Catering?

SereneTiger

So the major roadblock in our wedding planning has been finding a kosher caterer on the West Coast of Florida. 

I feel like it's near impossible to find a kosher caterer where I live and it's really important to me to have kosher food at my wedding. 

Anybody have suggestions for what to do because at this point I really just want to give up on the whole big wedding. Is anybody else having this issue because I feel like I'm the only one  

Lauderdale Pink

Is there a Chabad or other Orthodox synagogue in the area?  If so, call them,or the rabbi's wife. They will have an answer for you.

jessicabessica

I agree with the suggestion to call a local shul (Conservative should also know).  If there is a kosher butcher or supermarket, they might do catering as well.  You could try to post on your local board here, too. 

jacobsgirl23

If there is a shul with a kosher kitchen you might be able to bring in a non-kosher caterer and have them work in the kosher kitchen. That is the way it is often done in memphis and it works.

Jen4948

I tried Googling "kosher caterers west Florida" to see what responses would come up.

Maybe there will be a solution there.

SereneTiger

Thanks. We've ended up going to the East coast to have our wedding. We already found a venue and kosher caterer over there.

@lauderdale pink There is a Chabad nearby, we were actually going to use them to marry us and started classes however, we haven't heard from them in months. They were not very helpful with the whole kosher catering issue.

@jessicabessica My FI and I did go to a conservative synagogue nearby and they said that they were "kosher" but allowed shellfish and pork products but you couldn't mix meat and dairy which completely defeats the purpose of having a kosher event. I have posted on my local board, the problem is I'm in the middle of the ones here on TheKnot. I'm in Southwest Florida but they only have West FL (Tampa and up) and South FL (Miami, Boca, etc.) They've skipped a whole section, right where I live which is very annoying.

@jacobsgirl23 I never thought of that however, the only shul nearby is chabad and they don't have a kitchen. 

@jen4948 I did that already and there was a website that had a list of "kosher" caterers but when I contacted the places listed on there, every single one said that they couldn't do it and that they have never done kosher catering. 

jessicabessica

So you are are around Naples or something?  I have heard there's not a large Jewish population there.  Glad you found something that works.  Also, FYI, I think Pre-Cana refers specifically to Catholic pre-marital counseling, so I don't think that's what you were doing with Chabad (and if it was, I would be suspicious of it).

SereneTiger

@jessicabessica Whoops! Did not mean to put pre-cana classes on there, not what I meant at all haha!