seen.
“...he’d received a Habanerno colonic.
“
Like, ow. I need a snow cone, just from having read that.
OMG! What will happen to the pie auctions and raffles around here? What about the pie judging at the County Fair?
What about the annual Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at the church where everyone brings a covered dish?
Madness!
They are doing that most places these days. What boggles my mind is that a lot of these cooks have taken cooking safety courses through their local ‘extension service’. These courses are the same ones from the same colleges as the inspectors. And many at the county level are considered towards degrees .
Amen!
I have to count on food being blessed by prayer and the Word of God as I’ve eaten my share of dirt and germs in my life. I think some of the most finicky people are probably the most germy and don’t even know it, thinking that Sloppy Sue down at the church is dirtier than them. Only God knows for sure.
Dirty Enough to be Healthy
Twinkie
Look at it frome the other side - the food that is most likely to make you sick? What they serve you in the hospital.
I guarantee you this wouldn’t happen to the Antioc AME Church, the Moon and Star Temple or The Church of What’s Happening, Now, Baby, in South Philly !!!!!!!!!!!
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