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Dirty Dining: Origin India closed after failing inspection

CREATED Mar. 13, 2013

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  • Origin India was recently shut down after failing a restaurant inspection Video by ktnv.com

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- 52 demerits and an order to shut down. Ouch and double ouch for Origin India on Paradise and Harmon.

The restaurant remained closed for four days, even hiring a consultant to make sure they never run into this kind of trouble with the Health District again.

"It starts with them training their staff and they have not done that so that's why I'm here to help with that," said Chef and Food Safety Consultant Joseph Rawls.

Origin India has been licensed since 2006, so why their staff wasn't properly trained is a bit of a mystery to Rawls.

"I guarantee this will never happen again."

What happened before Rawls was hired to bat cleanup?

Inspectors found cooked chicken, onion sauce and cooked goat that was eight days old. And 11-day-old salsa.

Darcy: That's a lot of expired food.
Joseph: Yes. That I can't really explain because I just recently came on, but I did tell them they have a seven-day expiration date.
Darcy: Did they as long-time restaurant owners not know that?
Joseph: I'm sure they did, but it's the staff.

One kitchen staffer had a fake health card, which means she probably never got any training in food handling or food safety.

"That employee no longer works here."

As for the kitchen itself, the hot water went out and employees told inspectors that's not the first time.

"I've gotten on the restaurant owners about staying on top of their equipment."

The sink spray nozzle used for pre-washing needs a wash itself.

"With that nozzle, I don't know, that one was a mystery to myself," said Rawls.

They had to throw out beef and fried vegetables because they were at unsafe temperatures.

Spinach, chicken, beans and cut tomatoes also went into the trash because they weren't cooling properly or were sitting at room temperature, which inspectors say is a repeat violation.

Also, utensils were stored in murky water.

And lamb was thawing in a pot of stagnant, bloody water.

"So if the package is nicked or barely open, you have blood start to seep out," Rawls explained.

With something like that, you hope there's proper hand washing, but that wasn't the case.

Inspectors found employees dumping stuff into one hand sink, and storing a tray of dough in another, which is clue number one that Origin India has a storage problem.

"They were doing mass production, although as you can see, they have very little space."

Open containers of food throughout the kitchen were stored on dirty milk crates and subject to contamination.

Cilantro was stored at the mop sink near a drain board.

Exposed food was stored in t-shirt bags in the walk-in.

There was food on the floor of the dry storage area, and sauce and chicken stored on the floor in the walk-in cooler.

Darcy: No one wants to eat something that's been stored on the floor.
Joseph: No.  Not me.  No.  Never.  I got my culinary degree and I just can't allow for these type of things to happen.

It seems like he's doing a good job, because Origin India has been re-inspected and is back open with a nine demerit "A" grade.