Golden Apple Ceremony Photos:
[ Photo 1, Photo 2 ]

NEW YORK CITY – March 30, 2005 - Nine food service establishments, including a Manhattan juice bar, a Guyanese restaurant in the Bronx and a fast food restaurant in Queens, received the first-ever Golden Apple Excellence in Food Safety Awards from the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH). The awards recognize eateries that have maintained excellent food safety practices. Awardees may prominently display a certificate issued by DOHMH as well as a door decal indicating that theirs is a "Golden Apple" establishment.

More than 2,600 food service establishments, or FSEs, were invited to participate in the pilot program, which was launched in 2004. Over the next few weeks, all of New York City's 24,600 FSEs will be encouraged - through informational letters sent by DOHMH - to pursue a Golden Apple Excellence in Food Safety Award.

To become eligible for a Golden Apple, an FSE must not have any critical violations and have four or fewer general violations (totaling no more than eight 'points') during their past two annual inspections; the manager or a supervisor must have satisfactorily completed DOHMH's Quality Improvement Food Protection Course or implemented a quality improvement plan that has been in place for 12 months prior; and the FSE must demonstrate that it has implemented and actively maintains a quality assurance program.

Joining DOHMH Commissioner Thomas R. Frieden, MD, MPH for this announcement were Chuck Hunt, Executive Vice President of the New York State Restaurant Association; Joao De Matos, owner, and Jean Frison, manager of Churrascaria Plataforma restaurant in Manhattan, which hosted the event; and representatives from all nine Golden Apple recipients.

"New Yorkers love to dine out, and both the Health Department and our partners in the restaurant industry have always made the safety of the dining public a top priority," said DOHMH Commissioner Frieden. "Our agency is delighted to recognize these nine restaurants with the first-ever Golden Apple Awards. We hope they will become coveted as the public health equivalent of a 4-star review. For those in the industry, earning a Golden Apple award is a significant accomplishment, and we now invite all other restaurateurs, from franchisees and mom-and-pop operations to those in the top echelons to continue to raise the bar for food safety in New York City."

"Our patrons should expect nothing less than what these nine restaurants and eateries have achieved in the area of food safety," said Chuck Hunt of the New York State Restaurant Association. "The first Golden Apple recipients have demonstrated an unflinching commitment to the health of their customers, and we believe other food service establishments will soon follow."

"The Golden Apple initiative is a fantastic program, and we accept the award not for our restaurant, but for our customers, who come from both New York City and beyond," said Joao De Matos, owner of Churrascaria Plataforma. "There cannot be a better feeling than knowing you are eating in one of the cleanest restaurants in the city. I'd like to congratulate manager Jean Frison and his amazing crew for their hard work. There has always been a feeling of family here, and the Golden Apple is the end result."

"We not only pride ourselves on the quality of food that we serve, but also on the cleanliness of our kitchen and our restaurant," said Sattaur Mohamed, owner of Carifesta Restaurant in the Bronx, where the initiative was launched in 2004. "Earning this award allows us to set an example for other family-owned restaurants in New York City, and we're proud to be among the first to earn a Golden Apple."

Robert J. Foschi, who has owned his family's Dunkin' Donuts shop in Flushing, Queens for 26 years, said, "It is truly an honor to receive the Golden Apple award, which is a great way to recognize positive events happening in New York City restaurants. As a quick service restaurant it can be even more of a challenge to keep an establishment running at 100%, twenty-four hours a day, and for that we credit our entire team. We are proud to represent the Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin Robbins names and we will continue to uphold our standards of excellence in food safety."

The Golden Apple initiative is completely voluntary: non-participation will not impact on a restaurant's legal ability to operate. To qualify for a Golden Apple award, restaurants must meet the following five criteria:

1. Hold a valid DOHMH permit and have no outstanding fines;
   
   
2. Employ a supervisor or manager who has completed the basic DOHMH Food Protection course or an approved equivalent;
   
   
3. (a) Employ a supervisor or manager who successfully completes the DOHMH Quality Improvement Food Protection Course, OR (b) Demonstrate that quality improvement/quality assurance measures have been in place for the last 12 months;
   
   
4. Pass two consecutive annual inspections with no critical violations and four or fewer general violations (no more than 8 points deducted); and
   
   
5. Demonstrates the implementation and active use of a quality improvement/assurance program.

For more information about the Golden Apple Excellence in Food Safety Initiative and Award, please visit http://www.nyc.gov/html/doh/downloads/pdf/inspect/goldenapple_brochure.pdf or call 311; to research individual inspection reports, visit http://ibihost1.com/nycdoh/web/html/rii.pl.