Hunan by the Falls Food License Suspended for Two Weeks
Geauga Public Health (GPH) Special Meeting – April 2, 2026
Meeting Details: The GPH Board met in Special Session at the Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite B167-168 (first floor), Chardon, OH, on April 2, 2026. The meeting began at 5:00 pm. This meeting was in person with no virtual viewing or video. The only item on the agenda was a hearing on suspension or revocation of the Food License for Hunan by the Falls in Chagrin Falls
Public Comment Policy: There is no separate written policy, but in practice “Citizens’ Remarks” are listed on the agenda and are permitted as detailed there.
Board Attendance:
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Dr. Mark Hendrickson, President
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Melissa DeBoth
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Daniel Green, Jr
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Lynn Roman
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Christine Sutter, President Pro Tempore
Staff Attendance:
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Adam Litke, Administrator and Health Commissioner
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Dan Lark, Director of Environmental Health
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Cady Stromp, Environmental Health Specialist
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Paul Stromp, Sanitarian
Others Present: Hunan By the Falls Owner Aileen Chan, Attorney Bridey Matheny from the law firm of Thrasher, Dinsmore and Dolan, four members of the public, Geauga Maple Leaf reporter Allison Wilson, and this LWVG Observer were present.
Before the meeting began, Dr. Hendrickson asked for prayers for military members who were killed in Iran in remembrance of their service.
Call to Order: Called to order at 5:01 pm.
Opening of Meeting - The Pledge of Allegiance was recited. A quorum was declared, as was a Certification of the Delivery of Official notices of meeting. The hearing was open to the public.
Hearing to Determine whether to revoke or suspend the Food License for Hunan by the Falls, 508 E. Washington Street, Chagrin Falls OH 44022
Mr. Lark opened this discussion by saying that the Board discussed this at their last meeting and that the Board and Hunan had received all the documentation. Observer Note: See LWVGeauga Observer Report for March 18, 2026 for more details. Mr. Lark said that the staff recommended that the Board suspend Hunan’s license for two weeks and that they require staff training. He said they also recommended that the staff complete training documents, introduce temperature logs and come up with policies to address critical violations. Mr. Lark said there could be revocation, suspension for a different time period, or no action. Observer Note: Critical violations in regard to proper temperatures for cooked and reheated food were listed as a critical violation on several inspection reports. Mrs. Stromp said that she hand-delivered notices after the last GPH Board meeting and noted that there was no manager or person in charge there at 2:55 pm when they were due to open at 3 pm. She said this was a violation as there is supposed to be a trained manager on duty for all shifts.
Ms. Chan said that “they were on the way.”
Dr. Hendrickson said that the regulations require trained personnel to be there at opening.
Attorney for Ms. Chan, Bridey Matheny, said that they were not there to contest any of the information in the inspection reports. She said that since February 26, 2026 (date of the last inspection), Ms. Chan had done a lot of work. She asked the Board for leniency and to not suspend or revoke. She cited a number of measures they have taken to address critical issues and distributed a report to the Board about what they will be doing. She described a few of these as follows:
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Daily checklist with bilingual signage for hand washing and keeping the washing station stocked
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Food Storage - storage inspection before each shift (with labels and indications about where storage should occur)
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Equipment - Daily checklist, cleaning schedule, and a monthly contractor to come in and inspect
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Temperature Control - they have purchased multiple digital thermometers; labeling has been verified on the daily checklist and daily log. Ms. Chan said this started March 1, 2026.
Ms. Chan spoke about learning a lot recently. She said that they have Spanish and Chinese signage as well as English. She said that she has taken actions to make sure that things are under tight control now.
She said that several employees are finishing their training, including her. It was clarified that Ms. Chan has the necessary training, but she has gone on-line to keep learning.
There was discussion about whether the checklists produced by Ms. Chan were daily or weekly. Dr. Hendrickson said that there should also be an opening and closing checklist.
