I sell at weekend events throughout the summer and find that 90% of health inspectors are very reasonable and know what they are talking about. I welcome them into my booth. When another vendor says that the health inspector don’t know what they are talking about it’s more likely the vendor is the one that is confused.
I suspect that the distinction between private chef and caterer hinges upon where the food is prepared. If you are making all your dough in the customers kitchen and using supplies that are provided by the customer, then you May be a private chef. But if your bringing your own food and dough prepared in your kitchen, then you are a caterer.
Unless you have quality restaurant experience, consider taking a Safe Serve food safety class or the equivalent. Remember, just because you cook something, that will not guarantee it is safe to eat.
Many of my vendor friends do not understand this. For instance, when Staphylococcus bacteria get into warm food and multiply, they produce a toxin or poison that causes illness. The toxin is not detectable by taste or smell. While the bacteria itself can be killed by temperatures of 120 F, its toxin is heat resistant; therefore, it is important to keep the staph organism from growing. Keep food clean to prevent its contamination, keep it either hot (above 140 F) or cold (below 40 F) during serving time, and as quickly as possible refrigerate or freeze leftovers and foods to be served later.
Most people harbor Staph on their skin, it just needs the right temperature and cheese is the ideal medium. Symptoms can occur in as little as an hour. In other words, fluids can start to flow before you have hooked up the trailer to leave.
! I have done no advertising and dont even have a web site yet. I need recommendations for that.