Food for Thought Report 9.13 - KCBD NewsChannel 11 Lubbock

Six schools received a gold star from health inspectors this week.

Those include: Atkins Jr. High School, Bayless Elementary School, Bean Elementary School, Dunbar Jr. High School, Frenship Northridge Elementary School and Parsons Elementary School.

Food for Thought 9.13 Here is a complete list of the restaurants and their violations for the week ending on 9/13/07.

Seven schools had only one red x on their health inspection tests.

At Project Intercept inspectors observed a soiled can opener on a prep table.

Centennial Elementary was written up for sponge and alcohol swabs that were found in the hand sink.

At Iles Elementary, there was no hot water at the hand wash sink in the kitchen.

Over at Monterey High School inspectors observed rice sitting out at room temperature.

Food temperatures was also a problem at O.L. Slaton Junior High where corndogs and chicken nuggets were not at least 135 degrees.

Mashed potatoes were found in the hot hold unit at 100 degrees at Wheatley Elementary. Inspectors advised staff that the food temperature needed to be at least 135 degrees.

And Frenship Terra Vista Middle School, single servings of milk were holding at 51 degrees.

And there's only one school this week that needs to hit the books a little harder. Two critical violations were found at Frenship Westwind Elementary.

• Diced ham was being prepped at 52 degrees and sliced tomatoes at 55 degrees. They must be 41 degrees or colder.
• Inspectors also observed a soiled can opener.

According to the reports, all violations at all schools were corrected at the time of the inspections.

Aramark manages both LISD and Frenship cafeterias. They say they continuously train employees on food safety procedures and the violations that were found were corrected on site.

Now on to this week's restaurant inspections. There are three low performers on the Food for Thought list this week. One of those restaurants is making the list for the fifth time in less than a year.

We begin at the Taco Villa located at 2243 19th where health inspectors found eight critical violations.

• Shredded cheese in the taco station was at 46 degrees. Cold foods must be 41 degrees or colder.
• Several hot foods were below 135 degrees. 
• A can of olives and a can of tomatoes both had dents in them.
• An employee was not wearing gloves when handling lettuce and taco shells.
• Both dead and live cockroaches were found on the kitchen floor.
• Two spray bottles were stored next to chips.
• There were moldy soda nozzles at a soda fountain.
• Soiled metal pans and lids were found on the clean rack.

According to the report, most violations were corrected on site. Management tells NewsChannel 11, "Our commitment is to be compliant per state regulations and of course our focus is to do what's right for our customers through increased awareness and continued education."

Next up Chinese Kitchen at 5308 Slide Road, a Food for Thought repeat low performer. Inspectors found eight critical violations:

• Sweet and sour chicken was found cooling at room temperature. Hot foods must be at a temperature of at least 135 degrees.
• Raw beef was found next to the grill at 52 degrees. Cold food be must 41 degrees or colder.
• Employee drinks were stored next to plastic drink lids and coffee mugs in the kitchen.
• There was a dented can of bamboo shoot.
• A cookie sheet was sitting on top of the trash can. Grocery bags used to store raw beef and chicken were in the freezer. Chicken was stored above beef and shrimp in the walk in freezer.
• An employee drink was sitting in a hand sink in front of the stir fry area.
• Flies were found on sweet and sour chicken and in a trash can.
• And inspectors also observed a soiled knife sharpener.

According to the report all violations were corrected during the inspection. Management tells NewsChannel 11 they are working with a new health inspector and are making sure their employees understand proper food safety procedures.

And, it's the same location at 906 50th street, since it opened in January, Jin's Buffet was a low performer in all four of its health inspections.

The restaurant is now called Grand Buffet, and it's a low performer with eight critical violations.

• Several cold foods on the buffet table were above 41 degrees.
• Several hot foods on the buffet were below 135 degrees.
• Debris was found in two hand sinks in the kitchen. Employee drinks were found on the clean dish rack and on a shelf in contact with food.
• A sugar bin in a dry storage area contained debris. There were scoops in the flour bin with soiled handles and a soiled apron was in contact with clean plates used for sushi.
• The employee bathroom had no paper towels next to the handwash station. 
• A spray bottle was stored on a clean dish rack.
• A dish washing machine was not dispensing sanitizer. A repairman was called during the inspection.
• Soiled plates were found on the clean dish rack. The surface of a bin used to store utensils was soiled. A soiled can opener was found on a prep table and the handles and doors of a walk in cooler and freezer were also soiled.

According to the report all violations were corrected on site.