Eventually managed to contact southern hospitality. The sales man offered to come out to TM and talk through it which he did this morning.

Based on previous jobs he thinks he could supply a full stainless steel (simply stainless) kitchen with appliances for about $40k + gst tho prices do fluctuate with exchange rate and steel price. SH is going to work out a list and an estimate based on the plan we have.

We need our kitchen to be safe and easy to use for all ages and abilities.

We need to find out whether we need a licence, he believes we will (I am waiting to hear back from MPIE why their tool is permanently closed for maintenance).

We also need to find out (plumber, s and w, council??) if we need a grease trap, before we go any further. This will depend on the type of foods we plan to serve.

We need to have a better idea of money available before we decide.

If we need a licence we might need to change some ideas: they might not like the idea of a second hand domestic or a temporary kitchen and things like wooden benches (and boards) are not really acceptable. SH also said the wooden tops damage easily and can cause problems for people with allergies and specific food requirements.

The following is an update on the watch I have been keeping for a second hand kitchen for the last year or so.

• Retailers who advertise they sell second hand commercial kitchens referred me to trademe, they seldom see them either. though they do have appliances.
• Commercial kitchens are sold as components not as complete kitchens
• There are cheaper commercial kitchen components available on line. They are light weight and not as durable.
• There is a regular supply of second hand residential kitchens on trademe, mostly out of town but a few local but they do come with problems: they are keenly sought after, they simply wouldn’t fit our space, many are sold in an installed situation so would have to be removed and transported, some get damaged when being removed, some are damaged already from wear or water. Have never really seen one that would be ideal for us and, as prices can be in the thousands, our money might be better spent some other way.
• A new domestic kitchen, based on Xavier’s just installed one, would cost about 32k for cabinetry and benches alone.

Fisher and Paykel would not honour a warranty on domestic appliances used for our purpose. (tho, should it be necessary, this could possibly be challenged under cga). At least one other manufacturer reduces warranty from 5 years to 1. This doesn’t mean we can’t buy one without warranty.

True commercial kitchens are more difficult to use for home cooks. They need bigger extraction fans which can be noisy. Jan has interesting comments on a commercial kitchen she visited in her travels.

Recommend we wait until we have a better idea of the money available before making definite arrangements but meanwhile try to find out if we need a licence and about grease traps.