The inspection was held on Jan. 26, the only one to be conducted after Trump became president. Details of the inspection were just recently released and first reported on Wednesday by the Miami Herald.
Three of the violations were classified as “high priority.” High priority violations are defined as “Those which could contribute to a food-borne illness or injury and includes such items as cooking, re-heating, cooling and hand-washing.”
Inspectors with Florida’s Department of Business and Professional Regulation found poultry, rice, ham, duck and beef were kept in a walk-in cooler that had a temperature higher than the maximum 41 degrees. The ham was found to have been stored at a temperature of 57 degrees. A Mar-a-Lago employee told inspectors the cooler was accidentally set to “defrost.”
Inspectors also found fish that was served raw or under-cooked had not undergone proper parasite detection. They ordered this fish to be immediately cooked or thrown out. And some coolers were found to contain shelves that were rusted and others were found not to be in working order. Mar-a-Lago was ordered to clear out these coolers and have them repaired.
Inspectors also noted there was no hot water in the employees’ washroom and observed the mandatory sign telling employees to wash their hands after using the washroom was missing.
Despite all these violations, inspectors deemed the kitchen met the minimum standards required and allowed the facility to remain open. While these infractions may not be a big deal for an ordinary run-of-the mill restaurant, Mar-a-Lago is a private club that charges its members a $200,000 initiation fee. Since being sworn into office, Trump has used his private club as the “Southern White House.” Since his inauguration, Trump has travelled to Mar-a-Lago seven times.
The president entertains foreign dignitaries at Mar-a-Lago who of course eat meals prepared in the resort’s kitchen. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met Trump at the resort on Feb. 12, a little more than two weeks after the violations were found. The most recent high-profile visit was by China’s leader, Xi Jinping.
Prior to becoming president, Trump was known to be actively involved in the day-to-day running of Mar-a-Lago and often spent time in the kitchen. Records indicate since 2014, 55 health code violations have been noted at the resort.
