COCULA RESTAURANT Gets Conditional Pass on Health Inspection - Chicago Restaurant

CITY OF CHICAGO FOOD SERVICE SANITATION CERTIFICATE - Comments: Observed Person in charge does not have a city of Chicago certified food sanitation manager certification. Observed no current/valid city of Chicago food sanitation manager certificate posted in facility. Facility currently prepping TCS foods, such as steak, chicken, rice, etc. Instructed must have a Chicago food sanitation manager, with current valid certification, on site at all times when TCS foods are being prepped. Priority foundation violation 7-38-012. Citation issued.

Lack of certification indicates potential gaps in food safety knowledge, increasing risk of improper food handling and foodborne illness.

Valid City of Chicago Food Service Sanitation Certificate required and must be posted.

Certificate must be: Current and valid; Posted conspicuously in public view; Held by person in charge during all operating hours; Renewed before expiration date.

MANAGEMENT, FOOD EMPLOYEE AND CONDITIONAL EMPLOYEE; KNOWLEDGE, RESPONSIBILITIES AND REPORTING - Comments: Observed no employee health policy on site. Must provide written employee health policy for all employees. Priority foundation violation.

Ill food workers cause 70% of foodborne outbreaks. Proper reporting prevents transmission of Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Salmonella, and other serious diseases.

All food employees must understand and follow health reporting requirements and food safety responsibilities.

Employees must: Report illness symptoms and exposures; Be excluded/restricted when ill; Understand their role in preventing foodborne illness; Follow proper hygiene practices; Have signed health policy on file.

PROCEDURES FOR RESPONDING TO VOMITING AND DIARRHEAL EVENTS - Comments: Observed no vomit and diarrhea clean up policy on site. Instructed must provide written procedure for the clean up of vomit and diarrheal events, and the equipment outlined in procedure. Priority foundation violation.

Vomit and diarrhea contain millions of viral particles. One incident can contaminate entire facility and cause outbreak affecting dozens.

Written procedures required for cleaning bodily fluid events to prevent disease transmission.

Written procedure must address: Isolating contaminated area; Removing and discarding affected food; Using proper PPE; Cleaning and sanitizing with appropriate concentration; Proper disposal of contaminated materials.

NO BARE HAND CONTACT WITH RTE FOOD OR A PRE-APPROVED ALTERNATIVE PROCEDURE PROPERLY ALLOWED - Comments: Observed poor hygienic practices. Observed food handler using bare hand contact to garnish several plates with lettuce, sliced cucumber, and sliced tomato on to plates on the cook line. Instructed manager there is to be no bare hand contact with ready to eat foods. Must use gloves, or utensils (tongs, spatulas, etc.) to prevent bare hand contact with ready to eat foods. Manager discarded contaminated foods and instructed food handler washed hands, and put on gloves during inspection. Priority violation 7-38-010. Citation issued.

Contaminated water spreads waterborne diseases. Insufficient hot water prevents proper sanitization.

Potable water supply must be adequate, protected, and properly heated.

Water from approved public system; Sufficient pressure for all operations; Hot water minimum 120°F at fixtures, 180°F for high-temp dishwashers; Backflow prevention installed; No cross-connections.

ADEQUATE HANDWASHING SINKS PROPERLY SUPPLIED AND ACCESSIBLE - Comments: Observed no hand sink in front server area where soup and deserts are dispensed. Must provide and exposed hand sink with hot/cold water with adequate city pressure, soap/paper towels, and a handwashing sign in this area. Must maintain same. Priority foundation violation.

Blocked or unsupplied sinks force employees to skip handwashing, spreading fecal bacteria and viruses to food.

Handwashing sinks must be accessible, properly supplied, and used only for handwashing.

Each sink needs: Warm water (100°F minimum); Soap in dispensers; Paper towels or air dryers; Waste receptacles; Signage; Clear access; Used only for handwashing.

REQUIRED RECORDS AVAILABLE: SHELLSTOCK TAGS, PARASITE DESTRUCTION - Comments: Observed shellstock (shelled oysters) in water in walk in cooler without required shellstock identification tag. Facility could not provide records of previously used shellfish tags. Instructed must keep all shellfish tags with the entire stock of corresponding product. Instructed must keep all shellfish identification tags for a minimum of 90 days. Manager discarded unlabeled shellstock during inspection. Priority foundation violation 7-38-005. Citation issued.

Uncorrected violations continue posing health risks and often worsen over time.

Previous critical violations must be corrected.

All previous violations corrected within required timeframes; Critical violations corrected immediately; Documentation of corrections maintained.

PROPER COLD HOLDING TEMPERATURES - Comments: Observed the following TCS foods at improper temperatures in the front prep cooler: pork @ 64.4F and beef @ 51.1F. Instructed all TCS foods must be held at 41F or less at all times when in refrigeration units. Operator discarded denatured foods during inspection. Priority violation 7-38-005. Citation issued.

Temperatures below 135°F allow bacteria to multiply, especially spore-formers that survive cooking.

Hot foods must be held at 135°F or above.

Maintain 135°F or above; Check temperatures regularly; Proper hot holding equipment; Cannot reheat in hot holding units.

PROPER DATE MARKING AND DISPOSITION - Comments: Observed improper date marking of TCS foods inside the walk in cooler. Instructed must label all prepped, TCS foods with discard date when held for more than 24 hours. Must correct and maintain same. Priority foundation violation.

Inadequate reheating fails to kill bacteria that grew during storage.

Foods must be reheated to 165°F within 2 hours.

Reheat to 165°F within 2 hours; Use proper equipment (not hot holding units); Discard if not reaching temperature in time.

CONSUMER ADVISORY PROVIDED FOR RAW/UNDERCOOKED FOOD - Comments: Observed no consumer advisory reminder on menu for undercooked foods (oysters, etc.) Instructed must provide consumer advisory disclosure and reminders (*) for all foods it pertains to on menu. Must correct. Priority foundation violation.

Dirty surfaces attract pests and can contaminate food indirectly.

Non-food contact surfaces must be kept clean.

Clean as often as necessary; Remove grease and debris; Maintain equipment exteriors; Keep walls, ceilings, floors clean.

PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES - Comments: Observed leak at faucet of hand sink in kitchen area. Must repair and maintain same.

Backflow can contaminate entire water supply with sewage or chemicals.

Plumbing must be properly installed with backflow prevention.

Air gaps at fixtures; Backflow preventers on connections; No cross-connections; Annual testing of devices; Proper drainage.

PLUMBING INSTALLED; PROPER BACKFLOW DEVICES - Comments: Observed leak at faucet of hand sink in kitchen area. Must repair and maintain same.

Backflow can contaminate entire water supply with sewage or chemicals.

Plumbing must be properly installed with backflow prevention.

Air gaps at fixtures; Backflow preventers on connections; No cross-connections; Annual testing of devices; Proper drainage.