You circle the smorgasbord array, boggled at the assortment of available delicacies. Not knowing where to begin, you take a plate and start loading up. It wasn't that long ago, you reflect, that kosher food was much more limited in variety. Today it's all there for the eating. Thank G-d for the mashgiach in the kitchen, who makes it all go so smoothly.

   But what truly happens in that kitchen? How does a mashgiach have a handle on everything that goes on in food preparation for a simchah? How does he keep his margin of error to zero? Does he?

   Judaism involves a combination of the spiritual and the physical. Our true purpose is singular: to get closer to G-d. That goal often finds its expression by the performance of mitzvos that involve material objects.

   Primary among these objects is food. We are commanded to sanctify Shabbos and yom tov with festive meals. Jewish law is often specific about which foods to use; obvious examples include wine for Kiddush and matzoh on Pesach.

   We celebrate life cycle events in the same way. Halachah calls for a seudas mitzvah, a festive meal, to celebrate a wedding, bar mitzvah, bris, or other ritual event.

   In recent years the trend has been toward more lavish affairs. It is quite common for over 300 people to attend a wedding, where an elaborate smorgasbord is followed by a full dinner and dessert. From the perspective of kashrus, the larger the event, the more complex it becomes, and so catered affairs pose significant kashrus challenges. Unfortunately, the level of supervision is sometimes sorely lacking.

   Our purpose here is not to criticize, but to enhance the standards of kashrus so that the most scrupulous men and women will be comfortable attending your simchah.

   Catering is divided into two categories: in-house catering and outside catering. In the former, the cooking of the food takes place at the location where the affair is held; in the latter, the cooking is done at the caterer's facility and is then transported to the hotel, synagogue, or other site where the simchah will take place. We will focus here on the second category, which presents greater challenges.

   At the commissary level — the site where the food is prepared — there should be a mashgiach temidi, a permanently stationed kosher supervisor. One could make the case that a mashgiach temidi is not necessary if the owner of the catering facility is kashrus-observant and is well versed in the laws of kashrus. From the strict halachic standpoint, that is correct. However, catering is so complex — so much is happening at once — that even the best-intentioned owner cannot have his eye on everything. Owners are busy running the office end of their operation, and consequently do not qualify as good mashgichim.

   It is for this reason that a mashgiach temidi is highly desirable. The OK will not certify a fleishig (meat) caterer unless a mashgiach temidi is stationed at the commissary.

   Communication among the mashgiach, the caterer, and the chef is essential. At the beginning of the week, the mashgiach must have a daily schedule of the affairs that are to take place. Once he knows the foods that will be needed on each day, he can schedule himself properly. For example, he can make sure to always have checked vegetables prepared. If he does not know the schedule, he may rush to inspect the vegetables, with the result that they are not properly examined for insects.

   The mashgiach has to make certain that food packages are sealed properly for transportation to the site where the simchah will take place. The lack of a proper seal may pose a serious kashrus question. A different mashgiach oversees the location where the affair will take place; the two mashgichim must maintain a line of communication.

   Let's move on to the site where your simchah is taking place. Catering is organized chaos, and a mashgiach rarely has a moment to breathe. While the popular conception may be otherwise, a diligent mashgiach has innumerable responsibilities at the site of the simchah. So that the reading public can have an appreciation of the essential role filled by the mashgiach, we will detail some of his tasks.

   One of the mashgiach's principal responsibilities is to supervise the kashering of the ovens. Hotels are not necessarily thrilled at the prospect of having their ovens undergo the rigorous kosherizing that is involved. The mashgiach must be diligent in completing the task regardless of the hotel's objections; of course, he should handle the project tactfully.

   In a hotel setting, non-kosher food is generally present at the time your simchah is in progress. There may be a simultaneous event going on, or the hotel may simply be serving dinner to its regular guests. It is safe to describe the setting as an island of kosher in a sea of treif. The mashgiach must have a handle on how food moves through the kitchen environment so that he can keep the kosher section truly separate.

   Very often the hotel's non-kosher equipment is similar or identical to the caterer's. The mashgiach must make sure that the two do not become mixed. This is not a simple task. Keep in mind that if 350 people are participating in a wedding, the number of utensils will run into the thousands.

   The top of the oven would seem to be a benign area, yet it can be very problematic. Every mashgiach is aware that he must kosherize the oven itself. However, it is very common for a chef to place a hot meat tray on the oven top, for lack of space elsewhere. If the oven top has not been cleaned or covered with aluminum foil, it is probably dirty with non-kosher grease.

   We now move on to the smorgasbord. An interesting problem involves the boiling water poured into the chafing dishes that are used to keep the smorgasbord selections hot. The mashgiach must make sure that the water is not poured from a treif utensil into the chafing dish.

