BOILING SPRINGS — Health inspectors visiting an Upstate retirement home uncovered moldy tomatoes, out-of-date food and other violations in an unannounced visit earlier this year.
A follow-up inspection the following week found many of the same problems — including what might have been the same expired pepperoni — earning the facility a “C,” the lowest food grade.
The Terraces at Lakewood has since corrected the problems, but the June 23 and July 1 inspection reports offer a look into the kitchen as the independent living facility changed hands.
Residents of the community, where apartments start at around $2,500, are provided two meals a day, with the facility boasting restaurant-style dining with chef-prepared meals and more casual dining at a café or bistro, its website says.
It was sold to an international health care real estate investment firm for $17.5 million at the end of March, and at its change-of-ownership inspection on July 16, no major violations were found, regaining the “A” rating for food operations under a new permit.
Christina Trentham, executive vice president of operations and clinical services at Senior Solutions Management Group, said the facility has worked with authorities to address findings of the inspections, and that all problems have been corrected. As evidence, she pointed to the change-in-ownership inspection report.
Another follow-up is required within 60 days, said Eva Moore, S.C. Department of Agriculture spokesperson.
The department doesn’t comment on specific establishments or inspections, Moore said, and instead directed The Post and Courier to the inspection reports.
The year’s first inspection: June 23
Coming off two “A” rating inspections in 2025, The Terraces at Lakewood received a “B” rating in its first of 2026.
A “B” means the facility’s food safety practices need improvement, according to the Department of Agriculture’s website.
The routine and unannounced health inspection June 23 found the facility was out of compliance in 10 categories. The facility received 82 of 100 possible points.
Those citations covered a broad range of problems, from the food itself to conditions at the facility.
Roma tomatoes in the walk-in cooler were in “poor condition,” according to the inspection report. Several had “organic growth” and were in advanced stages of wilting and skin breakage, inspectors said.
That was a “priority” violation.
Inspectors also found certain foods were not being kept at the proper temperature. Food held cold is supposed to be maintained at no higher than 41 degrees, but inspectors found minced garlic at 49 degrees, eggs at 48 and spinach dip at 51.
Inspectors also found food past its discard date — or with no date at all. There was diced garlic dated June 1, pepperoni dated May 29, a container of salad dressing dated Feb. 24 and an open bag of shredded mozzarella blend cheese dated Sept. 12, 2025.
State regulations require this type of food to be discarded after just seven days.
As for the facility itself, inspectors noted “organic buildup” under equipment, on the floors around drains and in the reach-in freezer.
Other documented violations included:
Because of multiple priority violations, the facility was also cited for its person in charge not demonstrating knowledge of food-borne illness prevention, application of hazard control principles or state regulatory requirements.
Based on the findings, inspectors noted that a follow-up was required within 10 days.
The second inspection: July 1
That follow-up came eight days later, on July 1. This time, The Terraces at Lakewood received slightly more points — 85 out of the possible 100. But because the inspection found consecutive violations, its grade was downgraded to a “C.”
A “C” means a facility’s food safety practices need “significant improvement,” according to the Department of Agriculture’s website.
Again, inspectors found Roma tomatoes in poor condition, with several showing organic growth and several in advanced stages of wilting and skin breakage.
And again, inspectors found food that was either past its discard date or undated.
A bag of diced garlic wasn’t dated, according to the report. Neither was a bag of chopped lettuce or some cut onion. The only out-of-date item noted by the inspection report was pepperoni, dated May 29.
In the cookline prep cooler, inspectors found food stored at temperatures higher than the required 41 degrees. Minced garlic and butter were being stored at 53 degrees, while cheese was at 55 degrees, the report said.
The July 1 report no longer sounded the alarm about a missing ambient air thermometer in the prep cooler, but instead had a new finding: A prep cooler wasn’t functioning properly. Instead of keeping food at 41 degrees or cooler, its ambient air temperature was 58 degrees, the report said.
The June 23 findings of organic buildup around the facility also seemed to be addressed ahead of the follow-up. But still, the July 1 inspection found single-use cups, lids and more on the floor, and handwashing sinks that didn’t have a way for employees to dry their hands.
Because of the priority violations, The Terraces at Lakewood was again cited for not having a person in charge who could demonstrate they knew what they were required to know.
Another follow-up was required within 10 days, the report said.
The new permit
Instead, 15 days later, the department conducted a change-of-ownership inspection.
This inspection report isn’t online with the others, but it was shared by Senior Solutions Management Group — the new owners of The Terraces at Lakewood — and verified by the state Department of Agriculture.
There were software problems during the inspection, the report noted, so it was done on paper. The only comments in the report were that no priority or priority foundation violations were found.
That means the previous violations were corrected, according to Moore. A follow-up to the July 1 inspection wasn’t done because of a change in ownership, she said, and instead a new permit was issued.
Under state law, the new owner of a facility serving food has 15 days to apply for a new permit, Moore said. They can then operate under the old permit for those 15 days, while the application is being processed and until a permit inspection is conducted.
According to county records, the property that holds The Terraces at Lakewood and the associated assisted living facility called Lakewood Senior Living was sold March 31 for $17.5 million to AHR Boiling Springs SC SH LLC.
Senior Solutions Management Group lists The Terraces at Lakewood on its website as one of its facilities. That company is owned by American Healthcare REIT, which has closed on more than $1 billion worth of new real estate acquisitions since the start of 2025, according to its June 2026 investor presentation.