MIAMI BEACH, FL. Inspectors visiting Chez Gaston on Collins Avenue on October 5 found food sourced from unapproved or unknown suppliers, a violation that means there is no chain of custody, no USDA or FDA inspection record, and no way to trace the food back to its origin if a customer gets sick.
That was one of seven high-severity violations documented at the 4835 Collins Ave. restaurant during a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.
What Inspectors Found
The unapproved food sourcing violation stood alongside a citation for inadequate shell stock identification and missing records. Chez Gaston serves shellfish, which are consumed raw or lightly cooked and rank among the highest-risk foods in any restaurant kitchen. Without proper tagging records, there is no way to identify where those oysters, clams, or mussels came from if a customer develops a foodborne illness.
Inspectors also cited toxic substances as improperly identified, stored, or used. That violation, listed at high severity, means chemicals capable of direct contamination were not adequately controlled in a kitchen where food was being prepared.
Two of the seven high-severity violations concerned handwashing, and they compounded each other. The facility lacked adequate handwashing infrastructure, and employees were observed using improper technique. Both conditions were present at the same time, meaning the kitchen had neither the tools nor the practice to prevent pathogen transfer from hands to food.
Food contact surfaces, including cutting boards and prep areas, were cited as not properly cleaned or sanitized. The restaurant also had no consumer advisory posted for raw or undercooked items, leaving customers with no notice that certain menu items carried elevated risk.
What These Violations Mean
The food-from-unapproved-sources violation is one of the most consequential a restaurant can receive, not because of what it confirms but because of what it eliminates. When food enters a kitchen through an uninspected or unknown supplier, there is no federal safety review, no documentation of how the product was handled before it arrived, and no traceability if someone becomes ill. At Chez Gaston, that violation appeared alongside the shellfish records failure, which compounds the risk significantly. Shellfish from unverified sources and without harvest tags have been directly linked to outbreaks of Vibrio, norovirus, and hepatitis A.
The two handwashing violations together describe a systemic failure rather than an isolated lapse. Inadequate handwashing facilities means the physical infrastructure, soap, running water, accessible sinks, was not sufficient. Improper technique means that even where handwashing was attempted, it was done incorrectly. Studies consistently show that proper handwashing is the single most effective barrier between kitchen workers and customers. Both barriers were compromised on the same day in the same kitchen.
Improperly stored or identified toxic substances represent an immediate chemical contamination risk. This is distinct from biological contamination. A cleaning chemical stored near or above food, or in an unlabeled container, can enter a dish directly. The violation does not specify what substance was involved or where it was stored, but its presence at high severity means inspectors considered it a significant and immediate hazard.
The missing consumer advisory for raw and undercooked foods matters most for the customers least equipped to weigh the risk themselves: pregnant women, elderly diners, young children, and anyone with a compromised immune system. Without a posted advisory, those customers have no information on which to base a safer order.
The Longer Record
The October inspection was not an outlier. State records show 37 inspections on file for Chez Gaston, with 250 total violations documented across that history. The restaurant has been cited at high severity in the majority of its recent inspections.
The prior 12 months alone show a pattern with little sustained improvement. On August 26, 2025, inspectors found 7 high-severity and 3 intermediate violations, the same high-severity count as this October visit. That inspection triggered an emergency closure for roach activity. The restaurant reopened the following day, August 27, 2025, after a follow-up inspection.
A September 4, 2025 inspection came back clean with zero high-severity or intermediate violations, suggesting the restaurant is capable of meeting standards. But by April 22, 2026, the count was back to 5 high-severity violations. Five months after that, it reached 7.
The October 5 visit marks the second time in 14 months that Chez Gaston has been cited for 7 high-severity violations in a single inspection. The first time, the restaurant was closed. This time, it remained open.
