By COLlive reporter
Harsh words were being exchanged this past month between the owner of a popular Jewish-owned restaurant in Brooklyn, NY, and the heads of the Kosher supervising agency.
In private conversations, Danny Branover of Basil Wine and Pizza Bar in Crown Heights and Rabbi Don Yoel Levy, Rabbinic Administrator of OK Kosher were accusing each other of lies and manipulation.
The result was the OK revoking their certification and Basil announcing that it will remain operating under a “private supervision” by Mendel Schneerson, brother-in-law of Branover and a partner of the dairy eatery.
While they haven’t buried the hatchet over Basil as of yet, both parties seem to have agreed to collaborate on a new (and nearby) venture.
Branover opened this week a new pastry shop, called “Bakerie” at 252 Albany Avenue and Sterling Place, just 3 blocks away from Basil. “We are under the OK. Cholov Yisroel and Pas Yisroel,” they announced on Instagram.
On Monday afternoon, there were a few customers coming to check out the store. On display was a limited selection of artisinal breads, biscotti, muffins, and cookies.
Bakerie is also selling jars of classic basil pesto, marinated mixed olives, Nutella, and olive and garlic tapenade for $8 each. A jar of Greek yogurt is $6.
It was initially reported that Branover’s plan was to have the bread and pastries “made with the bakery’s bread at Basil, three blocks away.”
Rabbi Yitzchak Hanoka, the Tri-State Rabbinic Coordinator at OK Kosher Certification, made it clear that wasn’t the case. Products from Basil will not be permitted to be sold at Bakerie, he told COLlive.com.
“It will not be allowed in and that is not part of the plan,” he said, adding that the “issue at Basil was with the person running it. We made it clear that so long that person is there, we cannot certify it.”
While Basil remains without a certification from a reputable agency, the Israeli-born Branover will have to soon start shopping around for a supervision for his third food venture a restaurant named “Meat.”
With or without a hechsher, Branover said in the past that his goal is to bring together people who eat kosher and those who don’t. “They don’t mingle too much and why, really, not?” he asked. “What better way than to break bread?”
Branover told COLlive he is looking forward to bringing his products to Jewish people who do not usually eat Kosher.
“Unfortunately many have misconstrued my words in the past,” Branover said. “My goal is to introduce the beauty of Kosher to many Jews who otherwise would not try it,” he said.
#44 I’ve asked when I’ve been in and Half of the employees at this bakery are Jewish. Some are very religious, some less so, but Jews non the less . For you To say there are no Jews working there shows your personal bias without having any information or actual knowledge to back it up.
The point of pas yisroel is to keep jews and gentiles from becoming too intimate in a fashion which may lead to intermarriage.
It is fine to dine with a business acquaintance or others with whom a professional relationship exists.
A Jew who struggles with a Yetzer Hara different to your’s can still eat together with you.
Bought a loaf of spelt bread with golden raisins, but it costs a whopping $10!
And yes — there should be Jewish workers who understand our terminology…..
perhaps my little taking a stand won’t mean anything to branover
but my stand is, you hire Jews to work for you and i use your restaurant(s). it’s as simple as that. i know many who feel this way. give jobs to Jews like mistergreens does!
high end gourmet bakery with exotic spreads and cheeses.
high time for such a place in the glatt kosher world.
Lots of luck, Mr. Branover!!
Hasogas gvul has very specific parameters. One of them is that the two establishments have to be selling the same product. As a long time customer at Albany bakery I have never once seen artisanal or specialty breads on their shelves. We all know they sell the usual bread products that the frum community consumes. From the looks of this new place, they are selling a completely different line of breads. Not the same product. Not hasogas gvul.
looks like they came up with cholov yisroel homemade Nutella? if so then I am in!
To 27
Unfortunately that’s what it boils down to.
The negative statements are made by a segment of unfortunate misguided residents of the surrounding area…who as a result of minimal if any education…religious as well as secular …consonant with a rather questionable
upbringing….generally lacking ability to interact Jewish or gentile
Its painful to know who represents the majority
. (Btw you wouldn’t want to mingle with them anyway…
Nothing wrong with mingling. He was just saying that his intention is to make a good, upscale restaurant that our lesser affiliated brethren might enjoy. He didn’t say non-Jews, just Jews who might otherwise go to a treife restaurant r”l. Great. I personally know of families that are more secular that love coming to CH to eat at Basil. I myself do not eat there because they are always playing goyishe music, but that’s my business. The truth is that if one jew comes to the shchuneh to eat at basil or at this fancy bakery and ends up laying… Read more »
What a fantastic addition to CH.
I expected the naresh immature comments obviously there are many that just don’t have a job or a life so anything to comment or negate comes naturally, waiting for any “possible” controversy to post his/her silly thoughts.
Thanks for posting this COL – you guys rock!
As a non religious Jew, I was under the crazy assumption that being Jewish meant that you are JEWISH. It is very sad that those people who have commented here feel that they can not mingle with anyone that is not as religious as them or that are not Jewish. This is what gives so many Jews the wrong name that we are non-accepting of non-Jews. We don’t live in a country of society that allows for you to only MINGLE with Jews. If what you are all saying is true that you can not mingle with non-Jews, I feel… Read more »
$3.50 for a muffin or a cookie is a lot of money.
