McHenry County hearing upholds suspension of Sweet Rosie's Delights permit after dispute over inspection communications

A McHenry County Board of Health hearing on an appeal of a permit suspension ended with the hearing panel recommending the suspension remain in effect while staff complete the required operational inspection.

Corina (Karina) Meehan, who identified herself as owner of Sweet Rosie's Delights and as an elementary school teacher, told the hearing she wants to comply with inspection rules but has been hampered by inconsistent communication from environmental health staff. "I am not here because I am trying to fight your rules," Meehan said. "What I am here for is just to advocate for better communication." She also told the board she had been diagnosed with cervical cancer and that the process of returning to business after medical leave has been complicated by the contact issues.

County environmental health staff responded that the department had tried repeatedly to schedule an operational inspection and that, under county protocol, an inspection must be conducted while a vendor is operational so staff can observe food handling. "There is very little public health value in conducting a non-operational inspection of an empty kitchen," a staff member told the panel, noting on-site visits on June 5 and June 12 and multiple written contacts dating from May through July.

Much of the hearing focused on whether staff had given Meehan adequate notice and whether she had in fact scheduled or been available for the required operational inspections. Meehan said she repeatedly left messages and emailed availability and that at times she believed she could not be operational until the inspection was completed; staff said emails and inspection reports in the meeting packet show repeated attempts to contact her and several on-site visits.

Meehan also challenged staff statements in the department's packet suggesting Sweet Rosie's prepared food for a private July 19 event at Brown Bear Daycare, saying social media posts are recycled marketing and do not prove production at the time alleged. Staff clarified that Brown Bear operates its own commissary permit and that use of a commissary requires the food to originate from an approved source; staff said private events conducted under the Brown Bear permit were not the subject of the violation.

Board members repeatedly framed the issue as a compliance matter: the county's food-service ordinance requires routine and operational inspections for category‑1 small food establishments, and the panel emphasized that responsibility for scheduling inspections rests with the permit holder. One board member read a finding that the petitioner "failed to provide any evidence of discrimination" and "failed to complete an inspection in a timely manner," and recommended the suspension stand. The panel then took a verbal vote and announced its recommendation would be forwarded to the full Board of Health at its next meeting.

The board and staff spelled out a clear path to reinstatement: once Meehan begins taking orders and notifies the department when product or ingredients are on site, environmental health staff will make every effort to perform an operational inspection promptly so she can resume normal operations. Staff reiterated there is no monetary fine associated with the notice of violation itself; a $95 reinstatement/reinspection fee was described as the routine reinspection charge.

The hearing closed with a motion to adjourn. The panel urged Meehan and staff to coordinate scheduling so the operational inspection can proceed and the business can return to service if the inspection confirms compliance.