Roth Center Food Policies

The Roth Center strives to maintain a strict standard of kashrut so that all of our congregants can enjoy Shabbat dinners prepared in our kitchen, regardless of their level of observance of kashrut. As such, we ask that anyone who brings food into the building is careful to follow these policies.

If you have questions, please contact the Chris in the UVJC office.

Building Policies

The Roth Center maintains a kosher kitchen and facility both to uphold the mitzvah of kashrut and, also, to maintain a community center where everyone can feel at home and break bread together. Therefore, all prepared food and food products entering the Roth Center kitchen must have a hechsher (certification of kashrut).

Due to the paucity of local kosher food options and our wish to avoid being a tircha d’tzibura (undue burden on the community) we have stipulated the following leniency:

For dairy and pareve meals, prepared food may be brought into Roth as long as
- it is not brought into the kitchen, and
- no plates, pots, or pans are used from the kitchen.
Please be aware that this leniency does not extend to meat products. Only hechshered meat products should enter the building.

So, for example, if you want to bring in sandwiches from Lou’s Restaurant/Bakery (non-kosher), you may serve egg salad or tuna–but not chicken or roast beef–in the dining room. However, if you make a dairy kugel at home for a pot-luck and you use Coop brand (non-hechshered) milk, you may still bring that into the dining room. Neither the Lou’s sandwiches nor the dairy kugel may enter the kitchen.

Kitchen Policies

In order to be stored or prepared in the Roth Center kitchen, all prepackaged or processed foods must have a hechsher (certification of kashrut) clearly visible on the label.

Foods without a hechsher that were not prepared in the Roth Center Kitchen (e.g., leftover food from potluck or other functions) may not be taken into the kitchen for any reason. Glass plates, glassware, utensils, pots, pans and flatware from the kitchen must not be used with such prepared food. Instead, please use disposable plates and utensils for meals prepared outside of this kitchen.

Fresh produce or unprocessed foods are permitted even without a clearly visible hechsher.

Only certified kosher meat can be prepared, served, eaten, or stored in the Roth Center.

Dairy and meat dishes, utensils, cutlery, pots, pans, counter space, ovens, and dishwashers must be kept separate. All kitchen utensils are either labeled or marked in blue for dairy and red for meat. All meals prepared in the kitchen must keep dairy and meat separate. Dairy and meat products may both be kept in the refrigerator and the freezer, but please put them on separate shelves.

Caterers

If you would like to use a kosher caterer, the business must be certified as such and the owner must meet with one of the Rabbis. Only then may a kosher caterer use our kitchen for food preparation.

Caterers must be bonded and event hosts need to ensure that a copy of their caterer’s Certificate of Insurance is sent to the Roth Center Office prior to the event. .

The caterers below have catered events at the Roth Center in the past and are familiar with the Roth Center’s kashrut rules. However, we request that you review the kashrut rules again as personnel may have changed. We do not endorse any specific caterer but provide this list for your convenience.

If you have questions, please contact the Chris in the UVJC office.

Local Caterers:

Coventry Catering Lynn or Daniel Caple (603) 252-5605

Maple Street Catering (802) 296-2400

Lou’s (603) 643-3321

Kosher Caterers:

Vermont Kosher (802) 658-0119