After being temporarily closed by the health department in early October and reopened under a provisional permit, Le Caveβs Bakery has since failed two additional inspections, partly because of flies and cockroaches.
The popular doughnut shop at 1219 S. Sixth Ave. was closed Oct. 6 after the Pima County Health Department found it to be operating under what inspectors referred to as βgross unsanitary decisions.β
Once the immediate health concerns were corrected, involving peeling paint, crumbling ceiling tiles, and rusted and dirty equipment, Le Caveβs was allowed to reopen Oct. 9.
The bulk of the problems were attributed to leaks in various parts of the 80-year-old buildingβs roof, said Le Caveβs owner Rudy Molina Jr.
βThis whole issue has nothing to do with our food or its production,β he said Friday. βThis is an old building that needs maintenance on a regular basis. Unfortunately during that monsoon storm, the weather took a toll.β
Later in October, after several days of heavy rain, Health Department program director David Ludwig stopped by to conduct an inspection as part of Le Caveβs provisional license status.
In his report, Ludwig noted roof damage and leaking in the doughnut prep, rolling and cutting areas, between two ovens and in the front customer area.
He also noted the ceiling adjacent to the fry and glazing area had patches falling and there was a βheavy fly and bee infestation.β In addition, Ludwig found evidence of cockroaches in the glazing room.
Le Caveβs failed the inspection with two critical violations, and was told to complete all of the mandated repairs. The manager was instructed to sign up for a food safety class.
Under a provisional license, any critical violations merit a failed inspection. Under a regular license, it takes several critical violations to earn a fail.
Nine days later, on Oct. 30, Le Caveβs failed a second time, when inspector Jennifer McDowell conducted a follow-up and observed a critical violation, despite the fact that the roof had been patched and was no longer leaking.
βSeveral large mixer bowls located on floor and throughout facility have old, encrusted food debris,β she wrote in the report.
She also noted live and dead cockroaches in food prep areas, fly strips with dead flies hanging above food prep areas and βexcessive fly activity in the lobby, including one inside a pastry cabinet.β
Molina said the bakery has a regular pest control service for maintenance purposes and has recently increased its visits to weekly.
Ludwig said the Health Departmentβs intent is to work with owners like Molina, who are willing to make repairs and correct violations, but that public health is the priority.
He added that he spent three hours on his inspection of Le Caveβs, waiting while the staff cleaned and sanitized the area so that the business wouldnβt have to be closed down again.
βNo one in the restaurant business wants to make people sick, but they also want to make money,β he said. βOur job is to be the balance there.β
Le Caveβs still has work to do, including fixing the interior ceiling, but has until April 8 when its provisional license expires to complete all of the repairs. In the meantime, Ludwig said the department will continue to make spot checks.
Le Caveβs is at risk of losing its license if the critical issues arenβt corrected by next weekβs follow-up inspection.
In the weeks after the bakeryβs temporary closure, business has declined 30 to 40 percent, Molina said, in part because he believes many customers arenβt aware Le Caveβs is open again.
βWeβre making progress on the repairs,β he said. βUp until this recent issue, weβve always had good and excellent ratings. Weβve been maintaining and doing the best we can.β
