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OTTAWA COUNTY, MI – Health inspectors flagged a Jenison eatery for 11 health code violations last month, including several repeat offenses that resulted in the restaurant being charged $600 in fines.
This is the third consecutive routine inspection where New Beginnings received 10 or more violations, which is higher than the average 2-3 violations typically found during restaurant inspections, according to county health officials. Last fall, the restaurant received 15 violations.
Because of the high number of violations cited multiple times in a row, the Ottawa County Department of Public Health met with the restaurant’s owner on June 1 for an informal hearing, which is the third and final step the health department takes to handle chronic repeat violations before potentially revoking a restaurant’s license.
New Beginnings owner Doug Kacos said all of the issues have since been resolved and the facility is up to code.
Everything is safe, said Kacos, who opened the Jenison restaurant in 1993. We’ve never had anybody have an episode from eating there, certainly, but we’re taking care of everything to keep it legal.
Spencer Ballard, environmental public health manager with the health department, said it is uncommon in Ottawa County for a restaurant to reach this level of enforcement due to repeated violations.
Civil infractions and informal hearings are relatively uncommon tools that are used when an establishment has persistent, documented non-compliance after earlier intervention steps have not produced correction, he said. The vast majority of food service operations in Ottawa County resolve violations through routine and follow-up inspections and never reach the enforcement ladder.
The Ottawa County health department conducts unannounced routine inspections with restaurants every six months to ensure they are up to code.
During New Beginnings’ May 6 routine inspection, the restaurant was cited for 11 violations, six of which were repeat violations. The restaurant was ordered to pay $600 in civil fines for two of the repeat infractions, both related to kitchen cleanliness.
For example, a $400 civil citation was issued because the restaurant was cited at five consecutive routine inspections for having dirty kitchen floors.
The floor throughout the kitchen is dirty and in need of a deep clean, the health inspector wrote in the May 6 report. There is especially a significant build-up of grime and food debris underneath equipment. Facilities must be cleaned at a frequency to prevent the build-up of grime and food debris. Excess dirt and debris can attract pests.
The restaurant also had to pay a $200 civil citation because it had been cited at four consecutive routine inspections for having an accumulation of food residue and grease on the outside of the cooking equipment on the cook line, according to the report.
Seven violations in the May 6 report were ranked as priority violations, which are the highest-risk violations that are directly related to an increased risk of foodborne illness. These included violations for improper hand-washing and glove-use procedures, and having a pack of cigarettes lying on a table next to food and food equipment.
Health inspectors also reported multiple examples of potentially hazardous foods not being stored at proper temperatures.
For example, cooked potatoes and a large container of raw scrambled eggs were found sitting on the counter at 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Potentially hazardous foods must be cooled to 41 degrees to limit the growth of harmful bacteria and toxins, according to the inspector’s report.
Those violations were corrected on-site, with the person in charge putting them back into the walk-in cooler to bring them to safe temperatures.
When health inspectors returned for a paid follow-up inspection on May 26, the restaurant had complied with nearly all the highest-level violations, records show. The only high-level violation remaining was related to employee training, after the person-in-charge was found not to be adequately trained in food safety procedures.
Kacos attributed many of the infractions to unsupervised employees failing to follow standard procedures.
Anytime we get new people, we educate them and everything, but they don’t always seem to retain the information, he said.
He said there will be a mandatory food safety training class for all employees at the restaurant. He has also implemented other corrective measures to rectify violations, like stricter food temperature logging.
This is not the first time New Beginnings has received a high number of health code violations. During routine inspections in October 2025, the restaurant was cited for numerous improper cleaning and handling procedures, which were eventually corrected after two paid follow-up inspections by the health department.
In ril 2025, the health department cited the restaurant for 10 health code violations.
When asked about the next steps the health department would be taking to ensure food safety compliance at New Beginnings, the health department said it could not discuss specific details about active investigations.
Ballard said that, in general, an informal hearing is attended by the restaurant’s owner or legal counsel and a hearing officer, and that the meeting involves mandating a corrections and compliance schedule to be implemented after the hearing.
The informal hearing is the final step before a potential license revocation, which can be pealed at a formal hearing before the county’s Food Service peals Board, according to the health department.

Would you start your day with a big ol’ bowl of Man Cereal?
