Chubby Chickpea Has Renounced Its Kosher Designation

Three years after becoming the first Boston-area food truck to go fully kosher, the Chubby Chickpea announced today it will forego its kosher certification under KVH, effective immediately.

In a press release, owner Avi Shemtov said the decision is in response to a shifting dining landscape. "We chose to go Kosher three years ago when we recognized a lack of options for Kosher diners and felt it was a gap we had a responsibility to fill," he said. Now, "we feel the needs of our diners are different." The press release doesn't elaborate.

Renouncing the certification will not affect Chubby Chickpea's menu, for those who do not keep kosher. The decision will not affect the company's schedule or appearance, though Shemtov said it will allow the brand to expand its weekend hours and bring our modern Middle Eastern food to an even wider audience.

When the company made the decision to go kosher, Shemtov told Eater the target market went beyond practicing Jews. The kosher designation would appeal "also [to] vegetarians, those who want to eat organic, those who care about high food sanitation standards," he said.

"In these past years, we have been grateful to be accepted within, and participate in, the Jewish community. As the Kosher leader of New England, the KVH has always been extremely kind and helpful to us and we would like to thank them for all of their support, even in this time of transition. Rabbi Zalman Krems, who was instrumental in our decision to become a Kosher food establishment, has been a true friend to our company, and there is no one in the Kosher world whom we hold in higher regard," Shemtov said.

Meanwhile, another chickpea-friendly food truck and restaurant group, Clover, recently certified its menu kosher with the help of Rabbi Barry Dollinger of Congregation Beth Shalom in Providence, R.I.