Apple Bistro served with eviction order due to water, not pandemic violations

EL DORADO COUNTY, Calif. - Operating without a health permit and racking up fines over $1M couldn't close the Apple Bistro in Placerville, but an eviction from the landlord on Thursday, March 17 appears to have worked, for now.

According to El Dorado County Environmental Management Department (EMD), International Farmers Kitchen, LLC, dba the Apple Bistro, does not operate on approved public water service and instead uses an onsite unapproved auxiliary water supply (well).

EMD said they were first informed on February 25, 2022, that the public water service for Apple Bistro, located at 2740 Highway 50. had been terminated due to non-compliance.

The agency said in a letter to the restaurant owner Jennette Waldow on March 11 is a violation of the California Health and Safety Code Section which requires potable water to be provided at every retail food facility. She appeared in El Dorado County Superior Court on March 14 to fight the injunction, and a follow-up April date has been scheduled.

Calls to the business for comment on the evening of Thursday, March 17, and on Friday morning were met with a recorded message that said that, as of March 7, they had paid their permit and were just waiting on the County, and the message machine was full. Both the Apple Bistro Facebook page and the website said they are open from 5:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with no mention of the eviction.

In the March 11 letter, EMD Director Jeffrey Warren told Ms. Waldow he denied the permit for the Apple Bistro cannot be permitted until there is proof of potable water service, a new health permit application is submitted with the correct information of facility name, facility site, and mailing address, and that the owner's name(s) match the driver’s license number, and a new check for $2,313 is remitted. He said the previous application that South Tahoe Now has a copy of was lacking all of this correct information and portions were illegible. EMD said they returned the previous check written by a Victoria Murphy due to her permit being denied.

The El Dorado County Irrigation District said its water line was compromised by the Apple Bistro's unpermitted well line. Having an unpermitted water source is a violation of the California Safe Drinking Water Act.

The El Dorado County Sheriff's office said they conducted "a lawful eviction pursuant to a court order that was related to a landlord-tenant issue."

This follows a preliminary injunction that prohibited all operations relating to the Apple Bistro issued by the El Dorado County Superior Court. On Friday, February 19, 2022. No operations were allowed to resume until a health permit was obtained, but the restaurant had continued to stay open.

The Apple Bistro has not allowed the County's health inspectors onsite and long fought all pandemic-related rules for restaurant operations over the past two years. A large "No Mask Allowed" sign has been placed along its chain-link fence on US50, along with multiple mask-related signs on its doors.

According to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, fines for operating without a permit have been growing since 2020, and International Farmers Farmer's Kitchen LLC owes over $1,000,000.

A fundraiser for the business was posted on its Facebook page Thursday, the day of eviction, with a goal of $900,000. As of Friday morning, there were seven "supporters" and $85 had been raised.