State College Borough Council members were reluctant last week when they approved a liquor license transfer to a restaurant whose owner had numerous health violations at another establishment.

Council granted the license to Chinese and Japanese restaurant Fuji and Jade Garden, 418 Westerly Parkway. The restaurant's owner, Jing Mei Jiang, who also owns Hunan Wok, 452 E. College Ave., has accumulated numerous critical health violations over the past four years, culminating in a four-day closure of Hunan earlier this month.

While Borough Health Enforcement Officer Lori Sowash said she understands council must take that into consideration, she doesn't think Fuji and Jade Garden should be connected to Hunan Wok's past violations.

"They've been wonderful to this point," she said. "They are trying so hard to do the right thing."

Sowash said Fuji and Jade Garden has different employees than Hunan Wok and has passed all health inspections without any major violations.

Jiang's attorney, Stanley Wolowski, said he doesn't think Hunan Wok's history will affect Fuji and Jade Garden because they run two different operations.

"The Fuji and Jade Garden is a little more of an upscale dining establishment," said Wolowski, of Pittsburgh-based Flaherty and O'Hara attorneys. "You can't really pass on the sins of the father to the son in this case, so to speak."

Wolowski said he also thinks Fuji and Jade Garden will continue to meet health regulations because it is co-owned by Kwei Chau, who has owned Chinese restaurant Peking Garden in Lewisburg since 1987.

"She has an impeccable record," he said. "She's bringing almost 20 years experience to this restaurant."

Sowash said the health department hasn't had any problems with Hunan Wok since it re-opened.

Borough Health Technician Kevin Kassab said the department will inspect the restaurant at least once a month for the next three or four months to make sure the establishment has improved its procedures.

Restaurants that do not have a history of violations are inspected at least once each year, he said.

The borough health department filed two citations against Hunan Wok this fall for severe health violations, including unsafe food temperatures and unsanitary conditions, according to department records.

Kassab said the restaurant is an extreme case -- 98 percent of restaurants he inspects are compliant with what the department asks them to improve.

Borough Health Department Director Mark Henry said the borough hasn't had consistent problems with any other restaurant and is not pursuing legal action for any other establishments.

"Hunan Wok is the exception rather than the rule," he said. "At the present time, I think things are in pretty good shape."

Henry said the department has filed citations for between four and eight restaurants this year, out of about 160 establishments, about the same number of citations filed the past few years.

Deciding whether to issue a citation is based on the severity of health violations found during the inspection as well as the establishment's history, Henry said.

"There's no hard-and-fast rule here," he said. "We take it on a case-by-case basis."

Kassab said if he finds a severe health violation -- something like improper food temperatures, which could cause a food-borne illness outbreak -- he makes workers fix the problem in front of him.

When to reinspect an establishment where inspectors found violations is also decided on a case-by-case basis, Henry said.