On April 26, 2025, Carolina’s Kitchen Mobile Unit in Cleveland, TN, underwent a routine food service establishment inspection and received a score of 73. The inspection revealed several critical violations, including the person in charge’s lack of knowledge of proper cooking temperatures and cooling procedures and the absence of an employee illness policy.

Additionally, homemade masa was prepared in an unpermitted home kitchen, violating food safety regulations. The inspection noted improper reheating of pork cooked the previous day, as it was not brought to the required temperature, and cold holding issues, with slaw at 50°F on the prep table and ground beef in the refrigerator also at 50°F.

Improper cooling methods were observed, as pork was cooled in a plastic container in the refrigerator. Despite these issues, the establishment was compliant in areas such as handwashing, preventing bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods, food separation, cleaning of food-contact surfaces, and hot holding temperatures, as well as adherence to the TN Non-Smoker Protection Act.

To support improvement, the Bradley County Health Department offers free food safety training on the first Tuesday of each month, contactable at 423-618-8165 or [email protected], with educational handouts available at https://www.tn.gov/health-program-areas/eh/eh-foodlaw.html. The establishment must address these violations to ensure compliance and protect public health.

Those interested in reading the full health inspection report can do so here: https://inspections.myhealthdepartment.com/tennessee/inspection/?inspectionID=E2B5DA9A-1208-4699-9304-1C587B2D9CBE