Onondaga County reports five food-service failures after Taste of Syracuse inspections

Food-safety problems surfaced right as thousands of people packed Clinton Square for Taste of Syracuse, where festivalgoers bought $2 samples from more than 75 vendors during the June 5-6 event. The latest Onondaga County Health Department roundup, released June 18 and covering inspections from May 31 through June 6, listed five failures across catering, mobile units and event food service in Syracuse, Camillus, DeWitt and on Westcott Street.

Brancato’s Catering in Syracuse drew the most serious scrutiny. Inspectors cited three violations, including two critical ones, after staff could not locate a stem-probe thermometer needed to check potentially hazardous food temperatures and a temporary handwashing station had not been set up when required. County inspectors halted food production until both problems were corrected during the inspection.

Cam’s Pizzeria Mobile Unit #1 in Camillus also failed, with three violations and one critical violation. The county said the unit lacked running water and a handwash setup at the start of the inspection, a basic safeguard that matters even more when food is being served from a mobile operation during a busy festival weekend.

Limp Lizard the Caterer in Syracuse received two violations, including one critical violation tied to a temporary handwashing station that lacked hand soap. Syracuse Halal Gyro’s pull-behind unit on Westcott Street failed with one critical violation, while Villa Pizza Fritte mobile unit #2 in DeWitt also failed. The published summary did not list additional violations for those two operations.

The failed inspections do not automatically mean a business is permanently unsafe, but they do show that county health officials found conditions that needed immediate correction. For diners, the report is a reminder that simple lapses such as missing temperature checks or incomplete handwashing stations can quickly become public-health risks, especially during summer when caterers, mobile vendors and outdoor festival kitchens are moving food to large crowds.

Onondaga County says food-service inspection results must be posted under New York Public Health Law 1352-D. New York State’s Food Protection Program says those inspections are meant to eliminate hazards, reduce foodborne illness and support local health departments in identifying and investigating outbreaks.