In regards to obtaining the necessary training certifications and addressing issues, Ms. Chan cited the pandemic as reasons they were not done.
Mr. Lark said that they had offered to come and help, but Ms. Chan never took them up on their offer. He said that they offer courses in Geauga and Lake County.
Mrs. Stromp reviewed the history of issues, and stated that after the November 19, 2025 hearing with the Board, the Board decided to suspend. The January inspection was good (1 critical and other housekeeping issues), but the February inspection was very bad, with 9 critical and 5 noncritical violations.
Mr. Lark said that due to the background, they are not confident that there won’t be critical issues.
He again said that GPH staff recommends suspending for two weeks so all members in the kitchen get trained and that “person in charge” training be completed.
Ms. Chan said she had created a checklist. Mrs. Stromp said she had a checklist to give them to follow going forward.
Ms. Roman noted that the person in charge did not have the necessary knowledge. She also noted that the incident numbers keep going up and down. Ms. Roman said that according to the reports, the person in charge didn’t have the knowledge. She asked, “Do you have the right people?”
Ms. Chan said that the staff have many years of experience. She said she has owned the restaurant since 1993 and they have 17-20 employees; at least 10 have been employed at the restaurant off and on for 10 years or more.
Mrs. Stromp noted that one particular employee has had violations each time.
Dr. Hendrickson went over the requirements as he saw it - training, monitoring and documenting.
Mr. Litke also said that he thought it was important to have an inspection before they reopen if they do get suspended.
Mrs. Roman asked, “Is there a language issue?”
Mrs. Stromp said that, yes, language is an issue, but training is available in Chinese and Spanish. Ms. Chan said, “We all speak English.”
Citizens’ Remarks
Four members of the community spoke in support of Hunan and Ms. Chan:
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Speaker One from Chagrin Falls - He said that Ms. Chan has served the community and been a leader of the community. He said that he felt that Hunan is one of the best restaurants around. He asked for leniency for them. He said he felt that there had been a communication problem but not lack of motivation. He asked if any illnesses had been documented to be attributable to the restaurant. Mrs. Stromp said no.
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Speaker Two - also from Chagrin Falls. She said maybe there are language issues and that the individuals have difficulty with auditory learning. She said she felt that this was a waste of taxpayer money.
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Speaker Three - from Newbury - She said that she has been to the restaurant hundreds of times and would give it a 5 star rating. She said it looks like a lot of misunderstandings. She thought perhaps Ms Chan didn’t understand the type of assistance that the GPH staff were offering.
Mr. Lark responded that they do try to educate first and that after each inspection they had sat down with Ms. Chan and had gone over the inspection.
Mr. Stromp said that the staff have done thousands of inspections with all kinds of restaurants and languages and have also endeavored to ensure that owners understand what is needed.
Ms. Chan then spoke and thanked the staff “for all the inspections.” She said that she has tried to come up with solutions on her own. She said, “I love what I do. I have a strong feeling for the community” and also “I think there is a miscommunication.”
Ms. Matheny said, “Thank you for hearing us.” She also pointed to an issue of communication and asked again for leniency and not a suspension.
Ms. Roman asked if Ms. Chan received the inspection resorts and Mrs. Stromp said yes.
Resolutions
The Board voted to approve the two week suspension, with conditions recommended by the staff:
“The restaurant must complete and document safety training for staff members and management employees. The restaurant must submit all documentation to the health department one day prior to opening. The health department will reinspect the facility before reopening, and inspections will occur with increased frequency for the next six months.” Observer Note: See more details in the April 6, 2026 Chagrin Valley Times.
Executive Session – None
Next Regular Meeting: April 15, 2026, at 5:00 pm. All meetings are held at the Geauga County Administration Building, 12611 Ravenwood Drive, Suite B 167-168, Chardon, OH.
Observer: Gail Roussey
Editor: Rooney Moy
Reviewer: Sarah McGlone
Submission Date: April 7, 2026
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