Coastal News

Manager's Certification Course

Beginning December 2006, legislation was passed requiring that all food service establishments have at least one Certified Food Safety Manager on staff at all times.  The certification expires after a five year period.
 
The Tourism Leadership Council and ProActive Control Systems, Inc will be offering the Manager's Certification Course training for TLC Members. The ServSafe® certification course is an 8-hour class that covers the content areas required to successfully pass the ServSafe® Certification exam – including new revisions adopted in the 2009 FDA Food Code.  This intensive day-long course is a combination of DVD and lecture supplemented by audiovisuals.  Fee includes reference manual and testing fee.
 
Class Date: Tuesday, January 31, 2012
 
Time: 9:00am-5:00pm
 
Cost: $165 per person
non-members $185 per person
(books will be delivered prior to class date. Please contact
Jim Deal at 912-657-3327 to schedule your delivery)
 
Location: TLC Office
Savannah International Trade and Convention Center
Administrative Offices
1 International Drive
Savannah, GA 31421
 
Presented by: ProActive Control Systems, Inc
 
RSVP's and Payments:
Please RSVP to tlc@tourismleadershipcouncil.com or 912-232-1223. Please pay in advance on our website, www.tourismleadershipcouncil.com; click on calendar and go to the date of the event. Your receipt will be provided to you via the website.)
 
Reservations due by Friday, January 27th at 4:00pm.

Tourism Leadership Council's 14th Annual Tourism Awards & Scholarship Dinner

Award Nomination deadline extended!!!  Please submit forms by Monday, January 9th at 12pm
 
Download nomination forms at www.tourismleadershipcouncil.com
 
TLC Member Awards:
Service Star
Service Leader
Member of the Year
 
Community Awards:
John P. Rousakis Community Champion Award
The Herb and Franklin Traub Visionary Award
 
Date: Thursday, February 16, 2012
Time: 5:30-9pm
5:30pm Cocktail Reception; 7pm Dinner and Awards Presentation
Location: Savannah International Trade & Convention Center Ballroom
Cost: $55 for TLC members; $65 for non-members
 
For awards nomination forms, event tickets, raffle tickets, and sponsorship information go to: www.tourismleadershipcouncil.com.

Pirates of the Low Country

Tuesday, September 20, 2011,  6-8 PM
Historical Gala raises funds for the Savannah Ocean Exchange
 
The world famous historic Pirates' House restaurant,  founded in 1753, announced today a special event: " Pirates of the Lowcountry"  the fundraising historical gala to be  held Tues, Sept 20 from 6-8 PM.  "We were honored to help the Savannah Ocean Exchange achieve its goals" stated Cathy Colasanto, Director of Operations for Turner Food & Spirits Co. which owns six Savannah restaurants including the Pirates' House. The Pirates' House is the oldest Tavern restaurant in Georgia and the 3rd oldest tavern in the entire USA.  "The Pirates' House is an integral part of Savannah's ocean history and we are delighted to have a signature event at this Savannah institution. "  stated Howard Morrison, one of the Founders of the Savannah Ocean Exchange.  The Pirates of the Lowcountry is part of the month long series of events sponsored by the Savannah Ocean Exchange. The public is invited to come out and  enjoy a fun filled evening to celebrate the ocean heritage of our coastal city.  
 
Gala Highlights include:
•Historical Menu: Costumed pirates serving historically accurate cuisine celebrating the 250+ years of Low Country cooking  from 1753-2011
•Wine tasting of speciality wines from  local and international vineyards,
•History of Low Country Pirates by Dr. Solomon Smith, professor at Georgia Southern University,  Rabble Rousing presentation on the life and times of Blackbeard and Ann Bonny -the lady pirate ! 
•Book signing by Tarrin Lupo, local author of Pirates of Savannah.   

Tickets 
Individual tickets:  $ 55 each
Corporate Sponsor Table of 8:  $400   ($55-$5 discount= $50 per ticket)

Savannah Swag
All guests receive VIP Gift bag of Savannah local gifts & coupons with total value at over $100.

Purchase Tickets
Call Scott West at 912-349-2427 for more info: or visit us online at:
Pirates of the Low Country Gala Facebook Event Page 
The Pirates' House Website or visit The Pirates' House restaurant at 20 East Broad Street, Savannah GA 31401 

For More info, please call Scott West 912-349-2427.

Special Prixe Fixe Dinner: The Rat Pack Special

Choice of Appetizers
•Deviled Eggs  or
•Meatloaf Cupcake

Choice of  Entrees  
•Sinatra Shrimp Pot Pie  or
•Sammy's Cut Prime Rib

Choice of  Desserts
•Vegas Lemon Meringue Pie
•Rat Pack Red Velvet Cake
 
$ 25 per person + tax & gratuities

Space is limited  -  Reserve your table by calling:  912-352-8221 or book online at Pearl's Saltwater Grille
 

As you know, each individual food service inspector is just as human as the next person and in our increasing desire to strive for uniformity in our workplace (ie. your restaurant), we take a basic approach to the inspection process referred to as a “risk-based inspection.” To get a better understanding of this process let’s start with some background. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified five risk factors as being the most common causes for foodborne illness:

1. Purchasing food from unsafe sources
2. Failing to cook food adequately
3. Holding food at incorrect temperatures
4. Using contaminated equipment
5. Practicing poor personal hygiene

As inspectors we focus on how well your facility is using prevention measures to reduce the potential for these five risk factors. Taking this approach leads us to what you really want to know which is what violations are the most common in Chatham County?

