Long Island caterer accused of false ‘kosher’ claims

A Long Island catering company is facing accusations of serving non-kosher food during at least 200 events attended by observant Jews, the Associated Press is reporting.

Scott Morrell, the owner of Morrell Caterers, is confronting allegations by two former business partners that non-kosher food was routinely prepared in the same facilities as food that was later billed as kosher and served at weddings, bar mitzvahs and other Jewish gatherings. The pair made the accusations during a press conference Morrell was hosting on the steps of the state Supreme Court building in Mineola, not far from New York City.

Morrell, for his part, denied the allegations, claiming that his ex-partners are making the accusations merely as part of an ongoing business dispute. “I have never violated any rules,” he said. “This is a very calculated and cynical deliberate way of destroying my company.”
The caterer was “flanked by two rabbis” at the press conference, the AP reports, as well as by lawyers and workers at the company. One rabbi proclaimed Morrell’s practices fully kosher, saying, “I have personally witnessed him apply the highest standards of Jewish law to food preparation.”