The catering service for the FBR Open had repeated health code violations during the most recent inspection of its kitchen back in November, as well as some earlier inspections, records show.
Violations reported by Maricopa County health inspectors included mold in ice machines and raw chicken stored on a shelf above broccoli that was ready to eat. Mold in an ice machine was also observed during a July inspection.
Brandon Maxwell, president of M Catering by Michael's, (a.k.a. Michael's Catering), acknowledges that the repeated violations in the firm's kitchen at 20645 N. 28th Street in Phoenix are "troublesome," although the problems were corrected at the time of the inspection. The business has been training the operation's staff and working with the health department to make sure more violations don't occur, he says.
In the meantime, food offerings by Michael's Catering at the FBR Open's skyboxes, Greenskeeper area and other spots has so far been given a clean bill of health, says Maxwell.
Maxwell says that just prior to returning a call by New Times, he phoned his on-site manager at the FBR Open.
"Everything's good," he says. "The health department is very pleased at this point with our operation out there."
Johnny Dilone, a spokesman for the county's Environmental Services division, tells New Times he has not seen the latest reports on the FBR Open food and could not confirm Maxwell's statement on the FBR Open inspections. However, Dilone says the operation would not have been allowed to serve food at the event if it was in violation.
A Scottsdale news blog site reported on the violations yesterday, noting that the November inspection showed evidence of repeated problems.
We look frequently at the Maricopa County Environmental Services department's food establishment search page ourselves. You should consider bookmarking it on your browser so you can check out your favorite haunts (and maybe stop haunting some of the more disgusting ones).
Keep in mind, though, you've got to take the ratings with a grain of salt. Fact is, almost no eatery receives all "gold" ratings. Even on some of the reports that show violations, you have to read the details to see whether inspectors found anything serious.
The candid Maxwell didn't try to downplay or excuse the violations, but noted that his 28th Street facility is 36,000 square feet with multiple ice machines. The business is trying hard to make sure future inspections go smoother, he says.
