Health district does inspection after video of maggots at Tri-Cities restaurant

The Benton Franklin Health District inspected Twigs Bistro and Martini Bar in Kennewick Saturday after receiving a complaint, and inspectors found generally good conditions.

The complaint was made after a woman said she found live maggots in a sauce she was served at the Kennewick restaurant on Friday night and posted a video.

The post was reshared across multiple video platforms and went viral with hundreds of thousands of views of her spoonful of sauce with wiggling maggots.

Trevor Blackwell, an owner of the family-owned group of regional Twig restaurants, told the Tri-City Herald it was a one-time mistake.

The restaurant had received some parsley that it did not realize was contaminated. It was used liberally as a garnish on a dish of Gargonzola sauce.

“We didn’t do our job — no excuses,” he said.

Twigs had never had a similar problem in its 14 years in Kennewick at the Columbia Center mall, and employees were devastated by the incident, he said.

The restaurant had already taken the steps needed to correct the issue before Benton Franklin Health District inspectors arrived, said Alea Jensen, supervisor of the district’s food safety program.

Restaurant workers had gone through all of the restaurant’s produce and sauces, with items discarded, she said.

“Everything was cleaned up. They had reprepped all of their food,” she said.

Inspectors found no maggots.

There were two findings in the inspection, which added up to total 15 of the more serious red points, by the Tri-City Herald’s calculation. Food establishments that score 35 red points are required to pass a follow-up inspection with stricter standards.

One finding Saturday involved a pan of lettuce and salad in a prep cooler that was above 45 degrees on a busy night when the cooler was being constantly opened.

The other was no consumer advisory on the brunch menu for eggs, such as over-easy eggs that are not fully cooked. New brunch menus are being ordered, according to the inspection report.

The restaurant had been inspected most recently for food safety on Aug. 15 and received a perfect score.

Since 2023 the restaurant has had some inspections that required followups, most notably an inspection with 70 red points in late 2023 and 60 red points in March 2025.

In a total of eight inspections since the start of 2023, including two with perfect scores, issues have included three inspections finding a lack of a consumer advisory for undercooked food; two instances of water not hot enough at handwashing sinks; lack of dates marked on some food; and occasional findings of improper food temperatures.

Jensen said all food establishments should be sure to follow the district’s food safety protocols, including making sure produce is in good condition.