Deciding on a caterer can be tough enough on its own. You have to juggle all sorts of considerations, from the price to cleanup to hours. The whole process becomes much harder, however, if you are Kosher. Not many caterers deal in Kosher foods, so your selection pool becomes much narrower, and it can be hard to tell what you’re getting. If you’re trying to find a Kosher caterer for an upcoming event, here are a few tips.
Discuss With Your Rabbi
Jewish communities can often be quite tight-knit, and you are most certainly not the first person to deal with this issue. If you have a rabbi that you can talk with, they might be able to point you in the direction of someone who has served other members of the community. If not, try discussing with other Jewish friends and family. You’re going to have better luck finding a high quality Long Island Kosher caterer asking Jewish people in Long Island than you will searching on the internet.
Give Yourself Multiple Options
Just because there is a smaller list of Kosher caterers than regular ones, don’t feel like this restricts you to dealing with the first one you find. Make sure that you have multiple catering companies that you can go with, so you’re able to compare prices and quality between them to determine which is best.
Ask For a Food Tasting
Any caterer who is not willing to provide a food tasting is immediately someone to be wary of. Make sure to do a tasting with all of your potential caterers, since there’s really no way to know if you’ll like the food other than trying it.
Ask for References
If the company has experience serving Kosher events, they should be able to provide proof. Ask them about previous Jewish families that they have catered for, and make sure to contact the references. Ask about how the catering company did, not just in their capacity as caterers, but in fulfilling their Kosher needs.
Once you have settled on your caterer, there is one more important step that you cannot neglect. Kosher is a complex set of rules set down a long, long time ago, and as such, there are disagreements as to what “Kosher” specifically is. As such, make sure you discuss with your caterer what level of Kosher you are expecting for the meal, to make sure they can meet those expectations, and give you the best event you could ask for.
