Raymund Venzin, the sole director of now defunct Paw Paw Cafe Pty Ltd, fined $20,000

A veteran of Brisbane’s restaurant industry has been fined thousands after four people fell ill from salmonella infection after dining at his cafe.

A veteran of Brisbane’s restaurant industry has been fined thousands after four people fell ill from salmonella infection after dining at his cafe.

Raymund Venzin, the sole director of now defunct Paw Paw Cafe Pty Ltd, appeared in Brisbane Magistrates Court on Friday.

Mr Venzin’s company held the food business license for East Brisbane’s Paw Paw Cafe until April 2020 when it was taken over by a different company under a new licence.

Former Paw Paw Cafe Pty Ltd director Raymud Venzin was fined $20,000 for breaches of the Food Act.

The court heard that four diners fell ill with gastro after eating food containing eggs on three different dates in November 2019.

The diners underwent testing which revealed the presence of salmonella prompting the laboratories to alert authorities.

Inspectors from Queensland Health and Brisbane City Council attended Paw Paw Cafe and observed noncompliance with the Food Standards Code namely mouldy chopping boards and potentially hazardous food, such as cheese, being stored in a bench fridge at 9.2C, the court heard.

A swab taken from a chopping board was found positive for Salmonella.

The cafe’s food license was immediately suspended but lifted a day later after the issues were rectified and 23 swabs came back negative for Salmonella

A follow up in inspection in January 2020 found no major compliance issues.

Venzin is well known in the industry after launching some 20 food ventures over 17 years.

The court heard that just two months before the Salmonella outbreak an audit found critical non- compliance, namely salmon and chicken being stored out of temperature control.

Mr Venzin pleaded guilty to seven offences under the Food Act for failing to take all reasonable steps to ensure the corporation did not breach the act.

Council prosecutor Kevin Cartledge said the breaches stemmed from a lack of processes and Mr Venzin had been co-operative with authorities.

His lawyer Michael O’Brien said his client had no previous convictions and was “certainly remorseful”.

“My client is a very experienced person in the hospitality industry, he‘s been in the industry for about 17 years. He has had over 20 different food ventures over that period of time,” he said.

“That’s something which weighs heavily in his favour in my submission simply by way of the fact this is the first time he’s come before the court.”

Mr Venzin acted swiftly in response to the Salmonella, replacing fridges and all of the chopping boards as well as sacking the head chef “as result of the internal processes that weren‘t being followed”, he said,

Mr O’Brien said his client’s response saw the cafe’s suspension lifted the following day.

“ My client estimates he spent roughly, out of pocket expenses about $20,000 including the loss of what he would have made through that restaurant at the time,” he said.

While other cases that came before the court involved multiple food items contaminated with salmonella, “we‘re dealing with eggs in relation to this matter”.

The court heard Mr Venzin’s company Paw Paw Cafe Pty Ltd was wound up in May 2020 for unrelated reasons

Acting Magistrate John McGrath said Mr Venzin wasn’t directly in charge of the day to day running of the business but under the Food Act he was ultimately responsible.

“In my view, the mouldy chopping boards should have been obvious to anyone … particularly you as the person responsible for its cleanliness and upkeep.”

Mr McGrath said it was Mr Venzin’s first prosecution and he co-operated to a “significant level” with authorities.

Mr Venzin was fined $20,000 with no convictions recorded.