   The bar is another area of concern. The mashgiach must watch that all the drinks are kosher and that none are dairy (in the event of a fleishig affair). He must determine that the cherries and olives, which are supplied by the hotel rather than the caterer, have a reliable hechsher. In addition, he must be certain that the lemons and limes are cut with a kosher knife. (If one cuts a davar charif, an intense-tasting food, with a non-kosher knife, the food is rendered not kosher.)

   One of the keys to a successful function is to be mindful that hotel personnel are accustomed to working in a non-kosher milieu; therefore, it is the mashgiach's task to make all necessary implements and conveniences available to his crew. He must anticipate the waiter's regular routine. If you don't give him what he needs, he will take it from where he always gets it. For example, many hotels assign each waiter his or her own pair of serving spoons. Obviously these are treif, yet absent specific instructions to do otherwise, the waiter will naturally reach for his own spoons.

There are innumerable items that must be considered in order to have a simchah where kashrus is not compromised. Without many years of experience in kashering kitchens and in supervising caterers and hotels, one cannot even contemplate undertaking hashgachah. Sitting behind a desk and reviewing the reports from mashgichim does not qualify one to supervise catering.    The OK is pleased to announce that Rabbi Yitzchak Gornish recently joined its staff. Rabbi Gornish is the son of Rabbi Yisroel P. Gornish, a veteran kashrus administrator in Brooklyn. After receiving rabbinical ordination at the Beth Medrash Govoha, in Lakewood, NJ, Rabbi Yitzchak Gornish underwent a rigorous training program with Rabbi Avrohom Juravel, and subsequently plunged into the world of kosher supervision. He qualified to be a second (assistant) mashgiach in catering, then a substitute mashgiach in plants, and finally a full-fledged mashgiach, specializing in a number of areas, including catering and hotel supervision.    Rabbi Gornish went on to work for several kosher supervision agencies, and even did some work for the OK before taking a permanent position here. What does he see as the OK's outstanding qualities? He says: "The primary difference here is that each Rabbinic Coordinator has had previous field experience. This is very beneficial when it comes to dealing with kashrus problems. It also helps us to establish better relationships with the mashgichim in the field. If you have been in someone's position, you relate with more sensitivity."    Asked to elaborate, Rabbi Gornish recalled an experience at a certain agency where a rabbinic coordinator instructed his field mashgiach by phone to rebuke a company official over a violation. "I remember thinking that the rabbinic coordinator was at a safe distance from the plant. Why was he passing this clearly uncomfortable job to a mashgiach who had to deal with the company on an ongoing basis? This displayed a lack of understanding as to the position of the mashgiach."    Rabbi Gornish's particular specialty is catering and restaurants; however, as with the other OK Rabbinic Coordinators, he has knowledge about and responsibility for all areas of kashrus. "At the OK, you never have a situation where the R.C. says, 'That is not my field.' "    Rabbi Gornish says that he feels "privileged to work with the other OK rabbis. Kashrus is a never-ending learning experience, and I am able to call on the experience of my colleagues for continual insight into a variety of kashrus matters."

   The halachah states that a Jew must begin the cooking process for many foods, else the foods are rendered non-kosher due to bishul akum. The mashgiach has to remember that he is responsible to turn on the cooking flame. This pertains not only to the ovens in the kitchen, but also to the crepe maker at the smorgasbord. A Jew must light the flame, or else the crepe maker becomes not kosher along with the crepes. Similarly, if the flame goes out during the smorgasbord, it is the mashgiach who must re-light it.

   We cannot expect the waiter or cook to refrain from lighting or re-lighting the flame himself, since that is not part of his mindset; the mashgiach has to be pro-active.

   In the same vein, when frying in a wok, some caterers start with cooked meat, which does not present a bishul akum problem, but others use raw meat. In the latter instance, the mashgiach must light the fire.

   What happens when the smorgasbord is over and the dinner has not yet begun? The attention of everyone turns to facilitating the dinner; the mashgiach must be watchful that the leftover smorgasbord food, which will be consolidated and returned to the commissary for the next simchah, is not mishandled — e.g., that foods are not ladled with non-kosher serving utensils.

   In addition, the smorgasbord and dinner often take place on different levels of the hotel. The mashgiach has to keep his eye on the food as it is transferred from level to level.

   It's now time for dinner. One of your guests may ask that his meal be reheated; the simplest way for the waiter to honor this request is to pop the food into the nearest microwave oven. At dessert, a guest may ask for cream in his coffee; the natural tendency of the waiter is to bring dairy cream. Only a trained mashgiach can keep an eye out for glitches such as these, all the while mindful of the event as a whole.

   Even kosher food can present a challenge. Recently the host of an affair wanted to serve kosher uncooked (non-mevushal) wine. According to halachah, only an Orthodox Jew may handle uncooked wine, or it becomes prohibited. Happily our mashgiach noticed and insisted that only mevushal wine was to be served.

When the simchah is finally done, everyone goes home – except a conscientious mashgiach. He remains to make certain that the caterer's equipment and the leftover foods are sealed properly for return to the commissary.

   Along with these and other technical matters, off-site catering involves a serious halachic issue. Most caterers and hotels insist on using silverware and chafing dishes that belong to the hotel. Unless the hotel is exclusively kosher, these utensils have been used for the warming and eating of non-kosher food, and so they must be kashered (kosherized) before use at a simchah. The reason is that the taste of the non-kosher food is absorbed into the utensils. Kashering removes that taste (the method of kashering depends on the type of utensil); however, the Shulchan Aruch, the Code of Jewish Law, states that before utensils are kashered, they must not be used for twenty-four hours. After twenty-four hours have passed, absorbed taste is rendered pagum, inedible. While kashering extracts the absorbed non-kosher food, the Shulchan Aruch requires the extra stringency that the utensils are aino ben yomo, that they have not been used in the previous twenty-four hours.

   Here lies one of the difficulties with off-site catering. As a rule, hotels are reluctant to let their utensils sit idle for a full day, because they simply do not have enough spare utensils to do so.

   What if the hotel has 1,500 people for breakfast and your simchah is planned for that evening? If the hotel is asked to supply the silverware, the likelihood is that the utensils will have been used for breakfast.

   Can anything be done to alleviate this concern?

   In order to obviate the problem of ben yomo, some kashrus agencies rely on the following leniency. Flatware is kosherized by hag'alah, immersing it in boiling water. Since the halachic concern is that the absorbed taste of the non-kosher food will contaminate the kosher food being cooked, thereby rendering it not kosher as well, their mashgichim corrupt the absorbed non-kosher taste with ammonia. The ammonia is added to the boiling water that is used for hag'alah. Technically this accomplishes in a pro-active way the same result that is achieved by leaving the utensils idle for twenty-four hours.

   However, in interpreting the words of the Shulchan Aruch concerning kosherizing by this method, many halachic decisors state that one cannot purposely corrupt non-kosher taste in order to permit kashering before twenty-four hours have passed. According to this, pegimah is significant only be'dieved, after the fact. For example, if ammonia accidentally was poured into the water used to kosherize the silverware, one would consider the taste pagum. But it would be wrong to intentionally corrupt absorbed non-kosher taste to allow kashering of the utensils before twenty-four hours have elapsed.

   Therefore, you should not schedule a simchah at a facility where the utensils will be kashered in this manner within twenty-four hours of their prior use.

   There is another way to kosherize a ben yomo utensil. Silverware is kashered by hag'alah, dipping it in water. One can kosherize ben yomo flatware by doing hag'alah twice. However, it is technically difficult to do this, and furthermore, double hag'alah is not an acceptable method according to all opinions.

   In the final analysis, the only satisfactory way to use the hotel's flatware is if the hotel consents not to use the utensils for a full day before kashering. Therefore, when you plan your simchah, arrange at the time of contract for the hotel to give the mashgiach the utensils a day ahead of time. If the hotel you have selected will not agree to this provision, find a hotel that will do it your way. If you cannot find a hotel that will accommodate your wish for the day you desire to make your simchah, choose another day. Please do not compromise kashrus standards, thereby spiritually tarnishing your simchah.

   What if you neglected to bring up this matter at contract? All is not lost. You have a contract with the caterer. Insist that the caterer arrange with the hotel for the twenty-four-hours' downtime. The caterer now has two options: he can make the arrangement with the hotel, or he can use his own utensils. Caterers disdain the latter option, since they often lose equipment in transit or at the site where the affair takes place, and so they will somehow come to terms with the hotel. Don't be afraid to speak up. Remember that you are paying for the simchah, and you are fully entitled to have it conducted according to your preferences.vThe OK Labs is very sensitive to the issue of aino ben yomo, and has inserted a standard clause in our caterers contract. The clause reads: All items to be kosherized (except ovens and stoves) must be set aside for twenty-four hours before kosherizing.

   As we noted, catering is organized chaos; the larger the affair, the greater the chance that something will go wrong. More than once a hotel has run out of kashered silverware and a waiter has supplemented the supply with treif utensils. Uninformed waiters have used any butter they find in the hotel's refrigerator. Obviously the use of a facility where non-kosher events also take place presents inherent difficulties. When you plan your simchah, take all this into consideration.

   Along with our ben yomo policy, the OK has adopted other exacting standards for food service establishments. All caterers, restaurants, pizza shops, and hotels under our supervision use only pas Yisrael, chalav Yisrael if dairy, and chassidishe shechitah if meat. When you visit an OK-certified establishment, you can be confident that the highest standards of kashrus are in place.

Rabbi Avrohom Juravel is a Rabbinic Coordinator at the OK Labs.