Fairfield's Old Town Hall on the Old Post Road.

FAIRFIELD — Fifteen businesses in town failed health inspections in August and September, though most have either since passed or are rectifying the issues, according to the health department.

Since the original inspection, nine of the 11 businesses that failed in August have passed their follow up inspections. Two others have either had renovation plans approved by the health department or are working to address the issues. Four of the restaurants that failed in September are awaiting reinspection.

A business fails its health inspection when it scores below an 80 or has a four-point violation.

The establishments that previously failed in August, then passed on reinspection include Candlewood Market, The Tasty Yolk, Carolton Chronic Convalescent, Milkcraft, Robeks Fresh Juices and Smoothies, the Southport Center For Nursing and Rehabilitation, The Whale Tea, The Spice Club and Brooklawn Country Club's kitchen and snack bar.

The owner of Yalla Organic has met with the health department, according to Assistant Director for Environmental Health Rob Guerrera, and is still working out a few issues, as it failed inspections in July, August and September. He said Centro Ristorante, which also failed in August, has developed a renovation plan that the department has approved.

Three other restaurants that failed in September and are awaiting reinspections are Bagel King of Fairfield, Duchess Restaurant and Billy's Bakery. Panera Bread passed its reinspection.

Centro Ristorante failed an inspection on Aug. 1 with a 69. During that inspection, Centro had four-point demerits for improper food temperatures, improper hand washing procedure and chemical storage issues. The report notes that multiple units in the restaurant were not maintaining temperature and that a hand sink was blocked.

At the time, the owner, Susan Dederick, said she had had new equipment for cold food storage on order for six months, and that it would be delivered in September. When called on Thursday, Centro's voicemail says the restaurant is closed as it renovates the kitchen.

The Candlewood Market failed on Aug. 16 with a score of 87, according to a report from the health department. It had one four-point violation for improperly stored cold butter, and lesser violations for issues such as where it held wiping cloths and not having employee training records. Improper butter storage also earned them a failing grade in a July inspection.

The owner of Candlewood, Tony Inzero, said they have always stored their butter the same way, adding that doing so is within United States Department of Agriculture guidelines. He said the business does everything it can to comply with health department regulations. The Candlewood Market passed its follow-up inspection with a score of 95.

The Tasty Yolk failed an inspection on Aug. 25 with a score of 67. It had four-point violations for having a blocked hand washing station, improperly labelled chemicals and "improper use of time in lieu of temperature." The report also noted it had lesser violations for issues like improper storage of wiping clothes, not having training records and unclean exteriors on bins that held food. 

Michael Bertanza, one of the owners of The Tasty Yolk, noted that the business passed its follow up inspection on Sept. 8 with a score of 97.

Two nursing homes received failing grades in August. The first of which was Carolton Chronic Convalescent, which received a 74 on an Aug. 9 inspection. It had two four-point demerits, one for having dented cans and the other for cold storage units not remaining the proper temperature.

Other lesser infractions included unclear floors in the kitchen, rusty shelving and no documentation of training records. The Carolton failed its follow-up inspection on Aug. 24 with a score of 71 with one four-point demerit for similar issues such as food temperature in hot or cold holding. It passed an inspection on Sept. 8 with a score of 92.

Dennis Kretzmer, the administrator of The Carolton, said all the issues in the reports have been resolved. 

The Southport Center For Nursing and Rehabilitation, which failed an inspection in July, also failed an inspection with a score of 79 on Aug. 15. The primary cause was a blocked hand sink and employees not washing their hands properly or at the correct times, but there were also issues with the floors and food equipment being dirty.

Southport later failed an inspection on Aug. 31 with a score of 74. It had four-point demerits for issues including improper hot and cold storage, as well as dented cans. Lesser demerits included raw eggs above ready-to-eat food and cockroaches seen in the washing area earlier in the month.

On Sept. 8, Southport failed another inspection with an 86 for issues concerning improper cooling of food and sanitizer being too strong. It passed an inspection on Sept. 23 with a score of 92. Management did not respond to requests for comment. 

The Whale Tea failed an inspection on Aug. 23 with a score of 79. It had major demerits for a blocked hand sink and having medications stored with food products. It also had points taken off for issues like unlabelled food products and an unclean ice machine. Management for The Whale Tea did not respond to request for comment. On Sept. 7 it passed a follow up inspection with a score of 96.

