The L.A. County Department of Public Health on Tuesday gave the owner of a Valencia restaurant linked to 31 confirmed cases of salmonella the green light to reopen, the owner said.
According to Ivan Vasquez, owner of Madre Oaxacan Restaurant & Mezcaleria, the restaurant was inspected on Tuesday by Public Health and it was determined that conditions were safe for reopening, but that likely won’t occur until Thursday.
Vasquez said in a phone interview on Tuesday that he is still waiting for all of his staff to get their test results back before he can safely reopen.
“We’re hoping that everybody has recovered,” Vasquez said. “Even though we have the approval today, we’re trying to open in the most responsible way possible.”
Public Health continues to investigate the salmonella outbreak, according to an email on Tuesday that also confirmed that 31 cases of salmonella have been linked to the restaurant.
The number of cases was originally at four when the investigation began last week but that was quadrupled after a couple of days. On Monday, that number had increased to 20 before reaching 31 on Tuesday.
Public Health initiated the investigation after numerous reports of people experiencing symptoms of food poisoning after dining at the restaurant earlier this month. An inspection was conducted last week that yielded a “C” grade due to “critical violations.”
Those violations include the following:
- A dishwasher was unaware of the proper sanitizing procedures when conducting manual ware washing.
- A large ice machine in the main kitchen area with mold buildup on the interior top portion and ice chute in contact with the ice.
- Cutting boards, stainless steel pots and plastic containers stored as “clean” with old food debris and buildup.
- Menus missing an asterisk next to certain food items for disclaimers regarding raw or undercooked foods, such as oysters or egg Caesar salad, being offered and the health risks involved.
Vasquez said all of those violations have since been corrected, as indicated by the approval to reopen. New cutting boards have been purchased and the ice machine, rack shelves and prep jars and containers have all been cleaned and sanitized.
The dishwasher in question was also retrained on all of the steps after missing just one during the inspection last week, Vasquez said, and new menus are being printed that contain the disclaimer and asterisks next to the appropriate items.
He added that sanitization will continue to be a major point of emphasis moving forward, as outlined by Public Health. A sanitizing station will be available at the front of the restaurant for customers and employees.
“We retrained everybody yesterday on handwashing and sanitizing,” Vasquez said.
Employees will also be instructed to be more diligent when it comes to symptoms of any kind of sickness and a doctor’s note will be needed to return to work, as recommended by Public Health, Vasquez said.
