Bergen Rabbinical Council Will Cut Contracts With Accused Chef

TEANECK, NJ —The Rabbinical Council of Bergen County will no longer supervise the kashrut (Jewish food laws) at restaurants owned by a chef accused of sexual assault and child endangering.

Shalom Yehudiel was arrested last week on charges he sexually assaulted a child younger than 16 multiple times in Teaneck.

Yehudiel owns The Humble Toast, a Jewish deli, and La Cucina Di Nava, an Italian restaurant, in Teaneck. He appeared on the Food Network show "Chopped" in 2020, the first contestant to fully commit to kosher cooking.

The Rabbinical Council of Bergen County sent a notice earlier this month, saying it would not renew its contract to make sure food preparation at Yehudiel's restaurants are kosher.

Asher Lovy posted that notice to Twitter on Thursday. Lovy directs ZA'AKAH, an organization "committed to fighting Child Sexual Abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community by organizing, educating, and advocating for legislative reforms."

The contract with Humble Toast ends Oct. 1 of this year, and the contract with La Cucina Di Nava ends Jan. 1, 2023.

In 2021, two women accused Yehudiel of sexual assault and harassment in civil lawsuits.

A former waitress and hostess of The Humble Toast filed the first lawsuit in December 2020 and alleged the chef abused her between October 2018 and May 2019, according to the lawsuit. She was 17 years old at the time, the lawsuit said.

A second woman sued Yehudiel in January, alleging that Yehudiel assaulted her at her Orthodox Jewish synagogue when she was 15 starting in November or December of 2016, according to the suit. The assaults continued until 2018, according to the lawsuit.

This past December, the Rabbinical Council decided to keep supervising food preparation at the restaurants as long as Yehudiel was not present.