An E. coli outbreak that sickened nearly two dozen people and prompted a restaurant in south Reno to voluntarily close has been linked to a dessert food manufactured, sold, and distributed by Reno Provisions, the Washoe County Health District announced Friday afternoon.

“Our epidemiologists and environmental health staff have identified a dessert that was prepared by Reno Provisions,” Washoe County District Health Officer Kevin Dick said in a news release. “Several people who ate at the Twisted Fork restaurant had the dessert, as did some other people outside the Reno area who then developed the E. coli infection. That commonality led investigators to the dessert supplier, and to tests of food and equipment at Reno Provisions.”

In a prepared statement released Friday, Mark Estee, owner of Reno Provisions, said, in part: “Reno Provisions has taken aggressive steps to make sure its facilities are safe and meet and exceed all food preparation standards … we offer our deepest apologies to all who have been effected by this outbreak. The entire Reno Provisions team has been working tirelessly to solve this problem and ensure that it never happens again.”

The Health District said it will now shift its investigation from the restaurant to the manufacturer. The Health District confirmed that all of the remaining desserts associated with e-coli contaminations have been disposed of.

Since mid-October, 21 confirmed or probable cases of E. coli O157:H7 have been reported in Washoe County.

The owner of Reno Provisions says the the E. coli outbreak has been traced back to a small batch of the restaurant’s Chocolate Marquis Mousse, which “has since been disposed of and discontinued.”

The owner of Reno Provisions says the the E. coli outbreak has been traced back to a small batch of the restaurant’s Chocolate Marquis Mousse, which “has since been disposed of and discontinued.”