Indio commissary kitchen & caterer part of investigation into sickened Coachella bus drivers
News Channel 3 has learned that an Indio commissary kitchen and caterer are part of the county's investigation into an incident that led to more than 100 Coachella Festival shuttle bus drivers suffering from apparent food poisoning.
The incident sent at least 46 shuttle bus drivers to local hospitals, however, county officials believe the number of people impacted could be higher as there were many drivers from out of the area.
The two facilities have not been identified as being responsible for the illnesses. The investigation into the source of the problem is still underway at this time.
Officials with the Riverside County Department of Environmental Health confirm to News Channel 3 that the two facilities are Sacher Enterprises, a commissary kitchen, and Croux & Co., a local catering company.
The meals from Sunday night were prepared in the kitchen by the caterer Croux & Co., according to an email from Dottie Ellis-Merki, deputy director for the Dept. of Environmental Health.
"Both Sacher and Croux are permitted by our department. The commissary kitchen was inspected Monday morning (4/25/22) by our staff. No violations were observed. And no food that was served was leftover in the kitchen." Ellis-Merki tells News Channel 3.
"Both facilities have been very cooperative in the investigation," Ellis-Merki wrote.
News Channel 3 spoke with representatives from both facilities on Friday.
Croux Koplin, owner, of Croux & Co. said there were multiple catering companies involved in serving food to shuttle drivers. On Sunday night, they provided dinner, coffee, and drinks for about 300 people. They served fettuccine, meatballs, premixed salad, and bread.
On Thursday, News Channel 3's Jake Ingrassia spoke to a bus driver who said she ate the meal Sunday night before getting sick.
Koplin said employees also ate the food, except for the salad, and none of them reported being sick.
Croux & Co.'s most recently routine inspection by the Health Dept. on June 14, 2021, where the company received an "A" grade with a score of 98 out of 100.
Toni Romero of Sacher Enterprises told News Channel 3 they served drivers on Saturday evening. They served carne asada burritos, chicken, and rice. Staff also ate the same food and none of them reported feeling sick.
She says she follows health guidelines carefully. "I know where I am at, I know how we handle food," Romero said, because the Health Department can come in at any time.
Romero said this is the first time anything like this has been connected to her kitchen and she is cooperating with the investigation. "In reality, we don't know at this point," she said, "there's no determination as to what happened."
The Health Dept. did a routine inspection at Satcher Enterprises on January 18, 2022. The company received an "A" grade with a score of 97 out of 100.
Both companies are involved in the investigation as they are connected to the food served on the weekend that the drivers reported being sick, however, neither of the companies has been confirmed to have been at fault for the incident.
The investigation into the apparent food poisoning remains ongoing.
Croux says because of the ongoing investigation his company will not be serving food for drivers during this weekend's music festival.
Stay with News Channel 3 for continuing updates on the investigation.
Riverside County Health officials still want to hear from people who attended the dinner, whether they became ill or not, and ask them to call 951-358-5107.
