to see Ricardo was calling me. He never called me unless it was imperative. “Wait, Holly, I need to take this, can you give me two minutes?”
“Sure.” She stepped away to speak with Tarin and Cal.
“You caught me during a break, but I only have two minutes. What’s up, Ricardo?”
“Someone got sick,” he stated, and I frowned.
“Okay, so move Tobias into the position, that’s why we have a swing chef, and Wallace can help him.”
“No, Ali, a customer got sick.”
“What?”
“The health department is here right now. They said that a customer got sick on our food.”
“Are you serious?”
“Yes, they said they need to speak to you immediately. Ali, it’s E. coli.”
I glanced at the crew and then Tarin, Holly, Cal, and Victor, who stood waiting for me.
“Ali, did you hear me? The health department needs to speak to you immediately!”
“Yes! Yes, I heard you. Give me a couple of minutes, and I’ll be on my way. How was it possibly E. coli? We clean above standards!”
“I don’t know, just get here, Ali.”
“I’m on my way,” I said and then rushed to Holly. “I have to leave.”
“What? You can’t leave; we aren’t finished taping for the day.”
“Holly, the Department of Health is in my kitchen right now, and they are doing a surprise inspection because they received a report that someone got sick in our restaurant. I have to go. I have no choice! I can try to meet you all earlier tomorrow if that works.”
I was already backing away as they stared after me, and then Holly nodded. “Go! Yes, that’s important. I’ll reach out to you later.”
“Thanks, Holly, and I’m so sorry!” I grabbed my stuff and was running down the stairs and out to the street. I didn’t even hesitate to catch a cab, and the whole time, a million questions ran through my mind. What had he eaten? Who had prepared it? How had it gotten contaminated? In all my years of cooking, I had never had something like this happen to me. I’d seen it happen to other chefs and watched what they went through. Some had been fined, some fired, a few kitchens closed and businesses destroyed, all because of a single complaint.
I felt sick to my stomach as the taxi came to a stop, and I passed money over to the driver and fled the cab. I walked with my head up, my shoulders back, trying to appear confident and not scared to death. My entire career could be at stake with this one instance. My reputation for keeping a clean, efficient kitchen could be destroyed.
I paused at the back door, inhaled slowly, and released it before pulling open the door. Inside, a few of the kitchen staff milled around by the door. All of them turned to me with wide, worried eyes. They knew, like me, what could be lost with this. “Have they found anything?” I asked Paul in a whisper.
He shook his head. “They just started the main kitchen inspection. They finished the dishwashing area.”
“Okay, why don’t all of you head outside. Ask everyone else to hang out there until they are done.”
“Will do, Chef.”
“Melinda, can you take my bag and put it in the locker room, please?”
“Yes, Chef.” I stopped at the sink right inside the kitchen and washed my hands. It was the first thing I did when I stepped into this room and something that I required all my staff to do also.
“Hello, I’m Ali Davidson, Head Chef. I understand that a customer filed a complaint of an E. coli infection.”
“Hello, Ms. Davidson. Jim Rushmore, Department of Health Inspector, and yes, a customer filed a complaint after spending the morning in the emergency room. They confirmed the bacteria in his system was E. coli.”
“Was it E. coli O157:H7?
“Yes.”
“And when did he state he ate here?”
“Last night.”
I frowned. “That’s almost impossible for him to have symptoms that quickly. The incubation period is generally more than twenty-four hours, and sometimes doesn’t manifest for a few days.”
Mr. Rushmore pursed his lips at me. “You don’t need to quote those facts to me, Ms. Davidson. I am well aware of the symptoms and period for the bacteria to take effect.”
I cringed at his stern tone. “Can you tell me what he ate?”
“He consumed a garden salad, Steak Au Poivre, and crepes with fresh berries and cream for dessert.”
Well, crap! There were a lot of places the E. coli could have been hiding in that menu. However, I was still bothered by the