The attention-grabbing moniker belongs to a new, allegedly better-for-you breakfast cereal with the tagline, Serious Nutrition. Un-Serious Name. The low-sugar cereal comes in four flavors — Cinnamon, Fruity, Salted Fudge and Mle Bacon — with 160 calories, 15 grams of protein and 2.5 grams of creatine per serving.
It’s the first widely available ready-to-eat breakfast cereal formulated with creatine monohydrate, according to its minimalist, sans-serif website, and its protein content places it firmly in the proteinmaxxing trend.
Creatine, for the uninitiated, is a compound that comes from three amino acids and supplies energy to your muscles, and a substance rather popular with gym-going individuals — particularly men, though it has benefits for all of us, regardless of gender.
The creatine-packed product costs a pretty penny: A box with six servings will set consumers back $19.99, but 3- and 6-packs cost less per box. According to critics on social media, though, what Man Cereal is mostly full of is a heing helping of hooey.
Trying to hyper-masculinize something as neutral as food and cereal is STUPID, posted one X user. anyone who believes otherwise is just a lesser human being with a small intellect and low self esteem and a fragile sense of being.
This is so f—ing toxic and stupid, wrote another. Embarrassing for the company and any idiot who feels they need cereal ‘for men’ grow the f— up.
Where can I buy a box of ‘fragile masculinity’? asked another.
On the other hand, there are people cheering on the product, with one saying they need a weeks supply yesterday.
In a world of Dude Wipes and Colgate for Men to Bic (pens) for Her, social media users seem jaded by the genderization of products. But, according to Man Cereal’s founders, Emily Straus and Dejan Rankovic, the product isn’t an example of toxic masculinity.
I think it does a really good job of just saying what it is, she continues. As a woman, I know that it’s a joke, and you know when people ask about it, I say it’s ‘cereal for all mankind,’ and that’s how I think about it.
The pair says they realized people were missing out on creatine and wanted to eliminate the need for folks to supplement their diet with it by consuming powders or gummies.
Despite accusations otherwise, Rankovic and Straus maintain the product is not associated with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s Make America Healthy Again movement, and the brand even says so on social media.
MAHA hates us because we’re not steak and eggs, Man Cereal’s official account posted on X.
Ultimately, Man Cereal’s owners say they’re in on the joke and hope consumers will be, too.
If you go into a retail store and you don’t pick up the box and look at the back, you might have a negative reaction, or if you just see, like, the Man Cereal name, you might have a negative reaction, Rankovic says.
Once people kind of fall into the ecosystem, they understand, like, ‘Oh, I get what this brand is doing, and I actually kind of think it’s funny and innovative,’ he adds. The product, at the end of the day, is a good-for-you product, and I think most people are supportive of that.
What an Expert Thinks of Man Cereal
Registered dietitian Natalie Rizzo, nutrition editor for TODAY, says she considers Man Cereal very similar to a supplement, like a protein powder, because it’s made from a blend of whey protein, coconut oil, starch, creatine and various low-calorie sweeteners.
My general recommendation is to use supplements sparingly, for convenience, Rizzo says. For instance, if you don’t have a lot of time after a workout to sit down for a snack or a meal, then a protein shake may be helpful for recovery until you can sit down for a proper meal. Yet, I don’t recommend these supplements on a daily basis because they lack the nutrients that you would get from foods.
Rizzo points out that chicken or eggs naturally contain both protein and creatine, and also provide other beneficial vitamins and minerals.
I recommend proaching Man Cereal similarly to these supplements— eat it when you’re short on time or need a convenient option, but don’t include it as an everyday stle, she says.
Rizzo suggests looking for cereals lower in sugar and made with whole-grain ingredients.
When paired with milk, a bowl of whole-grain, low-sugar cereal can provide protein, fiber and other vitamins and minerals, she says.
My Review of Man Cereal, as a Man
Yes, I’m a man, but I might not be the kind of man Man Cereal is marketed towards. For instance, the last time I ran for any length of time, it was from my car to a rummage sale featuring Aimé Leon Dore at bargain basement prices.
Still, my strongest muscle is my mind and creatine can benefit that. So I proached a full bowl of Cinnamon Man Cereal with an open mind and an empty stomach.
I found the scent very pealing, with the spice permeating the air as I poured myself a bowl. After adding a little milk, I prepared myself for #gains and ate a spoonful.
The texture is really pealing. Since its main ingredient is a protein blend, it’s crunchier than Cocoa Puffs or Kix, both favorites of mine. The cinnamon flavor carries through each bite, too.
