Longtime Pasadena Mexican Restaurant Reopens After Health Department Shutdown

Pasadena health authorities have authorized the re-permitting and reopening of a long-time popular Mexican restaurant on Foothill Blvd. after they closed it June 1 because of major violations of the California health code.

“La Nueva Posada was reopened on Saturday June 4th after a reinspection confirmed the facility effectively eliminated the cockroach infestation,” City of Pasadena Environmental Health Acting Division Manager Rachel Janbek said in an email Monday.

The restaurant, located at 2835 E. Foothill Blvd., only got a grade of 34 when a routine inspection was conducted, according to city records.

The original inspection report said the restaurant’s owners have been advised their health permit is suspended “due to an imminent health hazard,” pointing to vermin infestation as one of the violations.

Inspectors noted they “observed heavy cockroach infestation throughout the facility” during the June 1 visit. Live and dead cockroaches, they said, were observed under a counter above the food preparation table and food preparation refrigerator, between the wall and conduit “located next to chips that were being held inside containers,” and on the floors.

The owners were advised to seal all holes, cracks and crevices, and to get a pest control manager to eradicate the infestation.

The inspectors also noted violations in the use of proper cooling methods for potentially hazardous food, which should be kept either below 41 degrees Fahrenheit, or above 135 degrees.

The other major violations observed included employees washing their hands improperly before handling food, wiping down an active food preparation table with soiled wiping cloth and no sanitizer, and storing cans of personal drinking items inside an ice machine where the ice is used for personal consumption.

The inspectors also listed other health code violations classified as minor, including the absence of a valid food manager’s certificate on site, as well as the absence of current and valid food worker cards for employees assigned to handle food in the facility.

Before the June 1 inspection, La Nueva Posada was last inspected and given a passing grade of 88 on August 6, 2014.