The Hamilton restaurant where four people contracted Hepatitis A at the end of 2014 has permanently closed its doors.
Rosa’s Restaurant, the South Broad Street mainstay, quietly announced that it was closing its doors with small signs hanging on the front and rear doors thanking its customers.
Rosa Spera-Gilmore, the restaurant’s owner and namesake, said in an interview Wednesday Rosa’s last hurrah was a New Year’s Eve party that attracted 300.
“Coming to America from Italy at the age of 11, I never imagined I’d one day own and run my own business,” Spera-Gilmore said. “I was glad that being a business owner let me put others to work and to give back to the community by supporting a lot of civic events and groups. These are the things I’ll think about when I think about the old restaurant.”
A confirmed case of Hepatitis A has been traced to a food worker employed at Rosa’s Restaurant and Catering in Hamilton, officials said late Monday
Spera-Gilmore said the catering portion of the business will continue, despite the demise of the restaurant, but she declined to cite the hepatitis A outbreak as a contributing factor in the closure.
Four people linked to the restaurant were diagnosed with hepatitis A beginning in Dec. 2014.
In response, the township sponsored a vaccination clinic for township residents and urged others to consult their physicians for a vaccine.
The disease originated with an employee of the restaurant, with the remaining cases reported in customers, including a hairstylist and fitness instructor who had regular interaction with the general public.
“There’s some question regarding their hand washing procedures,” Jeff Plunkett, township health officer, said at the time. “The cases certainly have a possibility of being linked, but it’s hard to say whether the gentleman infected himself or contracted it somewhere else and brought it to the facility.”
The restaurant had a history of health violations before and after the outbreak.
Inspectors found multiple violations related to hand washing, food storage and preparation between October 2014 and January 2015.
On Dec. 1, 2014, inspectors visited the site after the original employee was diagnosed with hepatitis A, ordering food destroyed, surfaces sanitized and denaturing of certain products, such as soups that couldn’t be placed in the trash, by pouring bleach on them.
Inspectors intervened after employees briefly began preparing meals for new customers using food they were ordered to throw away, improperly washed their hands and handled food with bare hands.
The Township Committee considered local legislation that would have imposed stiffer fines on restaurants with health code violations, but in March opted to postpone a vote on an ordinance that would have tripled inspection fees on restaurants that fail two or more health inspections.
“I’m grateful for the years of patronage and so many customers who became family,” Spera-Gilmore said. “I look forward in the year ahead to starting a new business that will focus exclusively on catering.”
