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The Villages
Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Litany of violations force Leesburg Chinese restaurant to shut doors

A Leesburg restaurant was forced to temporarily shut its doors during the lunch hour last week after a health inspector found 14 violations – two of which were considered to be high priority.

A health inspector cited 14 violations in shutting down China 1 restaurant in Leesburg last week.

China 1, located at 1107 W North Blvd., Suite 10, was closed last Friday after the health inspector found live roaches in the eatery – three under a prep table in the rear of the kitchen, three under boxes near the front cash register and four on a reach-in freezer gasket. The second high-priority violation centered on raw pork ribs being stored over sauce buckets, according a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.

The inspector cited two intermediate violations. One was for a handwash sink not available for employee use because frozen pork was being stored in it. And the other was for an encrusted can opener blade.

The inspector’s report also includes 10 basic violations. Those included:

  • Approximately 10 dead roaches located by the front register.
  • Shrimp and pork thawed at room temperature;
  • A sugar scoop with no handle in a dry storage container;
  • Buildup of food debris, dust or dirt under a rice cooker and shelving;
  • Cardboard used to line food-contact shelves on top of a chest freezer;
  • Pork stored on the floor in a walk-in cooler;
  • A meat cleaver stored between pieces of equipment (prep table);
  • Dry goods stored in a cardboard chicken box in a dry storage area;
  • Soil residue buildup on the exterior of a crock-pot; and
  • Multiple uncovered food items stored in a walk-in cooler.

 On a visit the following day, the inspector found the raw pork ribs still being stored over sauce buckets and three live roaches under a three-compartment sink, a dry storage area and under the cookline. The inspector also cited three remaining basic violations:

  • A sugar scoop with no handle in a dry storage container;
  • Pork stored on the floor in a walk-in cooler; and
  • Multiple uncovered food items stored in a walk-in cooler.

 The restaurant remained closed until the inspector returned for a third visit later in the day on Saturday. At that point, the high-priority violation for the pork ribs being stored above sauce and the remaining three basic violations were still in place, so the time was extended to fix the remaining violations and the restaurant was allowed to reopen shortly before lunch, the report shows.

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