K A S H R U T . C O M_©

May 29, 2022 from KVH Kosher:

Red Lentil Sharon, MA Certification Terminated: Over the past six months KVH Kosher has allocated significant resources, including staff time and financial investments, to prepare and transition Red Lentil Sharon to kosher supervision. We were so proud to partner with the community and oversee the first kosher restaurant in Sharon, and we thank Rabbi Noah Cheses for his tireless efforts in this project. Serving and strengthening the Greater Boston Jewish community by maintaining and adding to its kosher options is and will always be our primary purpose.

Unfortunately, over the past few months, as hard as we tried to communicate to Red Lentil the importance of adherence to our kashrut standards, lapses continued to occur. This has left us with significant concerns such that we cannot confidently continue to certify it. Therefore, it is with great regret that we inform the community that KVH Kosher certification of Red Lentil has been terminated effective immediately.

May 29, 2022 from Rabbi Cheses, Rabbi Young Israel of Sharon:

Certification picked up by Rabbi ChesesI am pleased to report that the Red Lentil restaurant in Sharon will continue to provide kosher, delicious, vegan & vegetarian food after the trial certification with the KVH expires today. The certification will be transitioning from the KVH to a local team of Orthodox rabbis and other community members operating under my direction and supervision. This will be in everyone’s best interest, as the owners prefer to partner with local people that they know and the KVH isn’t capable of continuing to help the owners learn from several lapses in protocols that were made in these last few months (see KVH communication below).

In full transparency, the hard working staff at the restaurant did make a handful of genuine mistakes, which were quickly remedied, as they were learning all the new protocols and procedures involved in being kosher but we have learned from them and set up systems to limit their recurrence. Some of those systems include full remote camera access, a station for checking in ingredients before they enter the restaurant, transitioning to use more greenhouse grown produce to reduce the amount of in-restaurant washing, and contracting with Rabbi Dovid Reisman to do the restaurant’s shopping at Restaurant Depot, which provides an additional layer of inventory control.

All of the Kosher standards and processes will remain the same. Red Lentil will continue to pay for a mashgiach temidi (constant kosher supervisor in the kitchen) and will begin to pay an annual fee for the costs associated with providing certification at the level of mainstream national standards.

The local team will include Rabbi Barry Hartman, Rabbi Dovid Reisman, Rabbi Gavriel Goldfeder, Rabbi Jordan Soffer, Marty Liss, Thelma Hirsch and Jason Peretz, all of whom will serve as systems managers, checking in with the mashgichim and owners on a rotating daily basis. Marty will also schedule the mashgichim and manage other logistical issues. Rabbi Aryeh Klapper will review the Mashgiach log book on a regular basis. Rabbi David Jaffe will establish and maintain standards for respectful and ethical treatment of workers including mashgichim.

The KVH deserves a lot of credit and our gratitude for its investment in getting this project off the ground, setting up all the systems, and training three fantastic mashgichim (Tuvya Rackover, Dina Rosenthal and Marty Liss), who will continue in their roles. I sincerely believe that the local community model of responsibility and accountability will equip the restaurant to sustain high kashrut standards.

Everyone on the local team will be volunteering their time in order to provide this benefit to the community. Please continue to frequent the restaurant to partner with this effort. Please note that this transition is set to occur today and will be revisited after three months with the hope of it being a long term partnership.

March 7, 2022 from the KVH:

KVH Kosher is pleased to announce the grand opening of Red Lentil Vegetarian & Vegan Restaurant & Bar located at 1 Pond St, Sharon, MA 02067

The Kosher Red Lentil – Sharon will offer Vegan & Vegetarian (dairy- chalav stam) dining experience, a unique addition to the Sharon & the Greater Boston Kosher scene.

Opening day is set for Sunday March 13, 2022.

Please note: • Certification is for the Sharon branch only and does NOT cover the Watertown branch, which KVH does NOT certify as kosher.

Red Lentil - Sharon is not under Jewish ownership and is therefore halachically permitted to operate on Shabbos. In general, providing certification to restaurants open on Shabbos can be fairly difficult while maintaining the national standard of kashrus which KVH strives to provide. KVH Kosher has worked with the management to address the relevant Halachic concerns, and the owners have gone above and beyond to accommodate.

• While KVH monitors and inspects the premises over Shabbos to ensure the facility remains kosher, certification does not extend to Shabbos and any food ordered and/or prepared on Shabbos is not approved by KVH.
• As with all food deliveries, kashrus is only guaranteed when sealed with a KVH seal
• Orders placed before Shabbos for Motzai Shabbos will be prepared after Shabbos has ended.
• Please make sure to request that the order have a KVH kosher seal/tape.

Link to the KVH Notice is here