‘Special roll’ at Montana sushi restaurant at the center of illness outbreak that has killed two

Mushrooms served at a sushi restaurant in Montana are said to have contaminated 41 and killed two customers.

The likely source of the outbreak is morels served Monday, April 17 at Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman, Montana as part of a special menu item.

Donna Ventura, 64, and William Lewis, 74, both died within days of eating at the restaurant.

The establishment temporarily closed on Friday, April 21 and posted a statement on his Instagram page stating: ‘We understand that several of our customers who dined with us on Monday, April 17, 2023 have fallen ill.

“We believe the common ingredient that may have been consumed was FDA-approved, cultured morel mushrooms used in Monday’s special role.”

Dave’s Sushi in Bozeman, Montana, will reopen May 15

A Department of Public Health and Human Services investigation found that the morels were grown in China, shipped to a distributor in California, and then shipped to multiple states.

However, no known illnesses have been reported in other states.

The mushrooms were not sent to any other restaurants or businesses in Montana.

William Lewis, 74, of Townsend, ate at the restaurant on Monday, April 17, and died the following morning.

A family member told police officers that Mr. Lewis became very ill after eating and became dehydrated.

Donna Ventura, 64, died April 29 at Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center from a foodborne illness.

She was a regular at Dave’s Sushi and visited for lunch on April 17, where she reportedly ate the “special roll” with salmon and morels.

Within an hour of eating the meal, Ms Ventura reportedly developed extreme symptoms and later collapsed at home.

Dave’s Sushi’s Sunday roll served the day before the special morel roll

Donna Ventura, 64, (left) died April 29 at Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center from a foodborne illness. William Lewis, 74, of Townsend, Montana, died April 18 (right).

Morel mushrooms have a honeycomb-like appearance and are very expensive – a pound costs about $20

She was taken by ambulance to Bozeman Health Deaconess Regional Medical Center, where she went into cardiac arrest.

Mrs ventura experienced multiple organ failures and died in the ICU 13 days later.

Her husband filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the restaurant on Tuesday, alleging that Dave’s Sushi caused Ms. Ventura significant and life-threatening injuries and that her husband and son should receive compensation.

Other customers who have fallen ill told health officials they fell ill within half an hour to 45 minutes of eating at the restaurant.

The Gallatin City-County Health Department reported on May 3 that three individuals in addition to the two deaths had serious consequences, including hospitalizations.

The cause of death has not yet been confirmed, nor has it been directly linked to the restaurant.

Dave’s Sushi said the morels were “farmed” and came from an “FDA-approved source.”

While they were reportedly served as a specialty only on April 17, the Gallatin City-County health department said the outbreak only affects people who ate at Dave’s Sushi between March 31 and April 17, 2023.

Eating raw or undercooked morels can pose a serious health risk, as can eating them with alcohol.

Illness from eating morels starts within a few hours and causes nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.

Morel mushrooms are expensive — a pound costs about $20 — because they are much harder to find and harvest than the average mushroom. They also have a short shelf life once picked.

Dave’s Sushi released a statement last Wednesday, which stated, “We have hired a health consultant, formerly with the Gallatin City-County Health Department, to fully and thoroughly inspect our restaurant and conduct comprehensive food safety updates for our staff.”

The restaurant will open again on Monday 15 May.

a Routine inspection of Dave’s Sushi, conducted on April 18, 2023, found four health and safety violations.

The restaurant had only found one violation during previous routine inspections from 2015.

The violations in April 2023 included inadequate temperature control for some foods, “unsafe” utensils and food contact surfaces, inadequate disinfection of cleaning cloths, and failure to maintain labels for imports of fresh shellfish for 90 days as required.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million Americans fall ill from foodborne illness each year.

About 128,000 are hospitalized and 3,000 die.

Adults over age 65 are at greater risk of a severe reaction.