Divulging Your Vendors

[shakferr]

Hi Everyone!

I have a client that is asking for the names of the vendors I deal with because I am doing another kosher dinner party and she states her guests may be concerned about where I get the kosher meat from.

This sounds a bit strange to me since I do not keep kosher but would you divulge this information to the client? I feel a little uneasy about it because I'm not sure if she is really asking for the above reason or trying to figure out the cost of these items versus the price I am qouting her for the meal. She has offered on 2 different occassions to pick up the kosher meats and have me deduct this from my costs. I politely explained this catering outfit does not operate in such a manner but thanked her for the generous offer.

Anyway, as always, any advise would be greatly appreciated.

[foodpump]

Oi vey! Client wants kosher food and picks a caterer who doesn't keep kosher... Your spidey senses should be tingling. Start looking at your costing, if your profit margin is slim, drop this one, it sounds like trouble...

[panini]

Tell her it against all health regulations for a customer to bring you product for resale. Lots of liabilities there.
Give her the vendor. You have to make money, no?
Does sound like trouble though.

[DMT]

Your customer may be simply trying to verify the meats are indeed kosher...
This being said, you may ask your vendor if they have a probelm with your client contacting them for this reassurance...
If there are nor problems, the next thing I would ask of my client would be that they do not divulge the name of your vendor. (there's a reason coming up).
She can confidently tell her guests that they are serving kosher food, without naming names...
Should she happen to tell a friend that the meat came from "Morris Brothers", invariably the "friend" will loudly exclaim, "Morris Brothers!!! Those people sell the worst meat at the most outrageous prices!!! My cousin's wife's brother-in-law could have gotten you exactly what you wanted at 10% below wholesale!!"
I think you get the drift...

[shroomgirl]

There are very few kosher butchers in our area and we have a large orthodox Jewish population.....I've been in your boat. Jumped ship after a couple of parties that were slim margins. Kosher costs more, organic costs more, working in a vad kitchen can be a pain......there's a reason she is working with you.
Pan is right, stick to your guns about buying all products. You're in business to make a profit.

[AprilB]

Orthodox Jewish religion is VERY SPECIFIC when it comes to it's dietary restrictions.

There is Kosher and there is KOSHER. Kosher butchers have a very precise way of slaughter, they have a Rabbi checking the animal for disease, they can't eat certain parts of the animal (normally the hindquarter from about the rib to the tail). (It's sad, but they will never taste a filet mignon... ) They "brine" the meat to remove any blood.

I dated an orthodox Jewish gentleman for many years. Believe me, it is more trouble than it's worth in my opinion, but then I'm not a practicing Jew. You can eat dairy, but then you have to wait a number of hours before you can eat meat. You have to wait longer after eating meat to eat dairy than eating dairy and then eating meat...utensils have to be completely separate.

So, first you have to determine the degree of Kashruth you need to be following. Since they are concerned about who you are getting your items from it's pretty high.

For instance: You, as the caterer, need to be very aware AND FOLLOW their methods of keeping kosher. You cannot use anything that has touched ANY dairy product to prepare meat. You cannot use any dairy product to prepare any dish. You must use margarines or oils that specifically state "Kosher" (Like a little K or U in a circle and it will say Pareve...meaning "neutral". You can use that in either meat or dairy dishes. A true kosher kitchen has two sets of everything...separate and color coded. Some even have two different kitchens.

Some "Kosher" butchers are passable but not "approved" for the Glatt Kosher community. (Pretty much the highest on the food chain of the definition of "Kosher") It's a very confusing issue but they do care so you have to care. You have to find out what degree of Kosher they follow and you might want to ask for suggestions from the host of the dinner party if they have a "preference" out of professional courtesy.

On a financial note: This also makes Kosher products much more expensive. You have to take this into account when pricing this out. As in MUCH MORE...because of the processing method.

I doubt very much that the host was trying to spy on the financial aspect of your business. Orthodox Jews take religious dietary restrictions very seriously. It sounds more like they just wanted to be absolutely certain that the meat they were getting was absolutely Kosher.

Hope this helps. PM me if you need more input.

April

Originally Posted by shakferr

Hi Everyone!

I have a client that is asking for the names of the vendors I deal with because I am doing another kosher dinner party and she states her guests may be concerned about where I get the kosher meat from.

This sounds a bit strange to me since I do not keep kosher but would you divulge this information to the client? I feel a little uneasy about it because I'm not sure if she is really asking for the above reason or trying to figure out the cost of these items versus the price I am qouting her for the meal. She has offered on 2 different occassions to pick up the kosher meats and have me deduct this from my costs. I politely explained this catering outfit does not operate in such a manner but thanked her for the generous offer.

Anyway, as always, any advise would be greatly appreciated.