A stop-sale order was issued after an inspector discovered moldy mushrooms during a recent visit to the Brownwood Hotel and Spa in The Villages.
The hotel’s kitchen faced multiple high-priority health violations, according to a report on file with the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation.
The inspector issued stop-sale orders for cooked mushrooms exhibiting “mold-like growth” and for three pounds of fish. The manager admitted the fish had been packaged on-site using a reduced oxygen vacuum-sealing method without being kept frozen before, during, or after the process, as required. The inspector also noted the hotel lacked a state-approved hazard plan for its vacuum-sealing process, a method it had been using for raw fish, cooked pork, chicken, and beef since 2024.
Temperature-control issues led to a manager voluntarily discarding several items at a breakfast station, including yogurt, cut tomatoes, liquid eggs, sour cream, and half-and-half. The items were found holding at temperatures near 50 degrees instead of the required 41 degrees or colder. The reach-in cooler storing the items had an ambient temperature of 52 degrees and was cited for needing repair.
Other high-priority and intermediate violations at the hotel included open containers of milk and half-and-half lacking adequate sneezeguard protection at a self-service buffet, and the absence of a written consumer advisory for raw salmon offered at breakfast.
Meanwhile, Wolfgang Puck Kitchen & Bar, the restaurant located inside the hotel, underwent a separate complaint-based inspection on Tuesday. The restaurant met inspection standards during the visit but was cited for one high-priority violation and three basic violations.
The high-priority violation involved a restaurant employee who touched their face and glasses, and then handled a container of food without washing their hands or changing gloves. The inspector addressed the issue, and the employee promptly removed their gloves and washed their hands.
Basic violations at Wolfgang Puck included an employee preparing food without a beard guard, an employee wearing a watch and bracelets while handling food on the expo line, and tongs stored improperly on a grill handle.