In response to the story, a health inspector made a surprise visit to the Miami soul food staple. It failed that inspection in spectacular fashion -- amassing a whopping 20 critical health violations -- and was immediately shut down by the state pending an overhaul of conditions in the restaurant.
Among the infractions observed by the inspector: A dead mouse left in a glue trap. Flies in the kitchen. Employees washing their hands without soap, or not at all -- in fact, there was no soap or hot water available at the sink -- and then handling food with bare hands. Unsanitized cooking areas and utensils.
There was raw food stored above ready-to-eat food, grub (sorry) being prepared in a sink with dirty dishes, no thermometer in sight to monitor meat temperature, "soil residue in storage containers," and no manager in the kitchen.
As if that's not enough, the employees had apparently not received any required training in kitchen hygiene or foodborne illness.
We could go on. People's is shuttered until it can pass a follow-up inspection. And the tale of the maggots in the chicken is now starting to make sense.
