News
Stan & Pete’s kosher licence revoked
In a shock move on Erev Purim, the Beth Din of Johannesburg revoked Stan & Pete Caterers’ Beth Din kosher certification with immediate effect after a routine inspection on Wednesday morning revealed an “irregularity”.
TALI FEINBERG
“Any existing products made by Stan & Pete may not be used,” said the Beth Din. “However, crockery and food utensils need not be kashered.”
“We picked up a serious irregularity… We acted swiftly and are now auditing everything,” explains the head of Kosher Partnerships at the Beth Din, Dovi Goldstein. “They do have a mashgiach, but it took a particular trained eye to find this irregularity and we needed to revoke their licence immediately.
“We are working on this matter full time. The core of our business is kashrut and transparency, and we take it very seriously. We never compromise our standards and never forgo our responsibility.”
Although members of the community immediately suspected, given the timing, that this was a Purim spiel, Goldstein was adamant. “We don’t joke about Kashrut – it is our core business and responsibility. The licence was withdrawn with immediate effect and we won’t certify anything of Stan & Pete’s right now. You cannot eat product from them, even if they are from a while back.”
In a message to friends that was shared on Facebook, Jeff Shull of Stan & Pete confirmed that the ruling was not a joke: “Yes, it’s true… on a routine inspection earlier today some irregularities were found in our main kitchen. The Beth Din has taken precautionary measures to stop us trading with immediate effect. I am working closely with the Beth Din to see if we can resolve this issue. I thank you all for the many years of wonderful simchas and memorable moments. I will keep you all updated as soon as I know.”
Speaking to the SA Jewish Report, Shull would not reveal what the irregularity was, but said “it was a small mistake”.
He added: “I hope we can rectify it. We need to give the Beth Din time to investigate. At the moment we have been temporarily shut down as a precautionary measure, and because of Purim it may take longer to get feedback on what will happen next. It was a human error and we hope it can be rectified.
“We will keep our valued clients and the community updated. We have always strived to maintain the highest standards of Kashrut. I appreciate the Beth Din sorting this out – without them I wouldn’t have known. It’s good to know the system works.”
Stan & Pete was booked to cater for Chabad’s Miracle Drive on Tuesday, which they have done for the past 28 years. “We have now made alternative plans,” says Rabbi David Masinter, the founder of this lavish annual event. “It will still be an outstanding dinner.”
Members of the Jewish community commenting on social media were concerned but hopeful. On Twitter, David Shapiro added some humour to the situation, tweeting: “Oy vey. A calamity worse than Steinhoff. Just received notice that the Beth Din have withdrawn caterer Stan & Pete’s certification with immediate effect. And just before Purim.”
On Facebook, a woman commented: “Honestly, I think Jeff and his team will do everything they can to fix this asap… I believe that he will move heaven and earth to be up and running and exceed all expectations.”
Another wrote: “I completely and utterly trust Stan & Pete. They catered my wedding nearly two years ago and were a pleasure to deal with. They are a cut above the other kosher caterers with absolutely no comparison. I would definitely use them again!”
Rafi Plotkin
March 1, 2018 at 12:03 pm
‘A biterreh gelechteh,never interfere with a Yid’s Gastronomy.
‘
Greg
March 2, 2018 at 8:36 am
‘I think its time we have another Kashrut authority in SA. Unfortunately the current UOS are ripping us off with meat and chicken prices and make it prohibitive for kosher providers to provide food for Pesach unless they pay in excess of R15k for a Pesach licence.
Not saying they must drop standards but this Beth Din seem like Zumas.’
anonymous
March 3, 2018 at 9:35 pm
‘Stan And Pete are just covering up the enormosity of their very grave situation. No, the Beth Din will not sort this out for them too easily. It is a breach of mistrust on the part of Stan and Pete and bad luck for them.’
Danny Scherer
March 4, 2018 at 10:59 am
‘South Africa’s own Monsey !
Yet, Jeff Shull has the audacity to call it a ‘small mistake due to human error’ . This illustrates his lack of sensetivety regarding matters of kashrut ! ‘
ANTHONY COHEN
March 4, 2018 at 4:27 pm
‘When I looked after Kosher Nandos many years ago it was a nightmare to operate the kitchen.and take outs
masgiachs are sheltered employment who do not have the skills expected to deal with issues.before they become problems
I believe Stan and Pate caterers do a stirling job and more care should have been taken by Beth din to have a proper qualified person there to prevent any issues.
food is not a perfect science.’
vhhd
March 5, 2018 at 12:38 am
‘i will never use them again. ‘
yitzchak
March 5, 2018 at 7:50 am
‘A new version of the game of chicken.
Beth Din 1
suppliers 0
They’re not even good shlaggen kapparot!’
Gideon Lapidus
March 5, 2018 at 4:58 pm
‘So many non jewish staff requires a more stringent mashgiach process with immediate effect.’
Michael
March 5, 2018 at 11:04 pm
‘Glad to hear your wedding was a success. Was it kosher?’
Anne Lapedus Brest
March 6, 2018 at 10:15 am
‘I formatted my letter into paragraphs as follows.
