La Bella of Danville: Cold Food Violations Found - IL
That resident, identified in inspection records as R14, wasn't alone in the complaint. A second resident, R1, had told the assistant dietary manager that kitchen staff didn't know how to cook. R1 had started ordering personal meals from outside the facility rather than eat what was served.
The complaint inspection, conducted May 12 and 13, 2026, found that La Bella of Danville was failing to provide food that was palatable, attractively presented, or served at an appetizing temperature. The findings covered two of three residents reviewed for dietary services. With 150 residents in the building, inspectors noted the potential for the problem to reach everyone.
The numbers inspectors recorded on May 13 tell the story plainly. A test tray was plated in the kitchen at 11:33 a.m., placed on a regular plate with a cover, and set on a serving cart. No warming element was used. By the time the last hall tray reached R14 at 12:05 p.m., inspectors pulled out a thermometer. The hamburger meat registered 115 degrees Fahrenheit. Pasta noodles came in at 97.5 degrees. Peas measured 96 degrees. Pineapple chunks, which should have been a cold item served properly chilled, measured 50 degrees.
Inspectors didn't just record temperatures. They described what they found. The hamburger was not palatable. The pasta noodles were cold and slimy. The peas lacked the butter flavor listed on the menu. The pineapple chunks were hard and not chewable. The aroma of the meal was not appetizing.
The facility's own menu for that day listed Hamburger Stroganoff with Buttered Peas, Pineapple, and a Beverage. The day before, the scheduled lunch was Ranch Baked Chicken with potato wedges, buttered carrots, a dinner roll, and mixed fruit dump cake. What residents received and what the menu promised were not the same experience.
The Director of Nursing, identified as V2, confirmed to inspectors on the afternoon of May 13 that hall trays carried no element to keep food warm and that trays were passed on an open shelf cart. That confirmation came at 3:33 p.m., more than 24 hours after inspectors had first watched dietary staff plate food from the steam table without checking a single holding temperature.
That observation on May 12, from 12:05 p.m. to 12:20 p.m., was unambiguous. Fifteen minutes of plating. No temperature checks. None.
The kitchen's own food temperature log made the gap between what was supposed to happen and what did happen concrete. For lunch on May 12, the log recorded steam table temperatures for meat, starch, and vegetables ranging from 180 to 185 degrees Fahrenheit at service. But the log documented nothing for cold food items. For breakfast on May 13, the log recorded no food temperatures at all. For lunch on May 13, the log again showed steam table figures for hot items and again left cold items blank.
The assistant dietary manager, V12, told inspectors on the afternoon of May 13 that only one complaint about the food had ever come to V12 directly. That complaint was from R1, and it was about cooking quality. V12 confirmed the temperature log had several missing cooked temperatures and holding temperatures.
One documented complaint. One resident ordering food from outside. A Director of Nursing confirming trays travel the halls on open carts with no heat source. A test tray with pasta nearly 40 degrees below the minimum safe hot-holding threshold. These were not isolated findings that required interpretation. They accumulated into a picture of a kitchen that had stopped monitoring what it was sending to residents' rooms.
R14 hadn't filed a formal complaint. R14 had simply stopped eating. The tray sat untouched at 12:42 p.m. on May 12, and R14 explained why: the food didn't taste right, and it was cold by the time it arrived. R14 said the same thing happened every day.
Full Inspection Report
The details above represent a summary of key findings. View the complete inspection report for La Bella of Danville from 2026-05-26 including all violations, facility responses, and corrective action plans.
Additional Resources
Data source: This article is based on inspection data downloaded directly from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) via Medicare.gov. CMS releases inspection reports in bulk; we publish the findings as documented by state surveyors in the official Form CMS-2567 Statement of Deficiencies.
Plan of correction: The CMS report we receive does not include the facility's plan of correction. Facilities submit plans of correction separately to state survey agencies and those responses may not be reflected in CMS data at the time of publication. The absence of a plan of correction in our data does not mean one was not filed. Readers who want information about corrective steps taken are encouraged to contact the facility directly or their state survey agency.
Corrections may have occurred: Inspection reports reflect conditions observed on the date of the survey. Facilities may have implemented corrections, staffing changes, additional training, or other remediation since the report was issued. We report what CMS provides and encourage readers to seek current information from the facility.
Editorial process: Inspection findings are extracted from CMS source documents and synthesized using AI, reviewed for factual accuracy against the original report by our editorial team.
Professional review: All content reviewed by Christopher F. Nesbitt, Sr., NH EMT & BU-trained Paralegal.
Last verified: August 17, 2026 · Our methodology
LA BELLA OF DANVILLE in DANVILLE, IL was cited for violations during a health inspection on May 26, 2026.
That resident, identified in inspection records as R14, wasn't alone in the complaint.
Health inspections identify deficiencies that facilities must correct. Violations range from minor documentation issues to serious safety concerns. Review the full report below for specific details and facility response.