FISHKILL, N.Y. — It has been difficult for Cathy Cottle to visit her food trailer, known as ‘CathyShack,’ since it was shut down by the Fishkill building inspector on August 2.

"We built something very special here," Cottle said with a tone of finality. "This has been my labor of love. It was always where I feel my best." 

Cottle has earned a reputation in Dutchess County for serving food that is fresh and natural, hosting community events, donating to the local food bank and remembering all her customers' names.

During Spectrum News' interview with Cottle on Monday, at least six customers dropped by the trailer in the corner of the Blue Seal parking lot on Route 52 to get updates from Cottle on when it might reopen.

"It's food you really enjoy. It's good for you," regular customer Ralph Packard said. "I hope the town takes it the right way, because we're losing too many local businesses to other companies that are corporate, and that is wrong."

"Homemade cornbread — you've never had anything like it," Erin Mrazek of Beekman said. "I've never had anything like Cathy's cornbread."

Cottle said that on July 26, she was approached by the building inspector informing her of several changes that needed to be made to bring the trailer into compliance with town code and that she needed a current peddling permit to resume sales.

Town officials confirmed the other changes include: limiting furniture outside the trailer, addressing safety issues posed by a storage structure behind the trailer, ceasing direct sales of produce that has not been grown by Cottle's business and ensuring her business appears on the site plan of Blue Seal. 

Cottle said she clearly remembers applying for a new peddling permit when she moved CathyShack to that location two years ago, but has been unable to find it.

"I'm devastated, defeated, everything's gone," Cottle said, alluding to vegetables she planned to use a few days ago but have now begun to spoil. "Whoever's been here loves it and wants it in their community, but if they squeeze me out, it's over."

Cottle said that as she was trying to get her new permit application in order, the building inspector returned to place a ‘Stop Work’ order on the trailer.

Cottle said she felt blindsided by the sudden enforcement, and wondered why the town had not addressed her business's compliance issues before. She has been operating CathyShack for five years, with this being her third year at the Route 52 location.

Town Supervisor Bob LaColla said that during a recent routine inspection of Blue Seal's property, the fire inspector asked Cottle to show him her current peddler's permit, only for Cottle to point to her posted permit from the county health department but not a town-issued permit.

LaColla said the fire inspector referred the matter to the building inspector, who did not find a current site-specific permit which would allow Cottle to do business in the Blue Seal parking lot, only a permit from 2015, before Cottle moved the business to its current location.

"There seemed to be some belief that this could be done politically," LaColla said during an interview at his office on Monday. "But this is just an administrative law that has to be complied with. That's it."

Cottle has since applied for a new permit, but says making changes required by the building inspector would cost too much and limit the kinds of food she can serve.

Staff at Blue Seal said they have had an agreement with Cottle to use the space for free, because it compliments their business and "the food is great."

LaColla said the building inspector is willing to help sort through the newfound issues to bring her trailer back into compliance, and that the town cannot grant her much leniency because that would be unfair to other businesses.