Nearly a year after the Gallatin City-County Health Department (GCCHHD) ordered the closure of Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman due to toxins suspected to come from morel mushrooms that affected 50 people and resulted in two deaths, the final investigation was released in July of 2023. The investigation revealed that the morel mushrooms served at the restaurant were not cooked properly, leading to the outbreak. Interestingly, no other restaurant that received morels from the same supplier reported any complications from their customers.
Since the reopening of Dave’s in May of 2023, the health department has been closely monitoring the establishment with visits every few days to inspect and correct practices to ensure the safety of the food being served. While GCCHD has not been forthcoming with details regarding the outbreak at Dave’s, they did highlight five major risk factors that contribute to food-borne illnesses, including unsafe sources of food, improper storage temperatures, under-cooked or raw food items, contaminated environments and equipment, and poor personal hygiene of handlers.
GCCHD notes that most violations identified during inspections do not lead to a restaurant closure and are often corrected on-site or shortly after. During the most recent inspection of Dave’s on December 20, 2023, two violations were reported but were promptly corrected on-site. This ongoing monitoring and correction process aims to prevent the recurrence of similar incidents and ensure compliance with food safety regulations at Dave’s Sushi.