Amy and I were talking about Savannah, Georgia, yesterday – the self-proclaimed home of southern charm and hospitality — and how we stopped and walked around town while traveling in 2009, did some sightseeing, and left unimpressed.

Curt Bridgett likes the place and decided to open an Italian ice cart.

The Savannah Morning News reports that in a town teeming with tourists, especially during the sweltering summer months, Bridgett thought Little Jimmy’s Italian Ices would be a hit. What he hadn’t counted on was that getting a business off the ground takes a lot more than a good idea and the willingness to work hard.

Dealing with zoning ordinances, health codes, licenses and permits and a host of other paperwork has become a job in itself. He’s realizing what many small and micro-business owners have learned — that entrepreneurship comes with a price.

Bridgett said, "I don’t understand why my business is illegal. Why can’t I just make a living?"

According to the Chatham County Mobile Food Service Unit Checklist, Bridgett must have:

— A hand-washing sink with hot water
— An electric cooler/freezer
— A bricks-and-mortar home base such as a restaurant or commercial kitchen in which food containers or supplies are kept, handled, prepared, packaged or stored for transport, sale or service elsewhere

Bridgett currently has a solar-heated gravity water tank, an insulated cooler and a storage facility for his product, but those don’t meet the standards.

"It’s just flavored ice," Bridgett said. "It has no dairy, nothing to spoil."

C. Todd Jones, Chatham County environmental health director said,

"Just because something isn’t cooked doesn’t mean that it isn’t prone to cross-contamination or harboring bacteria. The rules apply equally, whether we are inspecting a large, well-known restaurant or a small mom-and-pop operation. Although it may seem like a blanket approach, it is our job to make sure that anyone selling food items — and ice is considered food — is taking the proper steps to avoid contamination."

And he argued there have been cases where something as innocuous as ice has caused harm including outbreaks involving hepatitis, E. coli, norovirus and salmonella