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Guidelines for Self-Catered Events at Germantown Jewish Centre
Catering an event or affair within the Germantown Jewish Centre is a good way to reduce the cost of your event or lend it your special imprint. In order to help those people who choose to use this option, these guidelines have been developed by GJC’s Catering Committee to clarify the procedures that are expected to be followed. If you have any questions about any points of information contained here, please discuss them either with the Managing Director or with the Catering Committee Co-Chairs.
How do I make arrangements to self-cater my event?
If you decide that you would like to hold an event in the synagogue (in the Marcus Auditorium, Silver Kiddush Lounge or Charry Lobby), all cooking for the event must be done in the Marcus Auditorium kitchen. To reserve time to use the kitchen, call the Managing Director to discuss the time you desire. After selecting your time(s), you must come into the office and complete a “room request form”. This should be done at least 45 days prior to the event. Without receipt of the room request form and your deposit, your rental of the kitchen cannot be confirmed. After reviewing the synagogue schedule, the Managing Director will contact you to confirm the reservation. This confirmation process will be conducted as quickly as possible, but in some instances may take up to 10 days to complete. At the time of making the room request, you will be asked whether you will be preparing a meat or dairy menu.
What does it cost to use the kitchen?
The fee for using the kitchen is $150 for a 4-hour block of time. If you need a longer block of time, additional hours will be charged at the rate of $38/hour. Although it is preferred that you use the kitchen during the synagogue’s normal business hours, it is possible to do it after hours. There would be an additional charge of $15/hour for a maintenance person to remain on site.
A deposit of 50% of your room rental costs is required to secure your reservation and should be paid when completing the room rental form. The remainder of your room rental fee is due 30 days before your scheduled event.
What is included in the kitchen rental fee?
The use of the kitchen for the time period specified
A mashgiach or kitchen supervisor to be present during the cooking.
The use of Centre kitchen equipment (call for list
Are there other fees or expenses we will incur for self-catering?
Yes, there are several other fees besides the kitchen rental for which you will be responsible:
- The rental fee for the room in which your event will be held. Call for current room rental rates.
- The cost of serving staff you hire to staff your event. If you are not hiring Germantown kitchen staff, there will be an additional charge of $60 for a GJC kitchen supervisor for a 6-hour period
- Flowers, decorations, paper goods (or glassware/dishes rentals), linens or paper tablecloths
- Gratuities to serving staff and maintenance staff are appreciated
What responsibilities (other than financial) do we have?
You are expected to keep the Marcus kitchen & its equipment in good order. If equipment is broken during use, the mashgiach/kitchen supervisor should be notified. If items are broken during use, the Managing Director will decide if you are liable and if so, the amount you should pay to replace or repair the broken item(s).
You will be responsible for the clean up of the kitchen after its use. All equipment must be washed and returned to its proper location. Sinks, stove, tabletops and ovens must be left clean. The kitchen floor should be swept and damp mopped before leaving. Garbage should be bagged and left on the freight elevator. There are recycling containers in the kitchen for glass and cans.
Additional charges will be incurred if the kitchen is not left in as good a condition as it was found. The mashgiach/kitchen supervisor will ask you to sign out as you are leaving. He or she will note any problem areas on that sign out sheet.
You are responsible for conforming to traditional Jewish custom, ritual and law including the observance of Shabbat/Jewish Holidays and adherence to the laws of kashrut--please see our Kashrut Guidelines under Welcome...Facilities...Kashrut Guidelines. The Centre has policies for times by which food, flowers & decorations must arrive on Fridays. Check with the Managing Director as to exact times.
Taking on responsibility for self-catering your event includes planning for appropriate numbers of serving staff to ensure that the event runs smoothly and efficiently. The Managing Director or a member of the Catering Committee may be able to help you determine an appropriate staffing level.
What responsibility does the synagogue have to us?
The Centre has the responsibility of having the kitchen ready for you during the time designated. We cannot guarantee exclusive use of the space, though we will make every effort to accommodate your space and storage needs.
It is Centre Catering’s responsibility to see that all the equipment on the attached list is available for your use. If items will not be available, they have the responsibility of providing you with an amended list at least one week before your kitchen use.
Centre maintenance staff is responsible for setting up the room in which your event will be held. Two weeks prior to your event, you should submit your specific floor plan to the Managing Director and speak with her about the exact arrangement you desire. This will help to ensure that the set-up occurs according to your plan.
The Centre has the obligation of helping to resolve problems that arise during the self-catering process. During the actual use of the kitchen, problems should be brought to the attention of the on site mashgiach/kitchen supervisor. If there is a maintenance problem, contact the Maintenance Supervisor (215) 844-1507, x11. If there is any other type of problem, contact the Managing Director at (215) 844-1507 extension 12.
What does the mashgiach/kitchen supervisor do?
The mashgiach/kitchen supervisor helps to insure that the laws of kashrut are observed. He or she will guide you toward appropriate parts of the kitchen and utensils etc.
