Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Food
DOH Deadline Looms for Red Hook Ballfields
By
Joe DiStefano
Published Aug 9, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Joe DiStefano
Published Aug 9, 2007
Modified Mar 7, 2008
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Like the rest of the city yesterday, Brooklyn was recovering from an angry summer squall that shut down the subways and even had its own tornado.
While all this was going on Gothamist learned from Porkchop Express that the fate of a Brooklyn institution hung in the balance. Namely, the pan-Latin paradise known as the Red Hook Ballfields.
Yesterday Cesar Fuentes, the Executive Director of the Food Vendors Committee of Red Hook Park, met with officials from the Department of Health and the Parks Department. The DOH has given the vendors an August 19 deadline to remedy its concerns. These include storing more ice, providing portable hand washers/sanitation units, using sterile gloves and renting commercial kitchens for food prep. As if that wasn't enough to do in 10 days, Porkchop reports that the DOH wants everyone who works at a stall to be licensed.
We sincerely hope that the ballfields, which offer everything from Mexican barbacoa tacos to El Salvadoran pupusas, don't get shut down. To be sure, we would miss the opportunity to take a whirlwind culinary tour of South America. But what's really disturbs us is the effect such a move would have upon our city's vibrant ethnic street food scene. If the Red Hook Ballfields close due to DOH scrutiny can the demise of the Vendys be far behind?
Tagged
america
As
brooklyn
doh
Executive Director
food
food news
gothamist
health
parks
parks department
Porkchop Express
red hook
Red Hook Ballfields
red hook park
south america
subways
the city
The DOH
tornado
Joe DiStefano
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE food
North African restaurants are rare in NYC. These 10 are the best.
Egyptian, Moroccan, Algerian and Tunisian food is delicious but underrepresented in the city.
By
Robert Sietsema
Published Oct 10, 2026
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Food
10 dishes that demonstrate the delicious diversity of curry in New York City
The global dish is shapeshifting and ubiquitous.
By
Robert Sietsema
Frozen yogurt is back in New York City. So are the super long lines.
By
Sonia Rao
5 NYC banana puddings as good as Magnolia's
By
Hannah Frishberg
Where to eat in Greenpoint, Brooklyn right now, from Polish to Sichuan to Iberian
By
Robert Sietsema
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .