Partial Kosher catering?

I don't know but if Celia were here she probably could have helped you. Sorry. Good luck in your search

#WWCD

Work with your caterer on this to find the best way to do it as far as serving them. I would suggest different colored place cards at their seats and perhaps a note saying that a Kosher meal will be served for them. I would also save yourself the hassle on wine and just buy Kosher wine for everyone.

Isn't kosher super strict? As in food with dairy can't even be cooked on/in the same appliances as food with meat? I would check with your vendor but I wouldn't be surprised if something has to be ordered from a Kosher restaurant.

The people I know who are orthodox they kee0 such strick kosher they are unlikely to use plates or utensils provided by the venue since they are not kosher. They also won't allow their unwrapped food in the kitchen so I would talk to your guests who are ultra orthodox. Also is your wedding on a Sunday or are your serving dinner after Sunday Saturday? Otherwise how are they coming?

I would skip the kosher wine it is not super in my experience and usually orthodox people skip it anyway. But I think you need to talk you your guests.

I have no idea if this is feasible. If the Kosher meals are not terribly more expensive than the non-Kosher meals, could you do all Kosher?

@Erin, it is on a Sunday, so no conflict. What I have seen done is to have pre-prepared plates, specially wrapped and kept warm. They are isolated from the rest of the meals. I think this means I'd have to buy separate wine glasses, etc.

@Nancy, there is only 1 kosher caterer in the entire county. Preliminary research indicates it would be prohibitively expensive to do all kosher. The venues we're looking at won't let us use an outside caterer, but will let us do some "special plates."

Go with a Kosher restaurant then. Call and ask if they've ever done anything for people in your situation. They likely have.

Have you talked to your caterer about this? I didn't end up needing kosher meals because the one group of relatives who keep strict kosher couldn't come, but I did talk to the caterer about it and they have a kosher restaurant they use for this type of situation. The kosher restaurant would have prepared and wrapped the plates and delivered them to the caterer, who would keep them wrapped and separate until heating them up and serving them. I believe they could have also done cake slices (although, if you are using a bakery, the cake is not likely to be prepared near meat anyway).

I know for corporate events your current caterer or the venue should be able to assist with a Kosher caterer unless you already have someone in mind. The logistics tend to be fairly easy, especially if your caterer has done this before. The meals usually come individually wrapped.

The biggest thing for you is to include it as part of your rsvp process. It's been my experience that anyone who requires a Kosher meal will request it in advance since they're probably used to doing this.

I just saw your follow up post about the venue not allowing outside vendors. This should definitely be an exception to the rule, if not, I'd be concerned.

Junia, Yes, we will be choosing a venue that will make an exception for this. We know it CAN be done, it's just an extra logistical wrinkle. (I did a fair amount of corporate event planning in my old job, but that was in another city.) The concern is that the kosher caterer could not use the venue's kitchen and supplies, so that's why we can't have the kosher caterer for the whole event.

And yes, the plan is to have a customized response card to our orthodox guests to inform them in advance we will be supplying a kosher meal for them.

If you're using a kosher caterer for the guests who keep kosher, that caterer should be well versed and able to answer all of your kosher guest questions. Everything being served to your kosher guests should be prepared according to Jewish law (and if that means they require a special kitchen, then it requires a special kitchen). Use the service you have paid for without apology -- ask every possible question you can think of, and at the end of the day, make sure your catering contract with the kosher vendor includes a clause that says your kosher guests will only ingest food and drink that are kosher. A vendor who is being contracted because they meet a specific need of a minority of your guests (in this case, kosher food and drink) must realize that the job they have been hired to do includes everything -- from the apps, to the salad, to the soup, to the entree, to the dessert, and to the wine. They should get this right.

Props to you for going to these lengths to properly host your kosher guests.

The venue I used to work for would contract out to a Kosher caterer. The kosher place supplied everything from plates to silverware. They transported the food in hot boxes and the serving staff would serve those meals first to avoid cross contamination to the best of everyone's abilities.

Are you a part of the synagogue? Perhaps someone could walk you through the proper process because I'm sure they've been that rodeo a few times

We have been fortunate enough to have just begun contracting a large number of Orthodox brides (weddings on Sundays in honor of Shabbat). We contracted with one bride, the wedding was a huge success, and now the referrals are rolling in. I promise all of you, I will learn the religious customs of Jewish law, and I will bring them back to WW. I am so excited about this. Truthfully, we are so honored to be entrusted with cultural/religious weddings. This is part of what makes it so interesting to be a wedding vendor -- you are gifted with up close and personal experiences with other cultures.

Kosher is super, super strict. The catering company I am at does Kosher events, but we have to completely scrub down and clean all of our appliances. We have a kosher fryer, kosher pans, cutting boards, knives and ingredients. We have to either work in a kosher kitchen or wrap our tables in plastic wrap.

It is incredibly tedious and kind of difficult, but it is possible. Talk with your caterer - if they can't do it you might have to have a secondary caterer or kosher restaurant supply the meals for your kosher guests.

Centerpiece, I also enjoy learning about my couples different cultures and religions. So much variety, but lots of similarities.

View Quoted Comment Thank you so much for the gem about the contract! I will probably need around six kosher meals. If anyone still follows this discussion, how did it turn out? I will need to work this situation out in the next six months.