The mashgiach is not there to lend “hands on” assistance with the food preparation or do the clean up. If that additional assistance is desired, however, he or she can be hired for an additional $28 for the 4-hour block of time. Any time beyond the first 4 hours will be prorated. If you would like to hire the mashgiach/kitchen supervisor
for “hands-on” help, you must notify the Managing Director ahead of time.
Is there any help available as we try to plan our event?
Basically, it is your responsibility to plan your event (i.e., develop the menus, figure out necessary quantities, rent linens, purchase paper goods, decorations, arrange music & delivery of food, etc.). However, the synagogue would like to be as supportive to you as possible. The Managing Director has a list of Centre members who have previously self-catered an event who are willing to speak with you. The co-chairs of the Catering Committee are available to answer questions about procedures and to help resolve difficulties you may encounter.
Additionally, for no charge, Centre Catering will speak with self-caterers who would like ideas about room set up and will assist in designing the floor plan diagram. If you would like their help in this area, it is recommended that you contact them at least four weeks prior to your event. They can be reached at the synagogue, (215) 844-1507 ext. 25. Fine-tuning of your set-up needs can be arranged closer to the date of your event.
If you would like to have a professional consultation with Centre Catering for assistance with menu and/or quantity planning, they are available at the rate of $50/hour with a one-hour minimum. Contact them directly to make those arrangements.
Are there any rules about buying ingredients?
All ingredients, with the exception of fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh fish, must have one of the approved kosher symbols. Meat must be bought from a kosher butcher (call for a list of Kosher establishments). Prepared foods may be brought in from a kosher establishment from the list as well.
The synagogue adheres to the standard for purchase of fresh fish that is recommended by the Rabbincal Assembly’s mashgiach. Fish must be purchased either from a market that sells fish under the supervision of a mashgiach (call for list of Kosher establishments) or from a vendor who has entered into an agreement with the Catering Committee to take special measures while preparing the fish. These two vendors have agreed to use a specially designated knife and cutting board, which you would have to pick up from the synagogue and bring to the vendor. Please contact the Managing Director to discuss this further.
A list of approved fish vendors appears is available in the office.
Any fish found on the list (at the bottom of the page) of non-kosher fish may not be brought into the synagogue. If you have questions about the kashrut of a particular fish, feel free to call either of the co-chairs of the Catering Committee.
In order to maintain strict adherence to the laws of kashrut, the ingredients you buy must be checked over by the mashgiach/kitchen supervisor prior to the start of your cooking. Contact Centre Catering (215-844-1507 ext. 25) at least a week before your event to arrange a time to deliver your food to the synagogue. If you deliver the ingredients three days before your scheduled cooking time, they will be looked over before you arrive. Should there be a problem with anything, the mashgiach/kitchen supervisor will call you at least 24 hours before your cooking time to notify you.
Where can we purchase items in bulk quantities?
Places like Sam’s Club and B.J.’s sell items in large quantities. Decorative paper goods can be purchased from party stores and plain ones from Sam’s Club or B.J.’s.
Are there items that we might not think to bring with us to the kitchen?
The equipment list at the bottom of this page indicates the kitchen equipment available for your use. However, the kitchen will not have aluminum foil or plastic wrap, paper towels, dishtowels, storage containers or large aluminum foil pans.
Our kashrut policies do not permit you to bring in any personal utensils with you. If there are items that you must have for your preparations, you can contact the synagogue director to check if it is possible to have those items made available. If the Catering Committee cannot supply those items, you would have to purchase them new and bring them into the kitchen in unopened packages. The mashgiach/kitchen supervisor will inspect them with your ingredients.
It makes for a more pleasant experience to bring a boom box and music. You may want to consider bringing some packaged, kosher snacks for your volunteer kitchen helpers.
How many friends/family should we bring to help with the preparations?
That depends on the menu you have planned and the complexity of the dishes. Plan out in advance what you will need volunteers to do and plan your numbers accordingly. Factor in that it is helpful to have one or two people around to wash dishes throughout the course of your preparations. In general, do not plan on having more than 10 – 12 people in the kitchen at any one time.
Are there dishes and flatware available for us to use at our event?
If you decide that you would like to use dishes and flatware instead of paper goods at your event, there are two sources from which you can rent them: Centre Catering (at (215) 844-1507 ext. 25) or Continental Rental & Sales (215) 849-2400. If renting from Continental, only their glass dishes and stemware may be rented. Flatware service for 175 is available from the GJC Women’s Club. Arrange for rental through GJC Managing Director. Non-disposable dishes/flatware must be left clean. Your family has the option to wash dishes yourselves or hire kitchen staff to do so.
From where can we rent table linens?
You may go to any supplier of your choice. For your convenience, the Managing Director has a set of sample swatches and price list from Choice Party Linens, a company who will accept a phone credit card order. They will deliver linens to the synagogue and pick up the dirty linens after your event.
A final comment:
The members of the Catering Committee hope that your experience with self-catering is a very positive and enjoyable one for you. We encourage you to give us thorough and honest feedback about your experience as a way of helping us continue to refine our procedures. |
