Monday, 06.15.09
Report: Weston club told to toss
food after dentist's death
Source
of Article: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/breaking-news/story/1098363.html
BY BOB LaMENDOLA
South
Florida Sun-Sentinel
Weston
Hills Country Club had to discard chicken, hamburger, beef and hot dogs
because inspectors investigating a possible food poisoning death found a
cooler was malfunctioning, according to a state report obtained Monday.
The
inspection last week found that the foods stored in the cooler were, for at
least 12 hours, allowed to be warmer than the 41 degrees required by
safe-food laws, the report by restaurant inspectors from the Department of
Business and Professional Regulation said. The ground beef was at 63
degrees.
State
officials are investigating if Plantation dentist Edward Nacht died as a
result of food poisoning from a chicken lunch at the country club on June
3, as his family suspects. It's unclear if the cooler was malfunctioning on
the day Nacht got sick.
Nacht
died June 8 from a massive bacterial infection, an illness that struck a
few hours after he and three friends ate lunch in the club restaurant
following a round of golf, said Dr. Jason Hirsh, Nacht's son-in-law and
dental partner.
The
other three men also ate chicken dishes, and all got sick that night before
recovering, Hirsh said. Nacht, 65, was healthy and active, had no other
illnesses and shared no other food or drinks with the three men, Hirsh
said.
Hirsh
filed a complaint that sparked the investigation by restaurant regulators
and the Broward County Health Department. The inquiry has reached no
conclusion so far, department officials said.
The
country club has issued a statement saying the food was not to blame,
noting that no other customers who ate chicken the same day got sick.
''It
appears likely that the illnesses being reported are due to a virus and are
not food-borne in nature. This would explain why numerous members and
guests who ate the same food on the same day did not become ill,'' the
statement said.
The
state inspection of the restaurant Wednesday found 16 critical violations.
These include food not kept cold enough, raw foods touching, improper
hand-washing, leaking coolers and a slimy ice machine, according to the
report. A dishwasher was malfunctioning that day, as well.
Inspectors
had found similar violations at the club during a routine April inspection,
records show.
''All
four eat together, everyone gets sick,'' Hirsh said. ``I asked for an
investigation because something wasn't kosher.''
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