TOE RIVER HEALTH DISTRICT
Avery & Mitchell County Health Departments
Franklin M. Gardner, MPA, REHS – Health Director
Frank Craig, MD & Julia Sherrill, MD – Medical Directors
Joe Miller – Chair, Board of Health
Press Release
Toe River Health District, Mitchell County Health Department
130 Forest Service Drive, Bakersville, NC 28705
6-5-2026
Toe River Health District Conducting Foodborne Illness Investigation in Mitchell County
Ledger, N.C. – Last week, the Toe River Health District (TRHD) was notified of two individuals with confirmed Salmonella infection. TRHD staff immediately developed a plan to conduct an investigation. To date, the investigation has identified four individuals from Mitchell County and two individuals from Yancey County diagnosed with Salmonella with some individuals also diagnosed with Campylobacter. TRHD has been in contact with all individuals and to protect their privacy, no further details will be shared about these individuals.
TRHD has determined a local restaurant, El Ranchero located at 203 Locust St. in Spruce Pine, as the common source of the foodborne illness. TRHD Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS), as well as the NC Division of Public Health REHS, have conducted an inspection and a follow-up site visit at the restaurant. These inspections and site visits included sanitary condition assessments. TRHD has made several recommendations and is working with the restaurant to ensure the public’s health is protected.
Both Salmonella and Campylobacter are bacteria that can cause gastrointestinal illness and, in some cases, severe infection. Common symptoms for both include diarrhea, which is sometimes bloody for Campylobacter, stomach cramps, fever, and in some cases nausea and vomiting. While both will cause illness for about a week, Salmonella usually causes illness within 6 hours – 6 days of consuming contaminated food and Campylobacter within 2–5 days of consuming contaminated food.
If you ate food or drank beverages from El Ranchero located at 203 Locust St. in Spruce Pine, North Carolina, on or after May 18, 2026, please email TRHD at mchd@toeriverhealth.org with your name and email address. TRHD will send a survey to individuals who provide their email addresses early next week to evaluate whether any menu items may have contributed to additional reported illnesses. Even if you are not experiencing symptoms currently, we are requesting you contact TRHD using the email above to complete the survey.
Sounds too familiar:
In April of 2002, 369 reported becoming ill after eating at the Western Sizzlin’ restaurant in Spruce Pine, North Carolina. Of those with symptoms of Salmonellosis, 39 cases of Salmonella infection were laboratory-confirmed.
Environmental Health (EH) personnel from the Mitchell County HD inspected the restaurant and noted deficiencies. Testing conducted on a number of different foods served by the restaurant, and various cooking utensils and surfaces, were found to be contaminated with Salmonella. In addition, an epidemiologic investigation of the outbreak revealed that two asymptomatic employees of the restaurant were found to be infected with Salmonella. It could not be determined whether the infected employees contracted Salmonella after eating at the restaurant, or if they were responsible for contaminating food at the restaurant.