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Kashrut and the Beit Din: How to Choose Your Caterer

Kashrut levels, certifications, trick questions. The guide so you don’t end up with a buffet half your family refuses to touch.

By The Tov team · · 5 min read · Updated on
On this page
  1. The kashrut levels, in brief
  2. Which certification should you ask for?
  3. The 7 questions to ask your caterer
  4. The dessert trap
  5. Budget

Kashrut at a Jewish wedding divides families more often than you'd think. Your most traditional guests won't eat anything without strict certification. Your more liberal guests think it's overkill. You, stuck in the middle, have to pick a caterer that works for everyone. Here's how.

The kashrut levels, in brief

  • Kosher: meat slaughtered according to shechita, under the supervision of a mashgiach, with no mixing of meat and dairy and no forbidden products. Enough for some guests, not for others: it depends on their customs.
  • Mehadrin: stricter supervision, more demanding than basic kashrut. The details vary from one certifying body to another.
  • Glatt: for beef, the lungs are smooth when checked after slaughter. In Sephardic customs, you'll also hear 'halak' or 'Beit Yosef.' Their exact relationship: ask your rabbi.
  • 'House' kashrut: no rabbinic certification, just 'no pork, no mixing.' Guests who require certification generally won't eat it.

Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi and Israeli customs can differ. For the details (Mehadrin, Chalav Yisrael, Pat Yisrael...), see our guide to these levels, then ask your Beit Din or your rabbi.

Warning

If some guests have specific requirements (glatt, halak, Chalav Yisrael...), ask them BEFORE choosing your caterer, and specify them in writing. It avoids a scene at the table.

Which certification should you ask for?

The certifying body recognized by your community and by your rabbi. Ask for the certificate of the venue AND of the caterer, and check that it is current. If you are unsure about a certifying body, ask your rabbi before you sign.

The 7 questions to ask your caterer

  1. Which kashrut certification? (Ask for the name of the certifying body and a copy of the certificate)
  2. Will a mashgiach (supervisor) be present during service?
  3. Is the wine mevushal (boiled, so it can be served by non-Jews)?
  4. Will the meat be delivered sealed or prepared on site?
  5. Is the bread (challah) made on site or brought in?
  6. Will there be a pareve option (neither meat nor dairy) for strict guests?
  7. How do you handle allergies and kashrut together?

The dessert trap

A classic trap: the main meal is meat-kosher, but you want a dairy dessert (cheesecake, chocolate cake). Halachically, you need to wait 1 to 6 hours between meat and dairy, depending on tradition. Solution: a PAREVE dessert (neither meat nor dairy) — sorbets, oil-based cakes, fruit. Discuss this with your caterer at the FIRST meeting.

Tip

Tov tip: explicitly mention your caterer's kashrut on the invitation. Your observant guests will feel reassured BEFORE they RSVP. Add it to your invitation text.

On the same topic

Budget

Cost varies from one caterer to another, depending on the kashrut level and the supervision. Ask for comparable quotes: the same level requested from each, with the mashgiach’s presence stated in every quote.

To announce your wedding with the kashrut level clearly stated right on the invitation, that's Tov.events. Free during the beta, Hebrew included.

About — Written by the Tov.events team, who build the tools Jewish families — Sephardic, Ashkenazi, Mizrahi, secular — use for their simchas.

What’s next?

One invitation per household, sent on WhatsApp.

In 4 languages, with the Hebrew date and the replies followed live.

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