Food Poisoning Law Blog : Food Poisoning Lawyer & Attorney : PritzkerLaw : Food Safety, Outbreaks & Recalls

In 2007, the Taste of Chicago dished up a hummus dish at the Pars Cove booth that was contaminated with Salmonella, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Over 180 people were sickened in the resulting Salmonella outbreak. 

We are representing a number of the people sickened in the Taste of Chicago Salmonella outbreak of 2007. If you had a confirmed case of Salmonella after eating at the Taste of Chicago,  please call 1-888-377-8900 (toll-free) or fill out our free online consultation form.  

During the outbreak, the number of reported cases of Salmonella grew daily. Below is a 2007 press release issued by the Chicago Department of Public Health regarding the Taste of Chicago Salmonella outbreak:  

08-Aug-2007 City Health Dept. Continues Investigation of Food Borne Illnesses: Reports of lllness Slowing Down Considerably

As anticipated, reports of illnesses related to the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at Taste of Chicago are slowing down considerably.

As of noon today, a total of 790 people have reported that they became ill after they ate food purchased from the Pars Cove booth—up from the 770 reported on July 27.

One hundred eighty-two of the 790 are laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonellosis, with more results pending—up from the 158 reported on July 27. Of these 182 cases, 169 have been identified as Salmonella Heidelberg, one of the more common Salmonella serotypes in the United States.

A total of 38 people are known to have been hospitalized—up slightly from the 37 CDPH reported on July 27.

Most of the individuals live in the Chicago area; some are from downstate and some are from other states.

The Pars Cove situation represents the first confirmed outbreak of illness associated with the event in at least 20 years. In the larger context of having safely served tens of millions of people in recent years, the Taste remains quite possibly the safest food service operation in the city.

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Pars Cove, a restaurant in the Lincoln Park area of Chicago, experienced a minor setback due to an outbreak of salmonellosis in hummus dishes served at last year’s Taste of Chicago.  The outbreak sickened 790 people, with 182 confirmed cases of salmonellosis and 30 hospitalizations.  Attorneys at our law firm are representing victims of this outbreak.  

Max Pars, owner of Pars Cove, had an interesting response to the outbreak. According to the Medill Reports of Northwestern University,

He didn’t lay off any of his six employees, he didn’t change prices, which average $13 per entrée, and he didn’t budge on his no-advertising policy. Well, Pars did make one change: he temporarily stopped serving hummus dishes. After a subsequent health inspection, the restaurant corrected six violations, which included a refrigerator not set at the proper temperature and evidence of rodents. As soon as the Health Department gave him the go-ahead, Pars resumed selling hummus dishes.

Business at the restaurant dropped by as much as 20% in the months following the outbreak, but then quickly rebounded. The Chicago Department of Public Health narrowed the source of contamination down to a sesame seed paste used in the hummus dish, but an exact cause may never be known.  Meanwhile, the restaurant remains open and producing hummus dishes as it has always done.

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As of noon today, a total of 678 people have reported that they became ill after they ate food purchased from the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at Taste of Chicago—up from the 636 reported Tuesday.

Eighty-five of the 678 are laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonellosis, with more results pending—up from the 66 reported yesterday. Of the 85, 47 have been identified as Salmonella Heidelberg, one of the more common Salmonella serotypes in the United States.

A total of 25 people are known to have been hospitalized—unchanged from what CDPH reported on Tuesday.

Lawsuits have already been filed on behalf of people sickened in this Salmonella outbreak linked to hummus served at the Pars Cove booth. 

Pritzker Law, a leading foodborne illness litigation law firm, can be reached toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or by submitting the firm's online consultation form.

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Pritzker Law has been contacted regarding the Salmonella outbreak linked to the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at Taste of Chicago.  The firm is investigating the outbreak and can be contacted toll-free at 1-888-377-8900.  As of noon today, a total of 529 people have reported that they became ill after they ate food purchased from the Pars Cove booth—up from the 491 reported Saturday.

Fifty of the 529 are laboratory-confirmed cases of salmonellosis, with more results pending—up from the 44 reported yesterday. Of the 50, 36 have been identified as Salmonella Heidelberg, one of the more common Salmonella serotypes in the United States. A total of 17 people are known to have been hospitalized—up from the 15 reported yesterday.

Most of the individuals live in the Chicago area; a few are from downstate and a few are from other states.

Nationally, there are about 40,000 cases of salmonellosis reported every year, although federal health officials say that the actual number of cases may be as much as 30 times higher—since most cases are mild and go unreported. In Chicago, there are about 300 reported cases each year.

CDPH sanitarians have visited the Pars Cove restaurant, 435 W. Diversey, to thoroughly inspect the premises. Additionally, CDPH has interviewed Pars Cove food handlers and administered stool tests for presence of the Salmonella bacterium. Epidemiological evidence suggests that the source of the outbreak is hummus served at the Pars Cove booth.

CDPH has submitted food samples to the Illinois Department of Public Health for laboratory analysis. Results are expected this week.

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126 people who ate at the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at the Taste of Chicago have become ill.  Salmonella poisoning is the likely cause.  Salmonella outbreaks involving restaurants can be caused by contaminated food or a sick food handler.  In this case, health officials believe hummus served at the Pars Cove booth is the source of the Salmonella outbreak.  Other food served at the Pars Cove Persian Cuisine booth at Taste Chicago included “cucumber salad over hummus, grilled lamb and beef, pomegranate barbecued chicken and baklava,” according to the Associated Press.

Pritzker Law, a nationally-recognized foodborne illness litigation law firm, has recently settled a lawsuit involving a Salmonella outbreak linked to a restaurant. To contact a Salmonella lawyer at Pritzker Law, please call toll-free at 1-888-377-8900 or submit the firm’s online consultation form.

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