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Joong's Thai Pan wins award from Tri-County Health
A list of sanitation rules does not hang in the kitchen at Joong's Thai Pan, but diners can eat the fried tofu, drunken noodles or yakisoba with ease knowing they don't have to worry about what is going on behind the kitchen doors.
By By:Jennifer Simonson
A list of sanitation rules does not hang in the kitchen at Joong's Thai Pan, but diners can eat the fried tofu, drunken noodles or yakisoba with ease knowing they don't have to worry about what is going on behind the kitchen doors.
The Tri-County Health Department awarded the restaurant at Mainstreet and Parker Road with an annual exemplary food establishment award based on its commitment to food safety and sanitation, said Gary Sky, spokesperson for the Tri-County Health Department.
The department, which serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, randomly inspects restaurants, fast-food establishments, convenience stores and grocery stores for food handling, personal hygiene and food temperature practices.
Those receiving the award had none or very few critical violations during the inspections, said Bruce Wilson, the department's director of environmental health.
Of the 3,000 restaurants inspected in 2002, 21 restaurants received the exemplary award. Joong's Thai Pan was the only Parker restaurant that received the award.
Philip Gates, owner of Joong's Thai Pan, said he was happy and proud about the award, but not surprised.
Gates and his wife Noopin Gates are at the head of the family run restaurant. The couple opened the restaurant in September 2000 and though it is their first time as restaurant owners, the couple has a history in food preparation and the rules that go with it.
Philip Gates credits the U.S. Air Force, where he and his wife worked, for drilling sanitation rules into them. After working in an Air Force kitchen Noopin Gates worked for several years preparing meals for an airline carrier.
The couple works full time at the restaurant and employs two relatives. Sanitation and cleanliness rules are not posted, but are simply known by everyone.
"I tell people the best thing is to just clean as you go," Philip Gates said.
Health department officials want the thousands of residents dining in the Tri-County area to feel safer about their choice of restaurant knowing the surprise inspections take place, Wilson said.
"With limited funds we are not able to make inspections as often as I would like, but I hope they give some comfort to the people of Parker that the government is trying to educate and enforce public health," Wilson said. "I think that is the sole purpose of my department."
The Tri-County Health Department awarded the restaurant at Mainstreet and Parker Road with an annual exemplary food establishment award based on its commitment to food safety and sanitation, said Gary Sky, spokesperson for the Tri-County Health Department.
The department, which serves Adams, Arapahoe and Douglas counties, randomly inspects restaurants, fast-food establishments, convenience stores and grocery stores for food handling, personal hygiene and food temperature practices.
Those receiving the award had none or very few critical violations during the inspections, said Bruce Wilson, the department's director of environmental health.
Of the 3,000 restaurants inspected in 2002, 21 restaurants received the exemplary award. Joong's Thai Pan was the only Parker restaurant that received the award.
Philip Gates, owner of Joong's Thai Pan, said he was happy and proud about the award, but not surprised.
Gates and his wife Noopin Gates are at the head of the family run restaurant. The couple opened the restaurant in September 2000 and though it is their first time as restaurant owners, the couple has a history in food preparation and the rules that go with it.
Philip Gates credits the U.S. Air Force, where he and his wife worked, for drilling sanitation rules into them. After working in an Air Force kitchen Noopin Gates worked for several years preparing meals for an airline carrier.
The couple works full time at the restaurant and employs two relatives. Sanitation and cleanliness rules are not posted, but are simply known by everyone.
"I tell people the best thing is to just clean as you go," Philip Gates said.
Health department officials want the thousands of residents dining in the Tri-County area to feel safer about their choice of restaurant knowing the surprise inspections take place, Wilson said.
"With limited funds we are not able to make inspections as often as I would like, but I hope they give some comfort to the people of Parker that the government is trying to educate and enforce public health," Wilson said. "I think that is the sole purpose of my department."
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