I am a kosher caterer. Ask me anything!

amother

Thu, Apr 25 2013, 5:04 am

chanamiriam wrote:

amother wrote:

chanamiriam wrote:

amother wrote:

Since you're knowledgeable about kashrus under hashgacha, perhaps you can answer these questions. How would you rate the kashrus of a caterer who has non-Jews doing the cooking at night, with no Jews around except for a yotze venichnas mashgiach who unsurprisingly seldom comes around in the dead of night? How about if the non-Jews are doing the cooking during the day, but the frum caterer is almost never around and again, the mashgiach is yotze venichnas. How about if the owner is there during the cooking process but not during the actual event, so the plating and serving is being done by non-Jews and there is no mashgiach at all, not even yotze venichnas?

My personal opinion is that the food is almost certainly bishul akum and very possibly treif too, but I am a layman. What do you think?

I know enough about hashgacha to know that this is a question for the certifying agency since I don't know any of the set up, personalities or arrangements.

With regard to bishel akum there are those who hold that the mashgiach lighting the sto've is enough. I interviewed for a mashgiach position in a fish plant once where the only job I would have if I had to go in Motzei shabbat was turning on the ovens since no deliveries or checking would need to be done at that time and that was with one of the most Machmer agencies out there.

I also know that many restaurants don't have temidus and that the Frum owners are not always on site or in the kitchen. I did not need a temidus but on the other hand I was always there when my non jewish staff were working so on a personal level, I have no experience with that.

I do know that if the non jewish staff are afraid of losing their jobs if they screw up, then that does count as some sort of bond of trust in some circumstances. Again, if you have concerns, speak to the person whose name is on the hashgacha. Either the rav hamachsir or the agency.

Yeah, well, that's the problem. The rav hamachshir approved this setup and no one is allowed to question him or else they risk being thrown out of the community. All other rabbonim in town refuse to comment. I was just wondering how common such a setup is.

What about asking the Ou web rebbe?

Good idea.