Teaneck restaurants will lose kosher certification after chef's sex assault charges

The Rabbinical Council of Bergen County said Thursday that it would end its kosher certification for two Teaneck restaurants, after their celebrated Orthodox Jewish owner was charged last week with sexually abusing a minor.

In a statement to the community, the council said it would end its association with chef Shalom Yehudiel, who gained fame in 2020 on the Food Network's "Chopped" for proudly bringing kosher cuisine to the cooking contest.

"While Mr. Yehudiel is entitled to due process, given the serious nature of the criminal accusations, the RCBC has decided not to renew its contracts with Mr. Yehudiel," the council said in its statement. A copy was provided to The Record and NorthJersey.com by Rabbi Zev Goldberg, the group's president.

The council is "contractually obligated" to continue to grant its certification to Yehudiel's two restaurants in Teaneck, the council said. But as of Oct. 1, the Humble Toast eatery will no longer be under the group's supervision, and as of Jan 1, the same will be true of La Cucina Di Nava, an Italian restaurant named after Yehudiel's daughter.

Yehudiel came under a cloud last year after two women filed lawsuits saying he had sexually assaulted them as minors, accusations the chef denied.

Last week, the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office announced that it had arrested Yehudiel in a separate case and charged him with first- and second-degree sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a child. The abuse allegedly occurred in September and October, while Yehudiel was the young woman's boss, according to the complaint.

“Mr. Yehudiel is unequivocally innocent of these charges," the chef's attorney in the criminal case, Lee Vartan, said in an interview. "He looks forward to demonstrating his innocence at trial.

“The Rabbinical Council’s decision is unfortunate, and pre-judgment at its worst," he added. "This decision by the council will hurt Mr. Yehudiel, his young family, and the dozens of employees who rely upon the Humble Toast and La Cucina Di Nava to support themselves and their families.”

Yehudiel was released into home detention with an ankle bracelet on Wednesday, after a hearing before a judge in Bergen County. His next hearing is scheduled for May.

After the lawsuits came to light last year, the Rabbinical Council faced pressure from advocates for sexual assault survivors in the Orthodox community to remove the kosher designation. The council responded at the time by saying that Yehudiel had agreed to step away from day-to-day operations of his businesses.

Survivors' advocates welcomed the harsher penalty on Thursday.

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"Given that the RCBC has in the past removed certification from restaurants for having televisions and serving alcohol, I'm glad to see that they took these allegations seriously enough to at least refuse to renew the certification contracts," said Asher Lovy, director of Za'akah, which provides support to survivors of sexual violence.

"Going forward, to avoid being stuck in a certification contract it would rather not honor, the RCBC should develop specific policies to address allegations of sexual abuse against the owners of restaurants it certified," he said.

Netanel Zellis-Paley, a former Teaneck resident who organized a protest outside the Humble Toast in November, said he was relieved by the decision.

"I'm glad that they are not renewing the contract," he said, adding that he has reached out to RCBC leaders about the issue. "I think if one accusation is found to be credible, that should be enough to remove someone's kosher certification."

The organization should consider inserting a clause to future contracts that would allow it to terminate contracts if credible allegations of sexual abuse should arise, he added.

Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said last week that his office was contacted by the FBI in November regarding allegations that Yehudiel had committed sexual crimes involving a child. A "months-long investigation" by the two agencies" revealed that Yehudiel sexually assaulted the child, who was younger than 16, on more than one occasion, Musella said in a statement.

It is not unusual for a certifying agency to remove kosher designation because of issues unrelated to the ingredients. "Kosher extends beyond the kitchen," said Rabbi Daniel Senter, chief operating officer at the KOF-K Kosher Supervision Agency in Teaneck, another agency that certifies businesses.

"The question is: Where does one draw that line? If someone is convicted of a crime or if there is some type of misbehavior, that would present a real question of whether you can certify someone like that," he said. "Many agencies feel that it's not just the food you are certifying but the entire atmosphere around it."

Yehudiel opened his two kosher restaurants several years ago to great fanfare in a neighborhood known for its large Orthodox population. An accomplished chef, he was said to be the first "Chopped" contestant to observe kosher dietary laws and cook kosher cuisine. Though he ultimately didn't win, many fans deemed his appearance an achievement.

He was also known for his philanthropy, donating to needy individuals and soup kitchens in the area. In the height of the coronavirus pandemic, he posted his phone number on social media for those in need of a hot meal to contact him directly.

But then came two lawsuits filed by young women who accused him of sexually abusing them as minors. One woman alleged that she was a 17-year-old employee of his restaurant in 2018 when Yehudiel made lewd comments to her and forced her to perform oral sex. In the second suit, a woman accused him of forcibly kissing and groping her in a series of encounters that began in Fair Lawn when she was 15.

Yehudiel denied any wrongdoing and filed counterclaims against the women, accusing them of extortion.

His attorney in the civil case, Richard Mazawey of Clifton, said Thursday that he hopes the Rabbinical Council will reconsider its decision. "I find it extremely disappointing that this rabbinical council would jump to conclusions and not realize that every individual is presumed innocent until proven guilty," he said. "Why should his family suffer economic harm because of something that is under investigation?"

Deena Yellin covers religion for NorthJersey.com. For unlimited access to her work covering how the spiritual intersects with our daily lives, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: yellin@northjersey.com

Twitter: @deenayellin

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Chef Shalom Yehudiel losing kosher certification after assault charge