Lawsuits

Beloved Rhode Island Bakery Serves Zeppole … And Salmonella?

Photo: istockphoto

Hold the powdered sugar — and the bacteria, please! The Globe reports that a humble, long-standing Rhode Island bakery is accused of making a slew of people sick by serving tainted zeppole on Saint Joseph’s Day. Saint Joseph is the patron saint of confectioners … and now, in the minds of some, the patron saint of salmonella. More ahead.

DeFusco’s Bakery in Johnston stands accused of doling out the doughnut-like, sugar-sprinkled, cream-plumped pastries over the March holiday, causing two elderly people to die and rendering 75 others extremely ill. Many victims have filed lawsuits against the small-town bakery, which had been a go-to zeppole spot for many years.

According to “disease detectives,” the Italian bakery harbored “gallons of pastry cream left unrefrigerated for hours,” not to mention “pastry shells stored in egg crates tainted with salmonella bacteria.” The cream was later tested at a balmy 125 degrees. But that’s not all: A health inspection revealed sinks without running water or soap, unsanitized utensils, and unrefrigerated meats and cheeses.

We’re relieved to note that DeFusco’s was subsequently shut down by the state and remains closed. So when we urged you to eat dessert with reckless abandon a little bit ago, we should have modified: Eat dessert with abandon, but avoid room-temperature cream.

Salmonella Victims Point to RI Bakery
[Globe]

Beloved Rhode Island Bakery Serves Zeppole … And Salmonella?