Looks like we missed a fun press conference out in Mineola yesterday, where the owner of a kosher catering company had gathered the press to defend himself against allegations that he cooked non-kosher food in kosher kitchens, thus contaminating them. Scott Morrell, the owner of Morrell Caterers, was flanked by two rabbis, several attorneys and other catering company officials outside State Supreme Court in Nassau County when he told the press, "I have never violated any rules. This is a conspiracy." Then the two former employees who are accusing Morrell of breaking kosher law crashed the press conference.
Michael Savitsky and Tom Cataldo, who own five percent of the company, showed up to call Morrell a liar to his face. They say that because of the recession, Morrell started taking in non-kosher catering business, and about a year ago he ordered Savitsky to cook coconut shrimp in a kosher kitchen. Kosher law prohibits pork and shellfish, and one rabbi tells the Times the rules "represent a sacred covenant between God and the Jewish people." Savitsky says he was shocked by Morrell's order, but "he was my boss, so what was I supposed to do?" Well, we guess you could wait a year then file a lawsuit?
Morrell brought samples of his kosher chicken fingers to share with the media, but the AP reports that "no reporters accepted the offer." He claims his accusers were paid off to discredit him by a third party who is being sued by Morrell for $19 million. "This is a very calculated and cynical deliberate way of destroying my company," Morrell told reporters. If so, it seems to be working: Vicki Levi, who lives in Jericho, is planning to have Mr. Morrell cater her daughter’s wedding at the Woodbury Jewish Center in August. But now she tells the Times, "I flipped out when I heard. It’s so devastating."
