PORTSMOUTH � The Cafe Espresso restaurant was closed after failing a health inspection for sanitary reasons and deemed a "fire hazard" by the inspection department, according to a 10-page report of findings from a "routine" inspection.

The report is dated Sept. 26 and states the owner "is out of town for another 10 days, did not according to staff designate a person in charge." The owner, David Hadwen, said Monday he's been on vacation, wasn't at the 738 Islington St. restaurant at the time of the inspection and is cutting his vacation short to return to Portsmouth and "get to the bottom of it." He said a number of items in the inspection report are not food-related and he vowed "it will be rectified immediately."

The inspection report provided to the Portsmouth Herald states food was being stored in an outdoor walk-in freezer with a broken lock that staff said had been broken for a week, "allowing anyone on the exterior of the building to have access to their food."

"On inspection, foods were stored directly on the floor in the walk-ins and throughout the kitchen," it notes.

House and fruit flies were observed on cheese and frosting and the restaurant was ordered to contract with a pest control professional. Food was not date-marked for disposal, spray bottles were unlabeled and wiping cloths were used to cover ham on a prep table, according to the report, signed by Deputy Health Officer Kristin Shaw.

An employee was observed cracking raw eggs, then making a sandwich, while wearing the same gloves, according to the report. Another restaurant worker was seen handling beef patties, then raw vegetables to put on sandwiches, while wearing the same gloves, it notes. Single-use gloves should only be used for one task, Shaw's report states.

The health inspector cited dried food debris on a deli slicer and mixers, mold on a plastic barrier in an ice machine and sanitizer buckets containing just water, no sanitizer. During inspection, eggs, cheese, butter and whipped cream were not stored at the required 41-degrees or less temperature, according to the report.

Lettuce was not washed prior to use, a soda machine grate was rusty, the sink was out of code and the microwave was home standard and must be replaced with a commercial-grade oven, the inspector wrote. Cardboard boxes throughout the kitchen were "heavily splashed with food and grease" and should be discarded, Shaw wrote.

Moldy wood must be replaced behind the dishwasher, an espresso machine was draining into a bucket instead of the sewer line and bathroom walls and door frames need to be cleaned and repainted, the report states. Soiled floors and ceiling tiles need cleaning and all kitchen walls should be cleaned "to remove heavy splash and grease build up."

Employees need designated areas to eat and store personal items; they were observed eating in the kitchen and storing backpacks and phones on food prep areas, Shaw wrote. A fire extinguisher was not functional and the building inspection department had the gas shut off after deeming it a fire hazard and unsafe, the report notes.

Fire Chief Todd Germain said his department's inspector found a non-compliant vent hood.

"This is a failing inspection," Shaw concluded her report. "Facility may not reopen until full inspection occurs by Health Department."

The Dover Caf� Espresso closed in May after four years when Hadwen cited the tight labor market as the reason.



�I�ve been doing this for 30 years � I�ve never seen the labor market like this before,� he said at the time.



Caf� Espresso in Dover was closed for about four months beginning in March 2018 as ordered by that city's health inspector who found evidence of rodents in the basement and "a sewage issue," both of which were rectified to allow the business to reopen.