Now for the big minus: The cereal is overpowered by the persistently sour taste of stevia. It lingers like glitter on your taste buds. It is the glitter of sweeteners.
Man Cereal’s owners tell me they are working on a low-sugar version sans stevia, and I look forward to trying it when it comes out.
In the meantime, if you’re sensitive to the taste of stevia like I am, you’ll either need to man up … or skip this altogether.

The fifth annual Juneteenth Food Distribution Drive-Thru event is set for Friday, June 12, at Phillips Park on the East Side of Aurora, organizers said.
The event, which serves as a kickoff to Aurora’s Juneteenth Week celebration, will provide free groceries to up to 1,000 families, according to a press release about the session.
According to the release, 200 members of historically Black fraternities and sororities will volunteer their time to distribute food to residents in need during the event.
Hosted by the Divine 9 Alliance, a collective of suburban members representing the nine historically Black fraternities and sororities, the event is presented in partnership with the Northern Illinois Food Bank, Aurora in Black, the Aurora African American Heritage Advisory Board and the city of Aurora, organizers said.
Beginning at 9 a.m. June 12, volunteers will distribute boxes of meat, fresh produce and dairy products through a drive-thru distribution system at Phillips Park, the release said.
No registration or identification is required at the event, and families from any community in the Chicago area are welcome to attend, the release said. Food will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
Also, randomly selected vehicles will receive complimentary gas cards during the event, the release said.
The drive-thru line will form at the Smith Boulevard entrance to Phillips Park at 1000 Ray Moses Drive. The line generally begins to form hours ahead of the opening time, organizers said. Traffic and public safety will be managed by the Aurora Police Department, the Aurora Emergency Management Agency and the Citizens Police Academy of Aurora Alumni Association, the release said.

The House of Representatives has narrowly passed a Republican-led spending bill that would reduce food aid for millions of low-income women and children, highlighting divisions in Congress over nutrition programs as grocery costs remain elevated.
By a 213-210 vote on Thursday, lawmakers proved the fiscal 2027 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies propriations bill.
The measure aims to trim funding for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), which provides food assistance to pregnant women, new mothers and young children.
Read More on Politics
Republicans argued that the program is sufficiently funded while Democrats say this will harm vulnerable Americans at a time when consumer costs are on the rise.
How Lawmakers Voted
The bill largely passed along party lines but drew crossover votes in both directions.
Four Democrats voted with Republicans to support the bill: Don Davis of North Carolina, Vicente Gonzalez of Texas, Adam Gray of California and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
At the same time, five Republicans broke ranks and opposed the measure—Robert P. Bresnahan, Jr. of Pennsylvania, Brian K. Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania, Thomas Massie of Kentucky, Tom McClintock of California and Gregory Steube of Florida.
Republican Representative Andy Harris of Maryland, chairman of the House propriations subcommittee on agriculture, said the $8 billion in remaining funding is sufficient to meet the needs of the program, citing data, he said, showed WIC participation had been declining this fiscal year, according to The Washington Post.
Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut, the top Democrat on the House propriations Committee, said that while working families struggle to feed their families, Republicans are cutting funding for fruit and vegetable vouchers for women, infants, and children, as reported by the website Common Dreams.
What The Bill Would Do
The legislation aims to reduce funding for WIC’s fruit and vegetable benefit, a key portion of the program that helps participants purchase fresh produce.
The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities estimates the change would cut about $141 million from benefits used by roughly 5.4 million children, pregnant women and postpartum mothers enrolled in the program.
The proposal would also reduce the value of those benefits by around 10 percent.
What WIC provides—and Who Qualifies
WIC is a federally funded nutrition program run by the U.S. Department of Agriculture that serves low-income pregnant and postpartum women, infants and children up to age five who are deemed at nutritional risk.
Participants receive a package of specific, proved foods—such as milk, eggs, cereal and infant formula—along with nutrition counseling, breastfeeding support and health referrals.
A key component is the cash value benefit, which provides a monthly allowance for fruits and vegetables. Under current levels, children typically receive about $26 per month, pregnant and postpartum women receive about $48 per month, and breastfeeding women receive about $52 per month.
Eligibility is generally limited to households earning up to 185 percent of the federal poverty level, or those already enrolled in programs such as Medicaid or SN.
What Hpens Next in Congress
The bill’s passage in the House is only the first step in the propriations process.