To Be (Kosher) Or Not to Be....

Of the many requests I get, Kosher (followed by sugar-free) is most often asked of our rugelach.

I have been looking into becoming a kosher kitchen. After doing a little research, I found that the problem is the inherently high expenses of maintaining a kosher kitchen.

I not only bake rugelach. I am a caterer as well. Thus, to keep my operation under one roof, I would need to be Kosher for baking as well as catering. Baking is not too bad, in that it would cost me nearly $5000 annually for the certification. A catering kitchen is absurdly expensive, since I would need to have a full-time rabbi(s) on site during all times of operation. Now I know why when it comes to Kosher caterers, there are so few choices out there.

My choices: Have my baking operation and my catering operation in different locations and pay rents plural as well as not be able to utilize employees for both businesses, or abandon the catering side of the business altogether. Both are not options for me.

As a boutique baker and caterer, the cost of obtaining kosher certification is currently not financially viable. The option is still on the table, but not in the foreseeable future.