Well, I wasn’t in the kitchen, so I cannot put my head on a block for what did or didn’t happen, but I will say this – First of all it is no "small mistake’ to have fed an entire Jewish community treif chickens..
Secondly I would like to say that an "irregulatory" in my book, is if the Beth Din found a tin of sweet corn which didn’t have the Beth Din Hechsher. .THAT is an "irregulatory"… Surely it is not a "human error" to have 20 treif chickens in your kitchen. I mean we all know what a Kosher chicken looks like when it is in its wrapper… It has the Beth Din Stamp for one thing, and we buy them from a Kosher outlet…
Who would be able to bring 20 treif chickens into the kitchen…??? Like others, I am hoping that the Proprietor will indeed come up with an explanation, as he is endeavouring to do, which will satisfy the entire community, as to how those chickens got into the kitchen!!!
So I am sure and confident that the Proprietor, Jeff Shull, will explain to us all, what really happened… Someone ordered and paid for those chickens! All the Proprietor has to do is ask his staff who it was… it is so simple. Stan and Pete had an excellent name, certainly in the days of Stan, Dennis and Serge, and after – Stan and Dennis.
I have heard that this "human error" has been going on for quite some time. . I hope I have heard incorrectly.’
Herschel
March 6, 2018 at 7:36 pm
‘Unfortunately Stan & Pete have shown they cannot be completely and utterly trusted. They may have been a pleasure to deal with when they catered your wedding but they are not a cut above the other kosher caterers when it comes to kosher food! ‘
Jack Brown
March 7, 2018 at 12:49 pm
‘I can’t believe Jeff is taking this so lightly.
This is a most serious offence. Treif is by no means a small mistake and an "irregularity" especially when it involves the public.’
Saul
March 8, 2018 at 12:23 pm
‘When will the Beth Din enlighten us on why a kosher chicken still has to cost 3 times a normal chicken
I am personally sick of it and wonder how much corruption is hidden by the Rabbis for money, All I want is a kosher chicken and it has to be a luxury item!!’
Michelle Silbermann
March 9, 2018 at 3:11 pm
‘Can the Stan and Pete situation not be rectified if it was a mistake and if it was a serious mistake not an intentional one surely they can be given a second chance?
With all due respect, I cannot afford kosher food and therefore do not buy it. How come Rabbis do not think it is not right for kosher Jews to pay such exhorbitant money.The prices are so very expensive and the Rabbis and Jewish community want us to be kosher but what if we do not have the money. It is a disgrace what some of these kosher cafes charge on the strip as well as the butcheries. Is this not a drastic mistake not to allow people to keep kosher because the prices charged are outrageously high. Why do these people get away with overcharging? That in itself is a crime and then a company that admitted there was a mistake cannot get away with itl.
So it boils down to only if you rich can you keep kosher. And yet if a mistake unintentionally has been committed the community are judging this as a crime. One must always listen to two sides of a story and the TRUTH. I hope Stan and Pete that you will not be taken out of business especially when times are so hard. Good luck.’
mike kanowitz
March 10, 2018 at 4:34 pm
‘I live in Israel and heard about the Stan and Pete issue. In short its weird that only a specialized examiner found the faulty chickens. The Beth Din then proved its efficiency by what seems like a more gut reaction than logic.
I would like to see the issue solved in a more humane way without ruining the livelihood of many families. Look at the situation logically, how of the trief did each person eat. I think its "batel beshishim". So call the owners to order and tell them they are under watch. I can safely assume that Stan and Pete will not cross this boundary again and lo and behold the faith actually comes out looking compassionate and forgiving.
This all goes well as its before Pessach and we are all supposed to see ourselves as coming out of Egypt etc. So let Stan and Pete back into the light and lets have a win win situation.
thanks
Mike’
Bernard
March 11, 2018 at 3:37 am
‘While all this tumul has been going on, nobody has asked this question: " Where was the Mashgiach when these chickens were delivered to the premises – why were they accepted in the first place. Disgusting!"’
Rabbi Pinchos Woolstone
March 13, 2018 at 5:21 pm
‘The owner of the catering company, sounded very glib, minimizing the severity of the crime.
I would hope that the BD will not relicense him in the near future.
At the very least a substantial fine must be imposed.
Mashgichim must be employed by the Beth Din itself, never the company under supervision.
I thought the video featuring Rabbi Goldstein was excellent, he addressed the issues squarely, taking ultimate responsibility, the sign of a true leader.
I am sure he will now implement the sweeping positive upgrades required.’
Shelly
March 13, 2018 at 7:50 pm
‘The fact is that is where you have non Jews in a Kosher Kitchen you going to have problems. Im not saying that non Jews dont respect the Kashrut rules. Its just that they dont understand the importance of Kashrut. The Beth Din has become more concerned about money. Just look at the Chevrah Kadisha. It too has non Jews running all thier kitchens and non Jews in top Management positions over seeing these ?The sadest part of this is that Stan was and is a great man. Stan and Pete was never the same after he sold it. For Stan it was the love of the Jewish community and many a person can attest to how many Jews he made sure had a Simcha. ‘