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March 9, 2001/Adar 14, 5761, Vol. 53, No.23
Karsh's continues kosher practices
LEISAH NAMM
Assistant Editor
Since Karsh's Bakery reopened for Saturday hours Feb. 17, the bakery has regained 50 percent to 60 percent of its original business on that day, said owner Arnie Gardner.
The bakery lost its kosher certification from the Greater Phoenix Vaad Haka-shruth in February, when Gardner reopened on Shabbat, but he said bakery workers have not changed the way they operate.
"(The Vaad) could come in here today and find everything the way it was - other than opening on Saturday," he said.
The bakery maintains separate areas for dairy and pareve baking and uses only kosher-certified ingredients, Gardner added.
"(Members of the community) have to trust a man who has been in business for 30 years, and I give them my guarantee that I'll do everything I can in my power to keep things as kosher as they were when the Vaad Hakashruth was here," he said.
David Segal, owner of Segal's New Place - a kosher food market which has had a Vaad-certified bakery for 13 years - said he has noticed an increase in challah sales since Karsh's lost its certification, but partially credits that to Segal's new head baker, Tom Hines, a Scottsdale Culinary Institute graduate who went to work at Segal's in November.
The store has "significant plans to expand the bakery," Segal said, including offering birthday and wedding cakes and pastries.
David Rebibo, rabbinic administrator of the Vaad, said he has received several calls since removing Karsh's certification - mainly from rabbis requesting other options to fill the full-service bakery needs of the community.
Rebibo said the Vaad is exploring other options but doubts anything new will happen until after Passover, which ends April 15.
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