UPDATE - Dexters Heath Inspection Reveals 32 Violations and a "Local" Brand of Wisconsin Chorizo


UPDATED OCT 31 12:30PM A follow-up inspection was required by DBPR after an October 17th inspection of the Winter Park location of Dexter's restaurant at 558 W. New England Ave. 32 violations were found including 52-11-4: Food offered in a way that misleads/misinforms the consumer. DBPR said that Dexter's "offers locally farmed fresh ground mildly spiced pork but is actually raised, slaughtered, packaged and frozen in Wisconsin. Additionally, establishment states that the pork is GMO and antibiotic free which is untrue." The follow up inspection was conducted the following day and the restaurant met inspection standards.

The dish with the Wisconsin pork is called the Fresh Lake Meadow Farms Flatbread. Lake Meadow Naturals is a farm located in Ocoee that sells to restaurants and at farmers markets.

Tuesday, The Daily City spoke with one of the owners of Dexters, Adrian Mann. He said he was unaware the meat came from Wisconsin because the Lake Meadow Naturals salesperson who works on the Dexters account never told him and the packaging the chorizo comes in doesn't indicate so. Mann said after the inspection he called LMN and confirmed the information.

Dale Volkert, the LMN Farmer, said the salesperson handling the account probably did not tell Dexters the chorizo came from Wisconsin because the salesperson was new and because up until two weeks ago, the chorizo did not come from Wisconsin: it came from contract farms in Clermont and Ocala. Both farms closed. Volkert says they switched to a Wisconsin farm owned by Lake Meadow Naturals as their pork source two weeks ago.​ LMN started producing their own pork last Monday.

As for why the labels don't say that the chorizo comes from Wisconsin is because the USDA doesn't require it. LMN is not required to print on their labels where the meat comes from. The only way a restaurant client learns about the origin of their chorizo is through the salesperson. The only way a shopper at Winter Park Farmers Market and Audubon Park Farmers Market learns about the origin of any of the meats sold by Lake Meadow Naturals is through the salesperson.

Mann admitted to lying about the claim on the menu saying the chorizo was "fresh ground." He said the product is fresh when they receive it and he then freezes it. The dish will still be called "Fresh Lake Meadow Farms Flatbread" because the product comes from the company called Lake Meadow Farms says Mann. The menu description for the item however will no longer feature the word local.

Dexters is the only restaurant client LMN has that buys its chorizo.

Read all Dexter's inspections HERE and do research yourself on your favorite restaurants by clicking HERE then clicking "Search Food & Lodging Inspections."

