The New York Daily News reports that Kosher Sports Inc., which “introduces the quality of Glatt Kosher food to professional sports and entertainment venues throughout the country” (as stated on their website), has hired the high-powered law firm Boies, Schiller & Flexner LLP (of Gore v. Bush, Florida, circa 2000) in its upcoming court battle with the NY Mets over selling hot dogs at Citi Field on the Jewish Sabbath.
Kosher Sports filed a breach-of-contract suit against the Mets nearly two years ago after the team banned it from selling kosher food during Friday night and Saturday home games — a move the vendor says caused it to lose hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits.
The kosher food vendor had signed a 10-year, $725,000 contract to sell glatt kosher Abeles and Heymann hot dogs, sausages, knishes, pretzels, and peanuts at Mets home games, according to the suit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court. The case is set for trial this month. (Obviously, the pretzels and the peanuts do not qualify as “glatt,” which is a term used exclusively in the processing of meat – YY)
Top team officials in the Mets organization were apparently concerned about “undermined credibility with Sabbath-observing” fans, the court papers filed by the vendor charge. Simply put, no matter how kosher the meat was when you bought it, once you cooked it on Shabbat – observant Jews won’t touch it.
Two years ago, according to the New York Post, Rabbi Shmuel Heinemann, who monitors Kosher Sports’ compliance with Kashrut laws, denied giving the company the OK to operate on the Sabbath.
“There’s no way they can be kosher if they operate on Friday nights and Saturdays,” said Rabbi Shmuel Heinemann.
It does bring to mind a different question: If you go out to the ballgame on a Friday night instead of hitting the nearest shul for Kabbalat Shabbat, why would you need your hot dogs to be kosher?
The company states that its products are under the strict kosher supervision of the Star-K. But the kosher certification service website does not list a current hechsher for the Citi Field outlet. It does list a certification good only through October 31, 2011.
Kosher Sports, Inc. served “an all-star menu” at the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl. CEO Jonathan Katz proudly stated that it was the first time “a glatt kosher food offering” was present at the Pro Bowl or the Super Bowl.
KSI is no stranger at big events, having served glatt kosher food at professional sports and entertainment venues since 2003. Those included until recently the Mets’ Citi Field, as well as the US Open Tennis Championships, M&T Bank Stadium, Lincoln Financial Field, Land Shark Stadium, Prudential Center, and Oriole Park.