Suffolk News-Herald

The streets of San Francisco and New York are not the only places where &uot;cinzanno&uot; food carts dot the landscape. Suffolk now has its own cinzanno, right on North Main Street in Downtown Suffolk.

Look for the bright cinzanno (umbrella) over top of the mobile pushcart owned by one of Suffolk’s newest entrepreneurs, Patricia Harrison. She is an experienced food handler and came from Portsmouth to serve lunch in this city when she learned there was no other street vendor here.

&uot;My place is clean, quick, and I’m very courteous,&uot; said Harrison. &uot;I’m here to help people grab a quick lunch on the run. So far, I’ve served many of the people who work and do business in the Godwin Courts Building and some of the business people from Downtown. They seem to appreciate the fact that they can run over and get something good to eat while enjoying it in the outdoors.&uot;

Although she operates the food service cart outdoors, Harrison points out that she has a basin on the cart for handwashing, and she is constantly gloved while handling and preparing foods.

&uot;I serve hot dogs and cold cut sandwiches and subs,&uot; she said. &uot;All my foods are kept cold and fresh and I would never serve anything that I wouldn’t feed to my own family.&uot;

Harrison also offers chips, cold drinks and other snacks, and just walking past the cart is impossible for the average carnivore. Just the aroma of steamed hot dogs and onions, chili and all the rest is enough to tempt even the most health conscious consumer. Meanwhile, all that food must be ordered fresh, and that takes planning.

&uot;Running a hot dog stand is no easy job!&uot; said Harrison. &uot;You have to decide what quantity of items to order, check the weather forecast, and choose your prices. There is more than one company to purchase supplies from, too, so I have to shop around.&uot;

Harrison said all her tax papers and permits to do business in Suffolk are in order and she conducts her business according to city code. Look for the little hot dog shop on wheels at the corner of the Godwin Courts Building next to the courtyard.