On each cookie you will have to take a mortgage
Looks nice and good and you will pay for it
it’s amazing how people who have no idea what they are talking about (like you) make comments
I know exactly what happened with basil and the OK was %100 right for removing their certification.
you should do some research and think just a little bit before you make accusations.
I for one will eat in the bakery only if it has a good hechsher like OK
Didn’t basil just have a major issue with calabria? Now they have no issue opening a bakery 2 blocks from Albany bakery????
bravo! WHEN YOU OPENED BASIL YOU HAD SO MUCH FLAK FOR BEING’ FIRST’ TO BREAK THE MOLD. don’t worry. soon you’ll be the store to follow !
The OK revoked its supervision because a non-Jewish landscaper went into the kitchen to plug in his electrical equipment… on Shabbos. There was no one there to make sure he didn’t heat up his McDonalds meal in one of the ovens, or re-fry his Big Mac on a frying pan. THAT is fact. What I don’t know is the conditions (if any) for the OK to reinstate the hashgacha. The point is, the OK was not disputing the Kashrus of Basil or its ownership UNTIL they found out the goy had unsupervised access to the kitchen. That changes everything. So… Read more »
$3.50 for a muffin? Why? $2.50 wouldn’t pay the bills?
i don’t have parnosa yet i wish you much hatzlocha!
Danny told me personally in regards to his Basil restaurant that he wants Jew and Gentile to mingle and break bread together. This is not a new Shita of his, it I his long established claim to fame. I told him my opinion but he was adamant about it. Since then What purpose does this serve.
Apparently the word “mingle” it’s a major trigger word for a lot of people
To Comments: #5 #6 #9 #14 #18
“Unfortunately many have misconstrued my words in the past,” Branover said. “My goal is to introduce the beauty of Kosher to many Jews who otherwise would not try it,” he said.
… while pas yisroel was established to avoid mingling with AKUM.. he stared this was to bring those who eat kosher and those who don’t…
Very different…
Moreh Nevuchim was written for all time, forever, maybe especially for our present era. Just because you can’t understand or appreciate it is no excuse. Sorry, Kol Tov, & Moshiach Now, it’s time!
So many readers will fail reading comprehension
Everyone is so hung up on the mingling part that they miss the point
I don’t condone operating without a kosher supervision but I do believe in this case the OK overreached it’s authority
If you asked me personally, I would patronize the restaurant trusting the kashrus completely regardless of the OK pulling their supervision
everyone has their own opinions whether you like it or not.
So you can’t say that people are missing the point.
Majority is using the mingle word. Look how many times you have written it!
Open late??? I hope
#19- the same bread CANNOT be found closer, unless you don’t keep kosher, which i assume you don’t. but if you have kosher keeping friends and family, there is no reason they shouldn’t be able to enjoy the same style and quality of food that is so easy for you to come by, and that you are clearly used to. the rest of you-know that non jews and irreligious jews read this website and these comments. please be aware. be mindful, as well, that not only are these comments embarrassing, they are ignorant and crass and untrue. Realize that Hashem… Read more »
Rabbi Kalman Weinfeld from the OK Kosher – great job.
Standing strong to Kashrus standards!
Bad choice of words
Very bad choice of words
Nobody cares if it’s for everyone , and many actually like it like that
But the word mingling is just the wrong word
BS”D Who cares, CH has become the tyva center of Brooklyn
Grav Lox and it was amazing !!!!!!
Regarding pas palter their is not Inyan of the issue of intermingling so learn your Halacha before you judge
everyone said it already, but that is a terrible comment (the last paragraph of the article) whether out of ignorance or not.
More concerning than the specifics is such a lateral outlook to serious things in Yiddishkeit
Same bread can be find closer.
I believe the whole point is not interfaith mingling, however s chance to mingle with other unaffiliated Jews. Perhaps a chance to bring them closer to yiddishkeit?
For all of those who want a nice trendy modern cafe’ without all of this politics. Checkout dean st cafe. Mr Mutchkin did a great job.
Why is everyone getting so hung up about the “mingle” word. Pad yisroel is to keep Jews and *non Jews* from mingling. All he said was people who keep kosher and people who don’t keep kosher. So either you missed that point or you’re clearly way too self-proclaimed-holy to be eating out anyway.
With or without a hechsher, Branover said in the past that his goal is to bring together people who eat kosher and those who don’t. “They don’t mingle too much and why, really, not?” he asked. “What better way than to break bread?
Pas yisroel was created just to avoid this
Open up the book that teaches us about hasogas gevul, and you’ll see that this is not considered hasogas gevul #learn some shulchan aruch
Hey it could be a chabad house for 7 mitzvot bnei noach
Guys common live in the times, moreh nevuchim was written so many years ago. Times have changed
Check out rambam moreh nevuchim. The hole point of kosher is not to mingle with gentiles
Isn’t the whole point of pas Yisroel to prevent mingling?
Isnt this hasogas gevul on all the other bakeries in crown heights?
NOT to be mixed up with Sterling st.
this is on the other side of EP – just like basil
M
Would be nice to see Jews working there