By Stephen Brook and Kishor Napier-Raman
Much-loved Caulfield North cafe Chocolatine Boutique Patisserie has had fewer customers than usual this week.
The reason? It has fallen foul of Kosher Australia, which has withdrawn its kosher certificate for the cafe in the Melbourne suburb famous for its large Jewish population.
Choclatine has lost its kosher status.Credit: Wayne Taylor
A short social media post by the cafe early last week said that it would discontinue its kosher certification, effective immediately, and apologised for any inconvenience.
This turned out to have pre-empted an announcement by Kosher Australia, who brand themselves “Australia’s most trusted Kosher Certification agency”, which had dispatched a rabbi to raid the cafe and its related factory the weekend before.
The inspection found “clandestine and intentional breaches of Kashrus [Jewish dietary laws], mandating removal of certification”, said a statement from Kosher Australia, adding it had “instructed the cafe to close its doors without delay”.
The agency said it was conducting a full review of the matter and would take steps to further strengthen its oversight.
CBD contacted Kosher Australia and Chocolatine but neither were keen to return our messages.
However, the cafe posted a longer message on Facebook, thanking the local community for its support and referring to the “difficult and painful episode”. The cafe said it had always worked under the supervision of Kosher Australia and had never used non-kosher ingredients in its food.
“At this time, we humbly and sincerely ask Rabbi M. Gutnik and Kosher Australia to re-engage with us. We believe that this entire matter has arisen from a misunderstanding, and we deeply regret the pain and misunderstanding that this has caused.”
Mordechai Gutnick is the Rabbinic Administrator of Kosher Australia, while Rabbi Menachem Sabbach, who was involved in the raid, is the Rabbinic Co-Ordinator. Neither responded to CBD.
The cafe statement also said that “unfortunately in this case, there is a fair bit of politics, disagreement [and] Kosher Australia didn’t play fair with us”.
Hours later, the statement was taken down. Watch this space.
Let’s go clubbing
Good to see Her Excellency, the Honourable Professor Margaret Gardner, out clubbing in Melbourne on Friday. Well, up to a point. The Victorian governor was a guest of honour at a black-tie gala at the Kelvin Club which, for the record, admits both male and female members – something of an anomaly in Melbourne’s private members’ clubland.
Earlier this year, The Guv was made a “distinguished honorary member” of the club, where the president is Su Baker, a professor at the University of Melbourne, and the vice president is former Australian Sex Party MP Fiona Patten.
Governor Margaret Gardner attends the 160th anniversary celebration for the Kelvin Club on Friday. Credit: Renan Goksin
Gardner was on hand on Friday night at an anniversary dinner to launch the official history, Tracing the Kelvin Club Story, by James Nicolas.
The institution, named after scientist and inventor Lord Kelvin, started life as the Fitzroy Bowls Club and has a long history of opening its doors. In 1867, it welcomed the famous all-Aboriginal cricket team, making them honorary club members before they toured England.
Earlier this month, the club staged a medal ceremony for the President of Timor-Leste, José Ramos-Horta.
Friday’s festivities were supervised by club manager and secretary Miss Pearls, previously of rooftop bar Madame Brussels, who runs the club with the assistance of its mascot cavoodle, Goldie Hawn-bags.
Fiona Patten, Wurundjeri elder Jacqui Wandin, Governor Margaret Gardner, Kelvin Club president Su Baker and club secretary Miss Pearls at the anniversary function.Credit: Renan Goksin
On the ball
Federal parliament is back this week (stay with us, please), and Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is set to gain the ascendancy over Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. Well, in one important aspect at least.
Ley, three months into the job, is offering a mystery flight with herself as pilot as a prize in the Parliament House Press Gallery Midwinter Ball charity raffle. In contrast with the PM’s offer of, er, a game of tennis.
Traditionally, the quality of the leaders’ speeches, where they lightly roast assorted journalists, politicians, business executives and each other, are regarded as an inside-the-beltway equivalent of the Resolve Political Monitor about a leaders’ standing and reputation. Poor old Peter Dutton (remember him?) could never quite get the tone right and used to grind everyone’s gears.
Opposition Leader Sussan Ley is offering a prize with altitude.
But this year, Ley’s charity prize could prove more significant, offering a tinge of excitement with “a flight and a lunch you’ll never forget”.
“The leader will take two people on a return flight from Albury or Canberra in her Cessna-182. She will fly you and your guest to a mystery location for a classic Australian pub lunch. Shearing lessons from the leader are optional, but sharing ripping yarns over a cold Australian lager is mandatory.”
Public liability insurance presumably included.
Meanwhile, Albanese is offering a tennis match at the Lodge, with “hospitality and generous refreshments assured for four people”.
Ley’s prize has thus far attracted zero bids. Late on Sunday, Bruce O’Connor bid $5001, a single dollar above the reserve, for the right to play a tennis match with (or against) the PM.
Also still very much up for grabs is the opportunity to be the plus one of independent Senator David Pocock (despite the reserve being $3000 lower) at a dinner in November at Canberra’s QT Hotel to raise funds to employ a “people’s lobbyist” to “advocate on behalf of average punters for a year”. Sounds like quite the night.
No such problems for the Qantas prize of two business class flights to either London or Los Angeles, which has attracted multiple bids and thus far stands at $11,050.
The ball, delayed because of the May election, will be staged in the Great Hall of Parliament House on Wednesday and is once again a sellout.
Wine time
Now that rapist former MP Gareth Ward has finally vacated his old NSW state seat of Kiama – after a brazen and unedifying court battle he embarked on after being convicted – voters on the South Coast have an opportunity to elect a new member of NSW parliament absent of any baggage and scandal.
Liberal candidate Serena Copley.Credit: Janie Barrett
For the Liberals, whom Ward represented before being banished to the cross-bench when first charged, it’s a chance to win back a seat, and test the strength of Mark Speakman’s anaemic leadership. A loss would only heighten the nervous chatter which has trailed the former barrister and attorney-general since day one.
This weekend, the party kicked off candidate Serena Copley’s campaign at Coolangatta Estate Winery, a classic Shoalhaven wedding venue outside of Berry, boasting an $88 local seafood plate, with deputy leader Natalie Ward in attendance.
Already, that triggered grumbling about the bad optics of holding the event at a winery. Out of touch you see, especially after Speakman recently held a community cabinet event in an uber exclusive northern beaches golf club, as CBD reported.
In fact, pollies are probably advised to give wineries a wide berth after some recent cursed moments. During the federal election campaign, Dutton held a widely mocked doorstop to announce funding for airport rail in Melbourne at a winery … that was nowhere near the airport. Liberals, meanwhile, point to former NSW Labor transport minister Jo Haylen’s ill-fated Australia Day long lunch at a winery, to which she was escorted by a ministerial chauffeur.
The message to politicians is clear — stick to bowlos, or maybe an RSL club-cum-pokie den, the type of venue where nobody can question your battler bona fides.
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