Milkcraft, the ice cream shop, failed an inspection on Aug. 29 with a score of 78. It had one four-point demerit for issues with its plumbing, and lesser demerits for problems like unclean walls and ceilings and unlabeled bins and containers. The business passed its follow-up on Sept. 12 with a score of 92. Management did not immediately respond to request for comment.

Robeks Fresh Juices & Smoothies failed an inspection on Aug. 26 with a score of 78. It was marked down for improper cold holding of food, having an unclean ice machine, improper thawing of products and using cups as scoops.

Management at Robeks did not immediately respond to request for comment. It passed an inspection on Sept. 9 with a score of 86.

The Spice Club failed an inspection on Aug. 19 with a score of 70. It received a four-point demerit for having chemicals stored next to food items, but also got points off for issues including having food stored on the floor of a walk-in cooler, an unclean microwave and dishwasher area and using bowls as scoops. 

The restaurant later passed an inspection on Sept. 7 with a score of 92. Management at the Spice Club declined to comment. 

Brooklawn had two food service areas fail inspections in August — its kitchen and snack bar. The kitchen, which also failed earlier in August and once in June, failed on Aug. 18 with a score of 88. The four-point demerit was for having non-approved vacuumed sealed food, but it also had points off for unclean walls and fans. 

Brooklawn's kitchen passed a later inspection on Sept. 7 with a score of 94. The snack bar failed on Aug. 18 with a score of 81 for an improper air gap in its dipperwell. But, it later passed an inspection on Sept. 7 with a score of 96. 

Bill Shaw, the general manager of the country club, said the issues found in the inspections have been fixed. He said he thinks the work the health department does results in all restaurants and businesses in town being better, adding he is happy to work with officials there.

Yalla Organic, which failed an inspection in late July, failed an Aug. 16 inspection with a score of 79. The major issues in the inspection came from sanitizer being too strong and the improper reheating of chicken. It also had points taken off for problems including an unclean fan in a fridge and not having employee training records. 

Yalla also failed an inspection on Sept. 13 with a score of 79. The major demerits there came from the cold storage unit not maintaining temperature, but it also had points taken off for issues like having food items stored on the floor and missing ceiling tiles.

On Sept. 27, Yalla failed another inspection with a score of 86. Its primary demerit was the result of a walk in cooler that was maintaining a low enough temperature. It also got points taken off for issues like having food stored on the floor of the walk in and having missing ceiling tiles.

Ronen Yur, the chef and founder of Yalla, said the business has worked to fix the issues the inspector found, including the refrigerator not maintaining temperature. He said the temperature control unit was not working on that equipment, but it has been replaced. He said he has worked with the health department to make sure his business is abiding by the regulations.

"I never take chances, especially when it comes to my product and my reputation," he said. "I'm trying to be on top of everything, but we had some older equipment that we inherited here. We haven't had any complaints in five years here. We are very, very thorough."

On Sept. 21, Panera Bread failed its health inspection with a score of 94, as it had a walk-in cooler that was not maintaining temperatures. It also had points taken off for flies in a food preparation area and improperly cleaned walls and ceilings. Panera passed its follow-up inspection two days later with a score of 100. A manager for Panera declined to comment.

The other three businesses that failed in September are still awaiting reinspections.

The Bagel King failed a Sept. 26 inspection with a score of 86. Its single four-point demerit came from not having a hand sink in the back cooking area. It also had points taken off for issues like having raw food over prepared food, improper hand washing techniques and unclean floors and walls. Management for the Bagel King could not be reached for comment. 

Duchess failed on Sept. 13 with a score of 84. Of major violations, it had hot holding food not held at a high enough temperature and a hand sink that was not working. In terms of minor violations, it got points off for issues such as rusty shelves, unclear coolers and using milk crates as storage. The manager of Duchess declined to comment.

Finally, Billy's Bakery failed an inspection on Sept. 19 with a score of 74. It had several main violations including improperly cooled foods, moldy cheese, dented cans and cockroaches found in the business. Lesser demerits on its report included unclean shelves and surfaces, uncovered food and leaky sinks.

Rob Guerrera, the assistant director for environmental health at the Fairfield Health Department, said Billy's voluntarily closed to work on the issues, and was cleared to reopen after a spot check a few days later. A manager at Billy's declined to comment.