Easthampton Board of Health Waives Restaurant Fine, Orders Certified Food Safety Training

EASTHAMPTON — July 15, 2026 — Easthampton Board of Health waives $200 restaurant fine contingent on certified food safety training. The two-member board — Chair Elizabeth Rist, PA, and Member Steven Coughlin — voted unanimously July 15 to waive a noncompliance fine against La Veracruzana after Health Director Ryan presented a six-year inspection record showing that 10 of 12 routine inspections had required re-inspections due to multiple, often repeated violations. The fine stemmed from a June 5 food truck event where an inspector observed an open back door three times in succession; co-owner Sunia contested the fine, acknowledged the code findings were correct, and alleged that Ryan had raised his voice and used an obscene gesture toward employees. Ryan acknowledged raising his voice. The board conditioned the waiver on La Veracruzana scheduling a bilingual certified food consultant for staff training within 14 days and submitting a corrective action plan to the health department, with a follow-up on the September agenda. The board also received an informational briefing on proposed updates to the town's body art regulations — including an anonymous complaint pathway, CORI and SORI checks on hire, emergency permit suspension language, and apprenticeship hour-transfer protections — following an anonymous complaint of sexual assault by a licensed tattoo practitioner; no vote was taken, with formal draft language expected at the September meeting.