by Robert Schoenberger
Daily Cougar Senior StaffImagine the cleanest, most sterile environment in the world. It would be a place where you could eat off of the floors, tables or even the walls. It is not a restaurant or cafeteria. (No restaurant could ever be this clean.)
A few campus dining facilities, however, are getting closer to the ideal, said Marsha Present, UH health and safety specialist.
Present inspected the Satellite Tuesday and said she was "pleasantly surprised" by its cleanliness.
There were a few violations, but Present said that is a normal occurrence in any health inspection.
The most serious health violation she found was the use of improper cooling procedures for a pot of alfredo sauce at the Satellite's newest addition, Allegro Pasta.
Although at 153 degrees, the sauce was not yet in a danger zone for food safety. Present said that if it had been left there, it could have been a problem. Potentially hazardous foods should be rapidly cooled to 45 degrees for storage. Placing the item in a cooler was not sufficient, according to Present's report.
"I hate to make excuses about anything, because when you're wrong you're wrong," said Harold Starbuck, food service manager for the Satellite. "We had just hired a new chef at Allegro. Monday was his first day, and the inspection was Tuesday."
This was the only violation dealing with food, Present said. "The majority of the problems were facility related."
Two problems that have plagued the Satellite for enough time to be considered long-term were on Present's list.
The ceiling tiles in the kitchen and food service areas are in poor repair, Present said. The older tiles need to be replaced with "smooth, nonabsorbent, easily cleanable ones."
Starbuck said the replacement of the tiles has been scheduled for Spring Break.
The floors in the kitchen and service areas also need attention, Present said. The floors have become rough and grooved over the past few years and are collecting dirt too rapidly, she said.
She recommended that the Satellite replace the floor with a more durable surface.
Several shelves and counters were in poor repair during Present's inspection. She said most of those items are a result of the addition of Allegro and are already being taken care of as part of the remodeling of the Satellite's kitchen.
Equipment also proved to be a problem for the Satellite, but the staff was handling these problems well, Present said.
Although the dishwasher was broken, Present noted that the person hand-washing the dishes was following safety procedures well, a safe alternative to the machine. The broken machine needs one part to operate safely, Present said.
"(The part) has been on order for over a week now," Starbuck said. He said he hopes to get it soon because manually washing dishes is extremely time-consuming and labor-intensive.
He also said it is harder to guarantee safety with different people washing the dishes.
Several areas need cleaning, said Present, but most of those issues were taken care of during the inspection.
"The university jumped right on the problem," Starbuck said about fixing the problems found in the inspection. "Right now, we're just waiting for parts."