DORAL, FL. A state inspector visiting Nova Gourmet at 7520 NW 104 Ave on August 19, 2026 found food from unapproved or unknown sources, a violation that means inspectors could not confirm the restaurant's ingredients had passed any federal safety screening before reaching customers' plates.

That was one of nine high-severity violations documented in a single visit. The restaurant was not closed.

What Inspectors Found

1HIGHFood from unapproved or unknown sourceNo federal inspection trail
2HIGHFood not cooked to minimum temperaturePathogen survival risk
3HIGHParasite destruction procedures not followedLive parasites in fish or pork
4HIGHEmployee not reporting illness symptomsActive outbreak risk
5HIGHNo employee health policyNo written illness controls
6HIGHImproper handwashing techniquePathogens on hands after washing
7HIGHFood contact surfaces not cleaned or sanitizedCross-contamination vehicle
8HIGHTime as public health control not properly usedFood in bacterial danger zone
9HIGHPerson in charge not present or not performing dutiesNo active managerial control
10INTERMulti-use utensils not properly cleanedBiofilm buildup risk
11INTERImproper sanitizing solution or proceduresPathogens surviving on surfaces
12INTERInadequate cooling and cold holding equipmentTemperature control failure
13INTERInadequate ventilation and lightingGrease vapor and air quality

The inspector's report shows a kitchen operating without basic controls in place on multiple fronts simultaneously. The person in charge was either absent or not performing oversight duties, a condition that state and federal data associate with significantly higher rates of serious violations throughout the rest of a facility.

The parasite destruction citation stands out. That violation means the restaurant was not following required freezing or cooking protocols for fish or other susceptible proteins, leaving open the possibility that live parasites, including Anisakis in fish or Trichinella in pork, could survive to a customer's plate.

Food contact surfaces were also cited as improperly cleaned or sanitized, alongside a separate citation for improper sanitizing solution or procedures. Those two violations together describe a kitchen where surfaces were not adequately decontaminated and the chemicals meant to finish the job were not being used correctly.

What These Violations Mean

The food from unapproved sources violation is among the most consequential on this list. When food bypasses USDA or FDA inspection channels, there is no traceability. If a customer becomes ill, investigators cannot trace the ingredient back through a supply chain to identify a contamination source or issue a recall. Listeria, Salmonella, and E. coli are the pathogens most commonly associated with uninspected food sources.

The illness reporting failures compound the risk. Nova Gourmet was cited for having no written employee health policy and for employees not reporting symptoms of illness. Without a policy, workers have no formal instruction to stay home when sick. Without reporting, an employee with Norovirus, which accounts for roughly 20 million cases annually in the United States, can transmit the virus directly through food handling before any supervisor is aware.

Improper handwashing technique is a separate category from simply not washing hands. It means a worker went through the motion of washing and still left the sink with pathogens on their hands. Combined with improperly cleaned food contact surfaces and multi-use utensils that were not properly sanitized, the inspection describes multiple simultaneous pathways for bacterial transfer inside the same kitchen.

Undercooking, the final high-severity citation, closes the loop. Salmonella in poultry requires an internal temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to be destroyed. Food arriving from an unverified source, handled by employees who may not be washing their hands correctly, stored on surfaces that were not adequately sanitized, and then not cooked to the required temperature represents a sequence where every safeguard failed.

The Longer Record

Nova Gourmet: Inspection History

2026-08-199 high-severity, 4 intermediate violations. Facility remained open.
2026-03-103 high-severity, 1 intermediate violations.
2025-12-043 high-severity, 1 intermediate violations.
2025-09-056 high-severity, 4 intermediate violations.
2025-03-190 high-severity, 2 intermediate violations.
2025-01-137 high-severity, 4 intermediate violations.
2023-10-105 high-severity, 5 intermediate violations.
2023-03-015 high-severity, 2 intermediate violations.
2022-10-212 high-severity, 1 intermediate violations.

The August 2026 inspection is not an outlier. Across 23 inspections on record, Nova Gourmet has accumulated 211 total violations. High-severity counts have appeared in the majority of visits going back to at least 2022.

The January 2025 inspection logged 7 high-severity violations and 4 intermediate. Nine months later, in September 2025, the count was 6 high-severity and 4 intermediate. The restaurant was never emergency-closed across any of those visits, and the record shows no single inspection where the high-severity count dropped to zero and stayed there.

March 2025 produced a notably cleaner result, with zero high-severity violations. Three months later the count was back in high-severity territory. August 2026 is the highest single-visit high-severity total in the available record.

Still Open

State inspectors documented nine high-severity violations at Nova Gourmet on August 19, 2026, including food from an unverified source, undercooking, live parasite risk, and a kitchen operating without active managerial oversight.

The restaurant was not closed.