Unlicensed Caterer Is Sentenced in Food Poisoning Incident

An unlicensed San Diego caterer whose noodle dish made more than 80 people sick at a wedding last summer has been sentenced to serve 20 days of county work service and pay for some of the guests’ medical bills, the San Diego city attorney’s office said Wednesday.

Gwendolyn Kaimimoku, who was doing business as O’Hana Catering, pleaded no contest in San Diego Municipal Court in April to charges of operating an unlicensed food facility. But her sentencing was put off until this month while wedding guests were interviewed about their medical bills, Deputy City Atty. Tricia Johnson said.

A lot of the guests had health insurance, Johnson said, but Kaimimoku was ordered to reimburse $148.65 for those who didn’t.

Last July, the San Diego County Department of Health Services was contacted by wedding guests who got sick after eating Kaimimoku’s noodle pancit--a rice dish that became contaminated with bacteria.

All caterers are required by the San Diego Municipal Code to have health permits, and the city attorney’s office encouraged anyone using catering services to call the County Department of Health Services to make sure the permits are in order.

Two owners of Tropi-Cal Beverage Co., which served drinks at the wedding, were also operating without a health permit. They were sentenced to probation and ordered to pay $830 in fines, Johnson said.