Who Makes Sure Attleboro's Restaurants Stay Clean?

Frank Wojciechowski reached into a folder he had been carrying and pulled out a small, red sticker.

Wojciechowski reached for a nearby plate and put it into the high powered dishwasher in the corner of the kitchen. He placed the sticker next to the plate, slid the plate in, and turned the machine on.

"If it is hot enough, the sticker will turn black," he said.

Wojciechowski was making sure the dishwasher temperature in the kitchen of Sensata Technology's cafeteria reached 180 degrees. Any temperature lower than that, and bacteria would not be killed.

Wojciechowski and his colleague, Alex Vastano, are in charge of making sure Attleboro residents - and people visiting Attleboro - don't get sick when they sit down at their favorite restaurant, shop at the grocery store, or even buy a pack of candy from CVS.

The two health inspectors meticulously inspect 344 restaurants, shops and stores in the city of Attleboro at least twice a year. According to Wojciechowski, most spots are visited three or four times.

Even places like Sensata, which features a cafeteria for workers, require inspection from the city. Because it was recently built, Wojciechowski had a direct hand in the design of the lounge and kitchen.

Aspects like the color of the walls (light colors are better in order to detect dirt and grease) and the location of the sink are important to the Attleboro Health Inspector.

"You don't want your hand sinks to be too far away from where they prep the foods," Wojciechowski said while pointing to Sensata's sink in the kitchen, noting its favorable location. "Then, they're less likely to walk over and wash their hands."

Vastano looked up at the grease traps above the stove and leaned in to get a better view.

"It's so clean," he said. "It's amazing."

Vastano walked out of the kitchen and into the dining area. The cafeteria had a box of plastic utensils. All of the forks and knives were face down.

"The utensils should be face down," he said. "If they're face up and someone goes to grab one, they touch four or five of them."

Wojciechowski walked to an open refrigerator in the dining area and placed a thermometer near the opening, explaining that the temperature should always be taken from the warmest part of the fridge. The thermometer read 45 degrees, slightly higher than what it should be.

Vastano interjected. He had already investigated.

"There is a work order for that already, which is good," he said.

Back in the kitchen, Wojciechowski and Vastano entered the refrigerator and made note of the properly labeled supplies and food, emphasizing that the cleaning supplies were on the bottom shelf, so as not not to leak on any food.

Wojciechowski stepped out and asked executive chef Sebastian Porto if he used separate cutting boards for raw meats and vegetables.

Porto nodded. Each cutting board was color coded so as to not cause any confusion, he explained.

"Any good chef does take a lot of pride," Wojciechowski said. "They want the best food. They wan the cleanest place - and the last thing they want is someone getting sick."

In the end, Sensata's kitchen passed with flying colors - pending the minor fix to their cafeteria's refrigerator temperature.

"I'm happy," Vastano said.

"Great," Porto said. "You're happy - I'm happy."

The same is true for chefs and store owners across the city. A nod from the Attleboro health inspectors means a clean establishment and a clean record with the city and state health departments.

Vastano's next stop was at Papagallo Restaurant, where head chef Ever Amaya was preparing to open that evening.

Amaya pointed to a calendar on the wall, with an "X" marked on every Tuesday going back to the beginning of the year. The "X" marks indicated a grease trap cleaning.

"You want to make sure there isn't anything to start a fire," Vastano said as he peered up at the grease traps.

Vastano walked out of the back door and looked at the dumpsters, noting that he needed to stop by Pappagalo's neighbor and ask that their dumpsters are emptied more regularly.

An overflowing dumpster could attract rats, he said.

Vastano then checked both bathrooms to make sure soap and hand towels were available before he peered into the refrigerator to make sure all items were labeled.

"I'm happy," he said.

So was Amaya, who happily signed the paperwork.

Vastano was off to the next place. Only 342 more stops until he would be back.