During dinner service on December 18, inspectors watched as the worker placed food containers directly on top of a cutting board and knife used for chopping mechanical diets. Two minutes later, he removed the containers and began chopping vegetables and cooked chicken without cleaning or sanitizing the cutting board and knife.
The contamination continued throughout the meal preparation. At 5:19 PM, the worker placed a sauce container back onto the cutting knife and cutting board to serve sauce over chicken and vegetables. One minute later, he placed a drinking straw on the same unwashed cutting board, filled a cup with liquid food, and served it to a resident.
The worker used the flat surface of the contaminated knife to scoop cut chicken and noodles directly onto resident plates. Inspectors observed no cleaning or sanitizing of the cutting board and knife during the entire 42-minute dinner service.
When confronted, the kitchen worker defended his actions, stating the containers "could have been placed elsewhere on the countertop" but he didn't believe he was cross-contaminating surfaces since everything was "cleaned and sanitized prior to use." He admitted the cutting board and knife "could have been" cleaned between uses but said "it is not what he normally does."
The facility's Kitchen Manager acknowledged the violations the next day, confirming the worker should have placed containers on the countertop rather than on food preparation surfaces. He stated the cutting board and knife should have been cleaned and sanitized after being used to hold containers.
Inspectors also discovered dish drying racks covered in dust, which staff admitted hadn't been cleaned "in some time" as they prioritized cleaning refrigerator racks instead.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for Terraces of Boise, The from 2025-12-19 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.