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Cermak Produce
- resultPass w/ Conditions
- critical violations1
- last inspectedApril 9, 2025
- address4234 N Kedzie Ave, Chicago 60618
- cuisineGrocery Store
Is Cermak Produce clean?
Cermak Produce is currently Pass w/ Conditions from Chicago Department of Public Health, from an inspection on April 9, 2025. Inspectors wrote up 1 critical violation — the kind most directly linked to foodborne illness. On Cooked's ladder that reads mid 😬.
What did inspectors find at Cermak Produce?
These are the violations recorded at the most recent inspection on April 9, 2025, in plain English, with the city's own wording underneath.
- 🚰handwashing sink blocked or barecriticalAdequate Handwashing Sinks Properly Supplied And Accessible • OBSERVED LARGE POTS BLOCKING ACCESS TO EXPOSED HANDWASHING SINK IN THE REAR COOKING AREA. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO ENSURE ALL HANDWASHING SINKS REMAIN ACCESSIBLE FOR EMPLOYEES TO WASH THEIR HANDS. PRIORITY FOUNDATION VIOLATION 7-38-030(c), CITATION ISSUED. EMPLOYEE REMOVED POTS BLOCKING ACCESS TO HANDSINK DURING INSPECTION.
- ⚠️Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS BEING STORED ON FLOOR IN DAIR WALK-IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD ITEMS SIX INCHES FROM FLOOR AND MAINTAIN.Contamination Prevented During Food Preparation, Storage & Display • OBSERVED FOOD ITEMS BEING STORED ON FLOOR IN DAIR WALK-IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO ELEVATE ALL FOOD ITEMS SIX INCHES FROM FLOOR AND MAINTAIN.
- 🛠️surfaces / setup not up to codeFood & Non-Food Contact Surfaces Cleanable, Properly Designed, Constructed & Used • OBSERVED TORN/DAMAGED RUBBER GASKETS ON DOOR OF CHICKEN WALK-IN COOLER IN THE REAR. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO REPAIR OR REPLACE GASKET ABD MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED UNFINISHED WOOD ON THE SHELVING UNITS IN REAR COOKING AREA. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO FINISH THE WOOD ON THE SHELVING UNITS, SO THAT THEY ARE SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE AND MAINTAIN. • OBSERVED CARDBOARD BEING USED AS LINER ON STORAGE RACKS IN THE HOT FOODS WALK-IN COOLER. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO REMOVE CARDBOARD AND ENSURE ALL NONFOOD-CONTACT SURFACES REMAIN SMOOTH AND EASILY CLEANABLE.
- 🚿plumbing acting upNon-Food/Food Contact Surfaces Clean • OBSERVED ACCUMULATED GREASE AND FOOD DEBRIS ON INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR SURFACES OF COOKING EQUIPMENT, AND PREP TABLES IN REAR COOKING AREA. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
- 🧹floors, walls, or ceilings grimyPhysical Facilities Installed, Maintained & Clean • OBSERVED ACCUMULATED GREASE AND FOOD DEBRIS ON FLOOR IN REAR COOKING AREA. INSTRUCTED THE PERSON IN CHARGE TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN.
When was Cermak Produce last inspected?
Cermak Produce has 20 inspections on record going back to July 6, 2010. The 12 most recent are shown below.
| date | result | score |
|---|---|---|
| April 9, 2025 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| November 25, 2024 | Pass | |
| July 7, 2023 | Pass | |
| June 24, 2022 | Pass | |
| March 5, 2021 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| June 8, 2020 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| August 26, 2019 | Pass | |
| June 19, 2019 | Pass | |
| August 27, 2018 | Pass w/ Conditions | |
| September 12, 2017 | Pass | |
| February 17, 2017 | Pass | |
| January 7, 2016 | Pass |
Cermak Produce vs Irving Park
Irving Park runs 64% clean across 804 tracked restaurants — 516 clean, 141 mid, 146 cooked.
Against the 804 spots Cooked tracks in Irving Park, this one comes out cleaner than 24% of them.
Other spots in Irving Park
How Chicago grades restaurants
Chicago does not use letter grades. Every inspection ends in one of three official results: Pass, Pass with Conditions, or Fail. Pass with Conditions means violations were found but corrected on the spot or under a deadline — the restaurant is open, with homework. A Fail means serious violations went uncorrected, and it usually brings a re-inspection within days. Chicago also flags “priority” violations, the ones most likely to actually make someone sick. Cooked reads Pass as clean, Pass with Conditions as mid, and Fail as cooked, and shows the itemized violations behind each result.
Source: Chicago Department of Public Health via Chicago Data Portal. Cooked refreshes this data daily — this listing's most recent inspection is dated April 9, 2025. Inspection results describe one moment in a kitchen's life, not a permanent verdict.