October 17 Dexters Violations: 
  1. 23-25-4 Basic - Build-up of grease/dust/debris on hood filters. **Warning**
  2. 36-03-4 Basic - Cove molding at floor/wall juncture broken/missing. / by the sauteed station area. **Warning**
  3. 12B-07-4 Basic - Employee beverage container on a food preparation table or over/next to clean equipment/utensils. Drink on top of the dish machine. Drink on shelve by the expo area. **Warning**
  4. 40-07-4 Basic - Employee personal items stored with or above food, clean equipment and utensils, or single-service items. / employee's apron on clean plate / sauteed cooler storage area. **Warning**
  5. 13-07-4 Basic - Employee wearing jewelry other than a plain ring on their hands/arms while preparing food. / observed a cook wearing a bracelet while preparing food / **Warning**
  6. 13-04-4 Basic - Employee with no beard guard/restraint while engaging in food preparation. / one kitchen employee. **Warning**
  7. 36-71-4 Basic - Floor drains/drain covers heavily soiled. **Warning**
  8. 36-73-4 Basic - Floor soiled/has accumulation of debris. / back storage area Throughout the kitchen **Warning**
  9. 36-11-4 Basic - Floors not maintained smooth and durable. / walk in cooler. **Warning**
  10. 52-11-4 Basic - Food offered in a way that misleads/misinforms the consumer. Establishment offers locally farmed fresh ground mildly spiced pork but is actually raised, slaughtered, packaged and frozen in Wisconsin. Additionally, establishment states that the pork is GMO and antibiotic free which is untrue. **Warning**
  11. 23-07-4 Basic - Gaskets with slimy/mold-like build-up. / Kitchen reach in coolers. **Warning**
  12. 36-24-5 Basic - Hole in or other damage to wall. / back storage room, employee restroom. **Warning**
  13. 10-08-4 Basic - Ice scoop handle in contact with ice. / expo line both ice bins. **Warning**
  14. 38-07-4 Basic - Lights in food preparation, food storage or warewashing area missing the proper shield, sleeve coatings or covers. / between ice machine and walk in cooler. **Warning**
  15. 05-09-4 Basic - No conspicuously located ambient air temperature thermometer in holding unit. / some reach in coolers. **Warning**
  16. 31B-04-4 Basic - No handwashing sign provided at a hand sink used by food employees. / bar **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  17. 29-49-5 Basic - Observed standing water in bottom of reach-in cooler. / sauteed reach in cooler. **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  18. 21-10-4 Basic - Soiled dry wiping cloth in use. / on cook line. **Warning**
  19. 29-11-4 Basic - Water leaking from pipe and/or faucet/handle. / Kitchen hand sink / next to dish machine. **Warning**
  20. 21-12-4 Basic - Wet wiping cloth not stored in sanitizing solution between uses. / salad station / **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
  21. 21-38-4 Basic - Wiping cloth sanitizing solution stored on the floor. / salad station / **Corrected On-Site** **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  22. 02D-01-5 Basic - Working containers of food removed from original container not identified by common name. / flour container with green lid stored over the sandwich presser. **Warning**
  23. 12A-04-5 High Priority - Employee handled soiled dishes or utensils and then handled clean dishes or utensils without washing hands. / dishwasher, educated / **Corrected On-Site** **Warning**
  24. 03A-02-4 High Priority - Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cold held at greater than 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Beef trimmings 50F, cream burlee 55F, egg plants 53F, partial cooked chicken 50F, cooked chicken 50F, top round roast beef 51F / walk in cooler Raw ground beef 44F, Cole slaw 44F / cook line reach in cooler next to hot holding. **Warning**
  25. 03D-05-4 High Priority - Potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food cooked/heated yesterday/on a previous day not cooled from 135 degrees Fahrenheit to 41 degrees Fahrenheit within a total of 6 hours. Food has been cooling overnight. See stop sale. / beef trimmings 50F, top round roast beef 51F / walk in cooler. **Warning**
  26. 01B-02-4 High Priority - Stop Sale issued on potentially hazardous (time/temperature control for safety) food due to temperature abuse. / TCS food from walk in cooler. **Warning**
  27. 22-20-4 Intermediate - Accumulation of black/green mold-like substance in the interior of the ice machine. **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  28. 31A-13-4 Intermediate - Employee used handwash sink as a dump sink. / straw and ice inside front expo line hand sink. **Warning**
  29. 03C-89-4 Intermediate - Establishment conducts non-continuous cooking of raw animal foods without written procedures approved by the division./ partial cooked chicken. **Warning**
  30. 31B-02-4 Intermediate - No paper towels or mechanical hand drying device provided at handwash sink. / bar hand sink. **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  31. 31B-03-4 Intermediate - No soap provided at handwash sink. / bar hand sink. **Repeat Violation** **Warning**
  32. 41-17-4 Intermediate - Spray bottle containing toxic substance not labeled. / Kitchen. **Warning**


October 18th Dexters Violations:
  1. 36-03-4 Basic - - From inspection on 2017-10-17: Basic - Cove molding at floor/wall juncture broken/missing. / by the sauteed station area. **Warning** - From follow-up inspection on 2017-10-18: **Time Extended**
  2. 36-11-4 Basic - - From inspection on 2017-10-17: Basic - Floors not maintained smooth and durable. / walk in cooler. **Warning** - From follow-up inspection on 2017-10-18: **Time Extended**
  3. 36-24-5 Basic - - From inspection on 2017-10-17: Basic - Hole in or other damage to wall. / back storage room, employee restroom. **Warning** - From follow-up inspection on 2017-10-18: **Time Extended**
  4. 38-07-4 Basic - - From inspection on 2017-10-17: Basic - Lights in food preparation, food storage or warewashing area missing the proper shield, sleeve coatings or covers. / between ice machine and walk in cooler. **Warning** - From follow-up inspection on 2017-10-18: **Time Extended**
  5. 29-49-5 Basic - - From inspection on 2017-10-17: Basic - Observed standing water in bottom of reach-in cooler. / sauteed reach in cooler. **Repeat Violation** **Warning** - From follow-up inspection on 2017-10-18: **Time Extended**
  6. 29-11-4 Basic - - From inspection on 2017-10-17: Basic - Water leaking from pipe and/or faucet/handle. / Kitchen hand sink / next to dish machine. **Warning** - From follow-up inspection on 2017-10-18: **Time Extended**