While all the violations on the inspection form correlate to the five risk factors there are some that should be prioritized higher as they are directly linked to the spread of foodborne illness. These often lie on the top of your inspection form (you know these as being the 4 and 9-point violations).  

You have probably noticed that after entering your facility and making introductions, the first action of the inspector is to wash his or her hands. We do this to set an example and you should take it as a sign that we are looking for you and your employees to have good personal hygiene. This can be anything from proper hand washing and glove use to proper eating and drinking (remember cups must have a lid and a straw) and of course the big one: No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. Take a look at the five risk factors again. Did you notice that two out of the five deal with temperatures? This is why your health inspector is concerned with anything you are doing that involves time and temperature, because temperatures really affect the growth of pathogens.

“Are you cooking, cooling, thawing or reheating anything?” You may have been asked this question before your inspector started taking temperatures in cold and hot holding units. Or if you have a time agreement with your health inspector, they are asking for your daily time logs to show that you are maintaining food at a maximum four-hour hold time. Last but not least, cross-contamination serves as one of the largest sources for the transfer of pathogens from human to human and from equipment or food to humans. Keep in mind that cross-contamination cannot happen by itself and therefore as health inspectors we are watching human interactions with food, food contact surfaces and food equipment. Humans naturally want to multi-task to get the job done faster and more economically but when we become overwhelmed with those multiple tasks cross contamination is always lurking in the shadows. One of the main violations that corresponds with this includes proper storage of food in cooling systems (top to bottom and order based on internal cooking temperatures with the highest cook temperature being poultry at 165 degrees for 15 seconds stored on the bottom shelf). This separation is also required for prep coolers with horizontal storage. And always ask yourself if your food contact surfaces are cleaned and sanitized. For example, if your warewasher is going from dirty dishes to clean and sanitized ones without washing hands and putting on gloves then there has been cross-contamination and the answer is no. Other violations often center around sanitizing buckets. Do you have a sanitizing bucket? Are your wiping cloths actually stored inside of it or are they stored soiled on a food preparation surface?


I'm sure you all have questions concerning violations found by Chatham County
inspectors, but what we want you to realize is that we are not in this profession to see how many violations we can find in one of your facilities. What we really want is to develop a sound business relationship so that if we do find violations you are actively meeting us in the middle and we are finding a solution (or in food terms, a corrective action) to the problem in order to ultimately protect your patrons and the food they consume. I don't think any of us can afford the bad publicity of a foodborne outbreak during this economy. By working together we can make eating out an enjoyable
experience for everyone.


Alena E. Aviles
Environmental Health Specialist II
Chatham County Health Department
Environmental Health
420 A Mall Blvd
Savannah, GA 31416
P.912.356.2160
F.912.356.2969


C. Todd Jones,
Environmental Health Director
Chatham County Environmental Services
PN (912) 356-2160
FN (912) 356-2969

On April 14, 2011, the last day of the legislative session for Georgia, HB 87 was passed.  This bill was passed by a 37 to 19 vote; Georgia’s Senate amended and then adopted the bill. The House gave final approval to the legislation less than two hours before the session expired on a 112 to 59 vote.  The bill now goes to Governor Nathan Deal for his signature.  Deal has yet to take a position on HB 87.

HB 87 gives law enforcement the power to investigate the immigration status of certain suspects.  Also, it requires many Georgia businesses to ensure workers are eligible to work in the US using the Federal E-Verify program.  

Some of the major components of the bill include:

•Requires all employers with 10 or more employees to use E-Verify.
•Gives businesses 30 days to correct any “good faith” violations before they face penalties for not complying with the E-Verify requirement.
•Empowers local and state police to arrest illegal immigrants and transport them to state and federal jails.
•Punishes people who use fake identification to get a job in Georgia with up to 15 years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
•Penalizes people who – while committing another crime -- knowingly transport or harbor illegal immigrants or encourages them to come to Georgia. First-time offenders would face imprisonment for up to 12 months and up to $1,000 in fines.
•Establishes a seven-member Immigration Enforcement Review Board to investigate complaints about local and state government officials not enforcing state immigration-related laws.
•Directs the state Agriculture Department to study the possibility of creating Georgia’s own guest worker program. Some Georgia employers have complained the federal government’s guest worker program is too burdensome and expensive.

We are dismayed at the passage of HB 87 and support those seeking an injunction against the legislation. In the wake of the legislation, the Georgia Restaurant Association will focus on educating restaurants about compliance, while continuing to advocate for a solution that keeps our state economically strong and strengthens our reputation as a leader.

HB 87 | House Vote | Senate Vote

2011 Legislative Summary

E-Verify: Employer Responsibilities and Worker Rights