Offering a Pesach menu to patrons is good business, even if the food is just “kosher style” and not certified kosher. For years, Balducci’s has offered the traditional Pesach foods with the caveat that the food is not kosher. In fact, Balducci’s courts its kosher style patrons during the Yomim Noraim as well. The practice has drawn criticism from certification agencies and rabbonim out of fear that unsuspecting customers will think that the food is authentically kosher.
The New York Post reported that “chefs at three of the city’s best Mexican restaurants-Toloache, Dos Caminos and Rosa Mexicano” offered “Passover menus.” The Post quoted Meghan Young, chef at Dos Caminos Soho, as saying that a “chili-infused Passover menu” was a no-brainer. “We do special menus on holidays like X-mas, so why not add Passover?” she says. “There’s a large community of Orthodox Jews in Mexico City and Guadalajara, and New York has a large Jewish population too, so it makes sense. Despite the [ingredient] limitations, this is a holiday where a lot of eating goes on.”
Continued the Post: “Over at Toloache in the Theater District, chef Julian Medina rolls tortillas from matzo “masa,” not only as a nod to the expansive Jewish population in his birthplace of Mexico City, but to honor his conversion to Judaism after marrying his wife, Annie. Like any mensch, soon after the wedding, he got into the kitchen and learned a thing or two about traditional Jewish cooking. “I always help my mother-in-law with the cooking, and I thought it would be nice to celebrate the holiday at the restaurant, too,” says Medina.
Many other restaurants throughout the country also offered the kosher style Pesach foods on their Web sites.
(Source: Kosher Today)
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18 Responses
The VAAD HAKASHRUS boards of the government should warn that KOSHER STYLE is NOT KOSHER!!! It really should prohibit any such advertising claims with the word KOSHER!~~~
in some states its illegal to say kosher style
Another item to notice is the Bnei Darom olives bearing the OU-P and the Badatz in Jerusalem certifies only for during the year and not for Passover… I almost did not notice that, it was sold in the passover section.
Another item to notice is the Bnei Darom olives bearing the OU-P and the Badatz in Jerusalem certifies only for during the year and not for Passover… I almost did not notice that, it was sold in the passover section.
Heimishe yidden have a taiveh for and get hechsherim for:
Mock crab
Mock shrimp
Bacon bits
Because we are afraid, “Oy Mi Yaachilainu Bassar”, if we would have Moshe Rabbainu we would demand Slav.
So Kosher style Pesach food, what’s such a shock?
Frum Jews should know to check hecksherim.
If secular Jews who almost never keep kosher decide to go to something “kosher style” it is a sign that they aren’t totally assimilated yet, which is good.
If the choice is matza and hamburger, or a genuine cheesburger on a roll, it is good that the individual chooses the matza. Perhaps next year he’ll have roasted lamb with his matza (holding like Hillel), with us in Yerushalayim. At there is some hope for him.
The Badatz doesn’t certify any foods for Pesach except for some absolute necessities that are not practical to prepare at home (matzoh, baby food, etc.) The OU-P makes it absolutely kosher for pesach, I don’t understand Comment79’s issue.
Flatbusher,
If I didn’t know otherwise, I too would think like you. However, I do know that there are many unaffiliated Jews who keep basic Kashrut at Passover- they are careful to purchase only Kosher for Passover foods in places such as Shoprite, and it is heartwarming to see their shopping carts filled with foods bearing a hechsher, including some prepared foods that are occasionally carried.
These shoppers have little knowledge of Kashrus, and don’t easily discriminate between hechsher symbols. They may indeed be deluded into eating at “Kosher Style” venues.
It is a pity, and I wish the advertising of such would become impermissable.
Comment79, you need to revamp how you shop for Pesach, if you only “happened to notice” the olive issue. There are innumerable items that carry more than one hechsher, and it is common for only one hechsher to bear the Kosher L’Pesach indication. If you only use one Hechsher, you should be scrutinizing each and every item to determine if it meets your Kashrus/Kosher L’Pesach standards. Since OUP is acceptable to me, I would purchase those olives.
DovidG points out that Badatz does not engage in providing Kosher L’Pesach supervision, and they are not alone in this. You need to find a hechsher that does, and is acceptable to you.
