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I felt sick to my stomach as the taxi came to a stop, and I passed money over to the driver and fled the cab. I walked with my head up, my shoulders back, trying to appear confident and not scared to death. My entire career could be at stake with this one instance. My reputation for keeping a clean, efficient kitchen could be destroyed.
I paused at the back door, inhaled slowly, and released it before pulling open the door. Inside, a few of the kitchen staff milled around by the door. All of them turned to me with wide, worried eyes. They knew, like me, what could be lost with this. “Have they found anything?” I asked Paul in a whisper.
He shook his head. “They just started the main kitchen inspection. They finished the dishwashing area.”
“Okay, why don’t all of you head outside. Ask everyone else to hang out there until they are done.”
“Will do, Chef.”
“Melinda, can you take my bag and put it in the locker room, please?”
“Yes, Chef.” I stopped at the sink right inside the kitchen and washed my hands. It was the first thing I did when I stepped into this room and something that I required all my staff to do also.
“Hello, I’m Ali Davidson, Head Chef. I understand that a customer filed a complaint of an E. coli infection.”
“Hello, Ms. Davidson. Jim Rushmore, Department of Health Inspector, and yes, a customer filed a complaint after spending the morning in the emergency room. They confirmed the bacteria in his system was E. coli.”
“Was it E. coli O157:H7?
“Yes.”
“And when did he state he ate here?”
“Last night.”
I frowned. “That’s almost impossible for him to have symptoms that quickly. The incubation period is generally more than twenty-four hours, and sometimes doesn’t manifest for a few days.”
Mr. Rushmore pursed his lips at me. “You don’t need to quote those facts to me, Ms. Davidson. I am well aware of the symptoms and period for the bacteria to take effect.”
I cringed at his stern tone. “Can you tell me what he ate?”
“He consumed a garden salad, Steak Au Poivre, and crepes with fresh berries and cream for dessert.”
Well, crap! There were a lot of places the E. coli could have been hiding in that menu. However, I was still bothered by the fact that he was struck so quickly with symptoms.
“What has been tested so far?”
“The dishwasher and sanitizing area is clean, and we are about halfway through this area. We’ll need to test the foods next. I will need to know how many salads you served last night, how many of the steaks, and how many dessert dishes you brought out to patrons.”
“Yes, of course.” I turned to Ricardo. “Can you please get the numbers?”
“Yes, Chef.” He disappeared toward the office. While our numbers for salads were sometimes off, we would have a general number on that. Some people who ordered didn’t want their salad or switched it with another one of our salads instead of the standard garden. The number for the steaks would be exact though.
Ricardo returned a few minutes later as I stood off to the side and watched every move the two inspectors took. “Chef,” Ricardo handed me a piece of paper that he printed out. Ricardo had not only given me last night’s numbers but the night before too.
“Thank you, Ricardo. Is this since our last meat delivery?” He nodded, and I handed the document to Mr. Rushmore, and he looked it over.
“We’ll notify the local hospitals to be on the lookout for more cases. If it was in the salad, you could have hundreds of cases.”
“If it was in the salad, but I still don’t think it was from us. Was this man healthy otherwise?”
“As far as I know.”
“Was it possible he had a compromised immune system? That is the only way I can see him turning ill so quickly. It hasn’t even been twenty-four hours. Do you know the odds of that?”
He rolled his eyes. “Yes, I know the odds, Ms. Davidson. I’ve been doing this for a very long time.”
“Okay, and how often have you seen someone come down with E. coli poisoning in less than twenty-four hours?”
