A health inspector found food temperature violations and hand-washing problems earlier this month at Red Sauce in The Villages.
An inspector visited the restaurant at Lake Sumter Landing on May 8 and found two high-priority violations, two intermediate violations and one basic violation, according to a report from the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The inspector found that food that should have been kept at 135 degrees did not meet the minimum temperate. Red sauce was at 128 degrees and meatballs were at 132 degrees. The food was reheated.
Meanwhile, food that should have been at a temperature of 41 degrees was warmer than the required temperature. Chicken breasts were at 47 degrees, pulled park was at 51 degrees and coleslaw was at 53 degrees. The food was moved to a walk-in cooler for “a quick cool down,” the inspector wrote.
The report indicated that a handwash sink was not accessible to employees because items were being stored in the sink. In addition there were no paper towels at a sink and there was no mechanical drying device.
The inspector also found that there was “encrusted material” on a can opener blade.
In addition, the inspector found the interior of an oven had a “heavy accumulation of black substance/grease/food debris.”
Four days prior to the inspection, Gov. Ron DeSantis allowed restaurants across the Sunshine State to reopen at 25 percent capacity inside dining rooms and with tables on outside patios spaced at least six feet apart. Prior to that, Red Sauce had been serving take-out meals and in April drew an enormous crowd when orders backed up.
