A Rockingham restaurant crawling with cockroaches and labelled a danger to guests’ health has been hit with a massive fine. Lavoro Italiano Restaurant boasts online of being “one of the best restaurants serving pizzas and pasta to its customers since 2015”. Pictures on its website show crisp pizzas with generous toppings, shiny pasta, and fresh seafood.
But prosecutors described the kitchen as one of the worst they’d seen in WA during an appearance at Rockingham Magistrates Court on May 17. Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion. Prosecuting lawyer Peter Gillet, who represented the City of Rockingham, labelled the kitchen a “systemic failure” with a history of “non-compliance” to food standards since 2022.
He said inspectors found a kitchen covered in dirt and grease, with rotting food odours coming from a grate. “Inspectors saw live and dead cockroaches,” he said. “Cockroaches seen during the day indicates a serious infestation.
“When they were pointed out, the owner was not surprised.” According to Mr Gillet, oil dripped down walls, there was a cigarette butt on the floor in the dry storage area and dirty utensils were stored in buckets. Windows had no screens which meant flies were flying about the kitchen.
Prawns, mussels, and fish were stored at temperatures of 12C and 8C much higher than the recommended 5C. “Open buckets of sauces and uncovered food was sitting on benches and exposed to dirt from .