LIES DECEIT AND VIDEOTAPE, WOLF-CHEEZMEH TAG TEAM

By Juan Montoya
Remember the nagging questions some of us had when we posted about the seemingly chummy relationship between would-be muckraker Ryan Wolf on his Food 4 Thought and the tailor-made instances of sanitary and health violations in Brownsville Restaurants.
We commented that most of the restaurants that Wolf focused on were mom-and-pop barrio panaderias and eateries. Then we found out that in one case – Panaderia Capistran in the Southmost area – the bakery was closed because it had changed hands and the new owner was remodeling it when Wolf got there for the ambush interview and didn't find anyone. He then broadcast about the bakery being "forced to close" because of the previous owner's demerits.
We had a freelancer with El Rrun-Rrun interview the new owner who said that while he was remodeling the building, the Cheezmeh Gang (partisans of Head Cheez Erasmo Castro and sister Linda Dragustinovis) had descended en masse at Capistran's and asked him if he wanted to advertise on their internet page and when he declined, they said that if he didn't play along with them, he should be ready to "face the consequences."
"Eran esos whe se llaman, Brownsville, como dijieron, si, si Cheezmeh, esos son'" he told our reporter. (They said their name was Brownsville Cheezmeh and said that since I didn't advertise that I would face the consequences.)
Sure enough. Even before Wednesday's Food 4 Though segment, Head Cheez Erasmo Castro published on his FB page that Wolf had posted that the "Food Patrol is exposing shocking filth at Panaderia Capistran at Brownsville at 10 (p.m.)"
Well, there's was a reason why that particular segment was a bit too neat.
We requested the the food health inspector's reports and photos and lo and behold! while the initial report and follow-up were dated July 26 and August 29 respectively, Ryan's report wasn't aired until September 4, long after the business had gotten a new owner.
But what's a few facts get in the way of a good story?

While Wolf and Cheezmeh are crowing up the fact that the bakery is now closed because of the "Food Patrol's" investigations also turns out not to be true. Wolf never went in, much less visited the inside or
talked to the owner. Wolf posted this at 3 p.m. that he was barely going over to Capistran Bakery yet he posted the picture yesterday. What's wrong with this so called reporting? Shoot first and ask questions later?
Now the pattern becomes clear: The Cheezmeh Scourge visits a barrio business, demands they advertise, and when refused, depict photos on the Internet allegedly showing health violations even though the issues may have been settled with the city weeks before.
In fact, in past reports, managers at Mr Taco and he called Oyster Bar Too had to answer to Wolf over the phone over issues that had been dead and buried by the city health authorities.
At Mr. Taco, the scam to pull the wool over the eyes of the Food 4 Thought viewers was even more egregious. City Health Department inspectors were there on July 25, then followed up the very next day and gave the popular barrio eatery a clean bill of health. Nonetheless, it wasn't until August 28th, that Wolf aired the show on the "Shocking photos expose fly infestation at Mr. Taco with insects on food" but failed that it had been more than a month after the restaurant was cleared.
But the plot thickens. It appears now that the only documentation that the City Health Department and City Secretary have is a general form that Wolf fills over and over again and the Health Department inspectors comply by sending him dirt on restaurants they have cited for numerous violations, a kind of cherry picking to titillate the Food 4 Thought aficionados.
The Health Department feeds him juicy ammunition, Cheezmeh crows up the section on the internet and glean what they can from the small business owners, then Wolf stomps on the barrio restaurants and panaderias long after the issues have been cleared and they are in compliance.
What a scam.