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A method and apparatus providing self-service of food items, such as snacks, including a portable food displaying and serving apparatus capable of transforming a vehicle, such as a golf cart, into a traveling food purveying apparatus permitting the selection of food items for consumption from an arr

A method and apparatus providing self-service of food items, such as snacks, including a portable food displaying and serving apparatus capable of transforming a vehicle, such as a golf cart, into a traveling food purveying apparatus permitting the selection of food items for consumption from an array of displayed food items by possible consumers.

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1. A portable food display and serving apparatus, comprising a base forming an interior space with an open top,a removable substantially flat panel, including a plurality of openings within the panel for carrying a plurality of food containers adjacent the open top of the base,means within the inter

1. A portable food display and serving apparatus, comprising a base forming an interior space with an open top,a removable substantially flat panel, including a plurality of openings within the panel for carrying a plurality of food containers adjacent the open top of the base,means within the interior space of the base for horizontally supporting the removable substantially flat panel within the interior space of the base, anda plurality of open-top food containers removably supported and horizontally carried by the removable substantially flat panel within the plurality of openings of the panel for carrying and displaying adjacent the open top of the base a plurality of different food items for selection by a consumer. 2. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a means carried by said base for providing a covering for the food carried in said plurality of food containers. 3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein the means comprises a retractable food cover carried by the base in a first position where the retractable food cover does not obstruct the selection of food items by a consumer and a second position where the retractable food cover covers the food items. 4. The apparatus of claim 3 wherein the retractable food cover comprises a flexible screen. 5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein the flexible screen is adapted, in its first position, to be wrapped around a spool carried at one end of the base so as not to obstruct access to the food items by a consumer and to be unwrapped from the spool to extend over at least some of the food items carried by the plurality of open-top food containers in its second position. 6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a well formed at one end of the interior space of the base to carry the flexible screen. 7. The apparatus claim 3 wherein the means comprising a retractable food cover comprises a flexible material having low thermal conductance with a heat reflective surface adapted to resist heat transfer to and from the food items. 8. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base is adapted to be secured to a vehicle by means, carried by the base, for securing the base to a vehicle surface. 9. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base comprises four walls and an open bottom, said four walls forming said interior space. 10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein the base comprises a bottom surface and four walls wall extending upwardly from the bottom surface of the base defining an interior containing space. 11. The apparatus of claim 10 wherein the base is adapted to carry, within the interior containing space, cooling means for food items carried by the plurality of food containers. 12. The apparatus of claims claim 1 wherein the base is adapted to be carried by a portion of a vehicle. 13. A portable food display and serving apparatus, comprising a generally rectangular base adapted to be supported in a generally horizontal position, said generally rectangular base having four sidewalls extending generally vertically adjacent the periphery of the base,a generally rectangular panel having a plurality of openings therein to carry open top food containers, said panel being sized to be carried within the four side walls on support means within the four side walls and located for displaying and serving of food from the open top containers carried by the generally rectangular panel,a flexible cover, capable of being rolled into a cylindrical shape, carried by and within one of the four sidewalls, and of being unrolled to extend to and be fastened to the opposing sidewall over the generally rectangular panel carried by the four sidewalls of the generally rectangular base. 14. The portable food display and serving apparatus of claim 13 wherein said generally rectangular panel can be provided with a plurality of openings with sizes and shapes selected to display and serve a variety of food items. 15. The portable food display and serving apparatus of claim 13 wherein said flexible cover can be withdrawn from over the generally rectangular panel and rerolled into its generally cylindrical shape within one of the four sidewalls. 16. A portable food display and serving apparatus, comprising a base including a generally circumferential wall,a removable flat panel including one or more openings therein for carrying within the base one or more food containers, said base including within the generally circumferential wall one or more means for removably supporting said removable flat panel in a horizontal position,one or more food containers sized to be removably supported and carried within said one or more openings by said removable panel for displaying and serving food carried by said plurality of food containers. 17. The portable food display and serving apparatus of claim 16 wherein one or more of the food containers are wrapped with electrical resistance heating tape and are adapted to be heated by connection with an electric battery. 18. The portable food display and serving apparatus of claim 16 wherein the generally circumferential wall includes four generally vertically extending side walls and a generally rectangular base with a bottom extending between the four generally vertically extending side walls and forming an enclosure below the removable panel to carry cooling means for the food containers. 19. The portable food display and serving apparatus of claim 16 further comprising a flexible cover, capable of being rolled into a cylindrical shape, carried by and within the generally circumferential wall, and capable of being unrolled to extend over the removable flat panel and over the one or more food containers and fastened to an opposing portion of the generally circumferential wall.