After being temporarily closed by the health department in early October and reopened under a provisional permit, Le Cave’s 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 “gross unsanitary decisions.”
Once the immediate health concerns were corrected, involving peeling paint, crumbling ceiling tiles, and rusted and dirty equipment, Le Cave’s was allowed to reopen Oct. 9.
The bulk of the problems were attributed to leaks in various parts of the 80-year-old building’s roof, said Le Cave’s owner Rudy Molina Jr.
“This whole issue has nothing to do with our food or its production,” he said Friday. “This is an old building that needs maintenance on a regular basis. Unfortunately during that monsoon storm, the weather took a toll.”
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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 Cave’s 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 “heavy fly and bee infestation.” In addition, Ludwig found evidence of cockroaches in the glazing room.
Le Cave’s 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 Cave’s 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.
“Several large mixer bowls located on floor and throughout facility have old, encrusted food debris,” 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 “excessive fly activity in the lobby, including one inside a pastry cabinet.”
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 Department’s 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 Cave’s, waiting while the staff cleaned and sanitized the area so that the business wouldn’t have to be closed down again.
“No one in the restaurant business wants to make people sick, but they also want to make money,” he said. “Our job is to be the balance there.”
Le Cave’s 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 Cave’s is at risk of losing its license if the critical issues aren’t corrected by next week’s follow-up inspection.
In the weeks after the bakery’s temporary closure, business has declined 30 to 40 percent, Molina said, in part because he believes many customers aren’t aware Le Cave’s is open again.
“We’re making progress on the repairs,” he said. “Up until this recent issue, we’ve always had good and excellent ratings. We’ve been maintaining and doing the best we can.”
