Food for Thought Report 10.2 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

This week's Food for Thought includes one school cafeteria, three Top Performing restaurants and two Low Performers.

Brown Elementary at 2315 36th Street gets one critical violation. A thermometer was not properly calibrated . The violation was corrected on site.

We start with a place that's fairly new to the restaurant scene. Treb's at 1823 Buddy Holly in the Depot District is a Food for Thought Top Performer with a perfect score. Owners John Long and Marianne Travis opened Treb's about two and half months ago, and with more than 40 years of restaurant experience between them, they know exactly how they want to take care of business.

"We're a small family operation so it's a little bit easier to keep on top of things. We just pay attention to the procedures and so forth and as long as we're doing our job it comes out right. We want a safe environment for our customers, everything to be right and the quality of the food as best as can be," says Long.

Next, it's a Top Performer we've seen before. Known for their popular lunch time selections and all those made from scratch baked goods, Sugerbaker's at 4601 South Loop 289 does it again this week, with zero critical violations.

Another repeat Top Performer rounds out the list, 82nd Street Cafe at 3416 82nd Street earns a perfect score on their inspection.

Our first Low Performer this time is Skillet's at 6622 I-27 with five critical violations.

1. There was improper cold hold of potentially hazardous food products. Whole, shelled eggs were found at 50 degrees.
2. An improper drinking container was found in the kitchen. An open lidded coffee cup was found on the ice machine.
3. There was cross contamination potential due to improper use of towels. Dry towels that were heavily soiled were being used on the cook line.
4. There was diced ham with no expiration date. The ham was in a container labeled "onions", and some items had too many days for expiration.
5. Toxic items were not properly stored. Hydrogen peroxide was stored with clean equipment.

When I called Skillet's, no manager was available for comment. The inspection says all violations were corrected on site.

The next Low Performer is China Star at 1919 50th Street with 10 critical violations.

• There was improper cooling of potentially hazardous food products, specifically noodles and breaded chicken.
• There was improper cold hold of potentially hazardous food products. Raw chicken was found at 54 degrees, crawfish was found at 57 degrees and shrimp was found at 65 degrees.
• Good hygiene practices were not being followed. Open lidded drinks were found throughout the kitchen and on food prep surfaces. Spoiled lemons were found.
• There was cross contamination potential due to improper food storage arrangement. Watermelon was next to raw beef and chicken and pork were found over beef and shrimp.
• Food was not protected during storage. Open lidded containers were found throughout a walk in unit, and food bins were stored on the floor then placed on contact surface.
• No date mark was found on potentially hazardous ready to eat foods.
• Equipment was not adequately maintaining food temperatures.
• A hand washing facility was found with no soap and improperly dispensed paper towels.
• Toxic items and spray bottles were not properly labeled.
• Food contact surfaces wee found soiled--a can opener was heavily soiled, containers used for ice storage were soiled and other containers were soiled.

The Manager at China Star told me all violations have been corrected, the customers were at no risk at any time and their customers will not be at risk in the future.