Wait a minute, none of the places mentioned in the article are claiming their food is kosher, or even kosher-style. They’re calling them Passover menus. There are many people who don’t keep kosher, but do keep Pesach. When a non-kosher place offers Passover food, there is no implication that it’s kosher, just that it’s Pesachdik. So long as that claim is genuine, I don’t see what the problem is. The customers know full well that it’s treif, they just don’t care. That’s unfortunate, but at least they’re keeping Pesach, which is more important than kashrus. Better to eat a ham and matzah sandwich than glatt kosher meat with bread.
To #8 re #5.
What he meant (presumably) is something i also had trouble with. I found an item for Pesach with a Bdat”z hechsher. I almost ate it before i realized their hechshser was not for pesach even though their name was on the package. It was in small letters that said the hechsher was on the cover!
Now i am hesitent to use such a negligent /uncaring hechsher as the Bdat”z .
I feel it is ridiculous that people would care that kosher style is deceiving.Any Frum jew knows to investigate properly, and a non-frum jew eats non kosher anyway
DovidG and Comment79: I’m sure you noticed that your Israeli Pepsi had a Chug Chasam sofer hechsher instead of the year-round Badatz Eidah.
For people or establishments who are makpid or contract bound to a certain hechsher, it does make a difference.
#3 PuhLease, that’s ridiculous. You show me one state that says kosher style is illegal.
#9 – Anonymous: regarding “DovidG points out that Badatz does not engage in providing Kosher L’Pesach supervision, and they are not alone in this.”
The Badatz (Edah HaChareidis) most definitely does provide Kosher LePesach supervisions. However, they are very strict regarding this. But there are plenty of things such as:
* machine matzos
* hand matzos
* sugar
* salt
* (all) grape juice and wine (never saw one with Edah hechser, but not for Pesach)
* and some more things
Basically that’s it. I’m sure I forgot some things.
But they *do* give hechsherim on these things.
Good that they do, because a very large proportion of the Yerushalmi world buys only Edah (especially those who affiliate with Satmar, Dushinsky, Toldos Aharon / Avrohom Yitzchok, Neturei Karta, Mishkenos HoRoim, the Prushim, Breslev etc). If there wouldn’t be anything Kosher LePesach from the Edah, they’d have to fast for 7 days. 😉
Just like PharObama’s kosher style mockery of a seder. I wonder what they served? collard greens for Karpas? a chazer fissel for the zeroah? Chittlins with the eggs instead of gribbenes?a nice pork brisket for the main meal? Gallo wine for the arba kosos? Must have gone well with the chometzdike matza and chrain!
And then right after he refused to meet Netanyahu and put more pressure on Israel
wow. you’d think from reading these comments that we have no chiyuv of arvus for klal yisroel at all!
do we have no yiras shomayim anymore???
do we not realize that if a jew eats traife, WE are ALL eating traife!?!
have we totally forgotten about “lo sa’amod al dam re’echa”???
#14: Comment by mamashtakah — April 23, 2009 @ 6:41 am
ACTUALLY, it IS illegal in some states, because it is considered misleading in advertising. Look it up.
In some U.S. states the use of this term in advertising is illegal as a misleading term under consumer protection laws.
But don’t believe me, look it up for yourself.
The Pennsylvania statute entitled “Deception relating to kosher food products” can be found in 18 Pa.C.S. §4107.1 and reads as follows:
(a) OFFENSE DEFINED.-A Person commits a misdemeanor of the third degree if in the course of business, he knowingly sells or exposes for sale any food product represented as kosher or kosher style when such food product is not kosher, said representation having been made orally, in writing or by display on the premises of such sign, mark, insignia or simulation reasonably calculated to induce an individual to believe that said food product is kosher.
(b)DEFINITIONS.-As used in this section the following words and phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection:
“FOOD PRODUCT.” Any article whether in raw or prepared form which is utilized in human consumption.
“KOSHER” or “KOSHER STYLE.” A food product having prepared, processed, manufactured, maintained and vended in accordance with the requisites of traditional Jewish law.
Upon receiving complaints from me, the District Attorney’s Office here in Philadelphia has taken action to have businesses remove the words “Kosher Style” on two occasions.