Gordon & Alperin drops kosher supervision
Last week, Gordon & Alperin (along with its attached Avenue Deli) dropped their kosher supervision. This message came through from Rabbi Aaron Hamaoui, the former certifier:
Rabbi Aaron Hamoui informed the community that effective immediately, Center Market and Grill (formerly known as Gordon and Alperin) is no longer under his (or any other) rabbinical supervision. This was not due to a violation, but a business decision made by the proprietor. The community will be updated if the situation changes.
A visit to the shops last Thursday yielded this notice posted by Ricardo Bosich, proprietor and friend of the blog:
I would like to inform the community of the necessary changes regarding supervision. I deeply regret that Gordon and Alperin can no longer maintain the financial commitment made with New England Kashruth Lemehadrin.
Although Gordon and Alperin will no longer be under the supervision of Rabbi Hamaoui, I want to assure you that nothing will change regarding meat and cooked foods.
I will adhere to strict Kosher standards. Glatt meat can be purchased sealed either in bulk unopened boxes, sealed untrimmed individual pieces, or in retail sealed packaging. Large quantities can be ordered to accommodate cooperative buying groups. Costs will be reduced, hopefully meeting everyone’s needs.
Once again, I want to express how deeply sorry and disappointed I am having to make these changes.
Ricardo
Ricardo told me that he’s actively seeking new supervision, and will inform me of any news.
While it’s reassuring that Gordon & Alperin will still carry sealed glatt meats, and that those products will probably have a lower price now that his supervision costs have been eliminated, it’s still a terrible loss for the Boston area. We no have no full-service glatt kosher butcher, only wholesalers and a smattering of prepackaged retail products from Meal Mart and Rubashkin. I doubt anyone will go without meat, but this certainly stunts kosher culinary innovation in our community, and reinforces the growing negative image of kosher living in Massachusetts.
In related news, I was informed last week by a confidential source that the owner of Brookline’s Butcherie was planning a second Harvard Street location that will be all glatt. I’ll post again if any additional details arise.
That’s unfortunate.
Another one bites the dust…
Yep, it’s a really sad state of affairs here in Boston. Hopefully someone, or something, comes to the rescue.
I heard a rumor from a reliable source that the Butcherie in Brookline is considering going glatt. Apparently, they have already hired a mashgiach temidi and are working with local rabbis to ensure that their kashrut is up-to-standard.
I don’t know if this means they will be ALL-glatt, as that would likely force them to raise prices on their customer base, but who knows… At least in theory, glatt meat shouldn’t be any more expensive to produce than non-glatt (any losses in yield should be offset by the gains in bedika efficiency), but I suppose manufacturers can get away with higher margins on glatt…
Anyway, if this is true, and if they can get their standards approved, it would be a tremendous boon to the kosher community in the Boston area.
So the Kosher Nostra takes another good intending food purveyor down.
What do you mean, “Me”? Who is the “Kosher Nostra” and which is the “good intending food purveyor” that was taken down?
Gordon & Alperin dropped its hashgacha on its own and it is still in business, so no mafia-like body took it down.
The Butcherie is also still in business. And in recent years it was not really serving the needs of the Orthodox community of Brookline/Brighton (although they recently started carrying a small selection of “fresh” packaged glatt meat), so it is not like the kosher mafia tried to take it out of business. If the rumor is true, they are just making a business decision to appeal to a broader market. As far as I understand it, they will remain under the supervision of the same rabbi regardless, so it isn’t even a kashrut agency trying to squeeze its way in.
One quick addition to Ari’s comment -
The Butcherie is explicitly claiming that they now have a Mashgiach Temidi. It’s on their flyer for the upcoming week.
Do we know who it is and with whom he is affiliated?
How many are willing to pay more?
Keep it up man.,