Pastelitos and croquetas trashed. Mold buildups. Bakery problems in Miami-Dade

“Mold-like substances” and a too-close relationship between a toilet and the kitchen caused inspection problems at a Hialeah Gardens bakery Wednesday.

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The latter can slow business to molasses running uphill if Flako’s Bakery doesn’t take care of that business in 30 days.

Here’s some of what Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services inspector Caridad Delgado found during her visit to the strip mall bakery at 11300 NW 87th Ct.

A “door leading to the outdoor area was open during the entire inspection with no protection against the entry of insects.”

Perhaps that’s why “flying insects were observed around the food processing area.”

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It’s a violation if the “door to a toilet room opens directly into an area where food is exposed to airborne contamination” and such was the case at Flako’s.

“A fully enclosed vestibule must be installed within 30 days,” the inspection read. “If the deadline is not met, a Stop Use Order will be issued for all equipment and all food processing near the employee restroom.”

There were “missing and broken tiles throughout the establishment” and, in the backroom, the “ceiling tiles next to the restroom have a brown, mold-like substance.”

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Also in the backroom, “the three-compartment sink basins were found to have a heavy buildup of soil, a black mold-like substance, and old food debris.”

“Water leaks from the three-compartment sink faucet when water is turned on at the warewashing sink.”

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Someone working in the food service area “didn’t wear effective hair restraints while working with open food items.”

“Soap and paper towels (or other hand drying device) were not available at the handwash sink next to the three-compartment sink” in the food processing area. And, it doesn’t count, in fact it’s a violation that, a “common towel was used to dry hands at the prep table next to the handwash sink.”

Furthermore, “The handwash sink next to the three-compartment sink was blocked by garbage can, making it inaccessible.”

Food service area employees not washing their hands before putting on gloves to begin food processing. In the backroom, an “employee did not wash hands between entering/exiting the various processing areas.”

In the food service and processing areas: “employees wearing single-use gloves failed to change gloves between various tasks and when entering and exiting different processing areas.”

The food processing area cutting board had “deep grooves/cuts and can no longer be effectively cleaned and sanitized.”

“Tongs used for empanadas, croquetas and pastelitos were found in use after more than four hours without being washed, rinsed, and sanitized.”

“Cuban bread stored on rolling racks wasn’t covered, and a container of margarine stored on prep table was not covered.”

Hot storage equipment’s sole job is to keep the food inside at or above 135 degrees. What did the reach-in hot box next to the cash register measure? A relatively tepid 108 to 110 degrees.

This brought a Stop Use Order on the hot box and Stop Sales on the chicken, beef, ham and cheese empanadas, meat pastelitos, chicken croquetas and stuffed beef potatoes therein.

Nobody knew how long the ham-and-cheese spread or the cooked pork in the reach-in freezer had been there. Stop Sale.

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Plus, Flako’s didn’t have a valid 2026 food permit.