By Joseph Zuniga
At its most recent tests, Dominican’s food service have earned passing grades for sanitation.
In September, inspectors from the Village of River Forest evaluated the Cyber Café and Dining Hall, where they only found a handful of problems. The reports showed that both areas had structural issues, but Cyber Cafe had a slight refrigeration issue.
Debra Kash, director of auxiliary services, shared her thoughts on Dominican’s performance.
“I thought that the most recent one actually looked pretty good,” she said. “Some of the issues [include] the flooring, freezer, and the lamination in the Cyber Cafe for the countertops.”
Allyson West, a professor of nutrition, discussed information surrounding the issues of the temperature danger zone, which is between 41ºF and 140ºF.
The reports also stated that the deli meat and sliced cheese were held at improper temperatures.
Photos provided in the report showed that some of these food items were held at various temperatures as high as 46ºF.
Student Ariana Bahena said that seeing the reports makes her “not want to eat at Cyber anymore” due to the high temperatures.
West provided background for what kinds of bacteria growth could occur under the right conditions.
“[The] range [of 41ºF to 140ºF] is where most pathogenic bacteria can grow quickly, [which can] get people sick,” West highlighted. “That’s why it’s important to keep cold foods cold, and hot foods hot.”
West also says temperature isn’t the only variable necessary when it comes to bacterial growth in food.
“Just because a food is in the temperature danger zone, doesn’t mean it’s inherently unsafe,” she explained. “It means that if there is bacterial contamination it could reproduce and become dangerous. There is a time limit about one to two hours, [but it depends] on a couple of different factors like how long food can be in the danger zone and still be considered safe.”
However, Dominican has had more serious problems in the past.
In January 2024, there were reports of improper holding levels for hot food in both Cyber Cafe and Dining Hall.
Cyber Cafe held ready to eat eggs at 114ºF and sausages at 85ºF. In the Dining Hall, there were two hotel pans full of precooked diced chicken not yet served being held in a warming cabinet at 98ºF and 110ºF.
As she ate the diced chicken served in the Dining Hall frequently, Bahena voiced concern.
“I eat the diced chicken here a lot, so that kind of scares me a little bit considering it was significantly under 135ºF,” she said. “Thankfully, I have never been sick from the diced chicken before.”
West believes chicken has become a hazardous food item that needs special attention due to several variables.
“Chicken is a TCS food, [which] means that it could be conducive to growing bacteria,” she said. “Bacteria, to grow, need a food source, so protein is something that bacteria feeds on. They also need the right temperature and the right moisture.”
Despite this, West has provided solutions to this problem.
“They either need to turn the heat up in the warming cabinet, or they need to put [food] into the cabinet hotter.”
In April 2024, dining services learned from the inspection three months prior, and the inspection reported zero temperature issues.
Year-round inspections for 2023 showed that the Cyber Cafe and Dining Hall were doing a good job.
The 2022 inspections for Cyber Cafe all year were great, and no major issues reported.
The Dining Hall had some issues with maintaining and cleaning some equipment and ensuring that there is enough sanitizer for the dishwasher.
2021 was also a good year for food safety as the inspection reports showed that kitchen appliances were well-maintained, and food handling was good. Overall, Dominican was doing a good job.
In 2018, the inspections reported that one of the refrigeration units had a recorded temperature of 57ºF. The FDA recommends having the refrigerator temperature at or below 40ºF.
Kash knows about the refrigeration issues and provided information on new appliances.
“We are aware of the freezer and fridge; we’re looking to get new ones as well as some new ovens for the Cyber Cafe as well,” she said.
West reiterates the importance of inspections and catching these issues is important and part of the learning process.
“The purpose of a regularly performed inspection [is to show that] there’s a continued countability,” she highlighted. “It allows management to go to the staff and give training.”
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