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One of my favorite things to do when I’m in Florida is frequent Haitian restaurants. Being from New York City, most of the restaurants out here are gentrified or infused with things I’m not a fan of, so whenever I’m in Florida I make it a point to support Haitian restaurants. This is why this report hit me hard. When people trust you with their palate and stomach the least you can do is not kill them. Rat droppings can kill you! And yet here we are.
Ah, the magic of Miami cuisine. Sun, sand, cocktails, and apparently a complimentary sprinkle of rodent droppings with your rice and beans. Health inspectors were busy on September 11th handing out what can only be described as a Michelin star in vermin control to two restaurants ordered shut after truly stomach-turning inspections.
La Fourchette Restaurant on North Miami Avenue was shut down after inspectors found twenty-four violations. Among them were approximately seven rodent droppings in dry storage where canned goods, rice, flour, beans, and spices were kept at the entrance of the kitchen with no door separation, under wire shelves throughout the area. One live mouse was found inside the oven and another inside a hole in the wall near the three-compartment sink. Droppings were scattered under wooden pallets next to the handwashing sink behind the front counter, under a metal rack across the front door entrance, and behind cooking equipment. Rub marks were visible along the walls and ceilings, behind the oven and frying station, and behind a metal rack near the sink. About eight flies were also buzzing in the kitchen area, giving it an authentic open-air market vibe.
The violations did not stop with pests. A stop sale was issued after red snapper was found at fifty-six degrees and cooked chicken at sixty-one, both left in unsafe conditions that made clear food from the prior night had not been handled properly. The food manager certification was expired. Food-contact surfaces were soiled with mold-like substances or slime. A hole was observed in the ceiling of the dry storage area above a white chest freezer. Floors were soiled with grease and food residue throughout the kitchen. Walls were damaged with holes behind the oven, under the preparation table, and next to the sink. Employees were observed beginning food preparation without washing hands, putting on gloves without washing hands, touching dirty aprons and continuing food prep, and generally skipping hygiene altogether until coached by inspectors. There was no certified food service manager on duty despite four or more employees being engaged in preparation. There was no soap at the handwashing sink behind the front counter until the manager supplied it during the inspection. Inspectors even observed unnecessary persons inside the kitchen, who had to be escorted out.
At 1804 Bread on NW 7th Avenue, inspectors found two dead rodents in a glue trap between the wall and the reach-in freezer in the dry storage room located in the kitchen. Rodent activity was present as evidenced by over thirty droppings on wood shelves in dry storage, more than fifteen in a second dry storage area by food preparation, and about ten behind the oven in the kitchen. Six live roaches were discovered inside the cabinet where coffee bags were stored at the front counter. To make matters worse, there was no proof of state-approved employee training provided for any workers. In total, seventeen violations were recorded, leading to an immediate shutdown.
Meanwhile, La Fourchette’s owners Florence and her husband went live on Facebook to justify the closing. Her explanation was anything but convincing. She gave a history of the building and argued she was only responsible for the interior, claiming she had no authority to make repairs. The problem is the violations were not about the exterior; they were very much inside. She claimed extermination happens often, yet inspectors still found abundant evidence of rodents. The most questionable part is how the restaurant went from closed to open within twenty-four hours. That kind of turnaround usually happens when inspectors are allegedly paid off, or when a rare mistake appears in the report, which almost never occurs unless there is a real estate dispute going on behind the scenes. Her explanation was flimsy at best. And then she went as far as to blame the media for reporting on it, which is where I had to laugh. Florence really thought she was bigger than the program. You don’t control how people react to news, and you don’t get to decide what they say. If she had an issue with coverage, she could have handled it privately instead of trying to lecture the public like she was untouchable. She insisted the restaurant is back and fully functional. Let’s hope it doesn’t take another health inspector to force her to make the changes she claims she has no right to make. My advice to her: hire a PR professional. There was plenty more that could have been said to contradict her Facebook live, but I’ll leave it here.
1804 Bread, on the other hand, made no attempt to explain anything. The bakery simply reopened as if nothing had ever happened, like dead rodents, droppings, and roaches were just part of the daily menu.
Both establishments were closed on September 11th following inspections that read more like a horror script than a health report. From mice in ovens to roaches in coffee, expired certifications to employees skipping soap, Miami diners got a clear reminder: sometimes the excitement isn’t on the plate, it’s crawling under it.
