An infrared thermometer, a pair of arm-length heat resistant gloves, a water kettle and maybe a salad spinner.
These are some of the tools Bruce Daniels might use on an average day on the kosher beat. It’s hard to imagine the Vaad without the sure presence of our long-time mashgiach, field representative, consultant and all-round professional.
The Vaad HaKashruth of Kansas City predates Bruce’s role as a senior inspector, but not by much. Some might remember the early days of the Vaad, when its activities were limited, and local community rabbis conducted routine inspections at some bakeries and nearby facilities. As demand for kosher certification grew it became apparent that a dedicated professional was needed to keep up with our accounts and provide kosher expertise at communal events. A former cop, Officer Daniels was no stranger to compliance, and he was a natural fit for the enforcement of kosher regulations.
In every field and every workplace there is acceptable and there is exceptional. When seeking an attorney, they say that a good lawyer knows the law, but a great lawyer knows the judge. This makes all the difference in court. In the certification business an inspector is much more successful when there is a relationship with the client. If you were a fly on the wall observing Bruce conduct a routine inspection you might wonder whether an inspection is taking place at all. Chances are you would see a lot of camaraderie and maybe some friendly teasing – going both directions.
On occasion you might see the owner or quality assurance manager excited to show off a new piece of equipment or an improvement to the inventory system. But throughout the visit Bruce keeps a sharp eye to note any changes that might affect the kosher program in the factory. A full review of ingredients that enter the plant, the flow of production, segregation of dairy and pareve on the lines, through to packaging and labeling, is a lot to take in during a visit. Bruce’s experienced eye and affable manner makes it look easy.
Over the years Bruce has worked with many event spaces, helping to enable kosher dinners, galas, BBQs, kosher restaurant nights and family simchas. Probably half the chefs in town have worked with Bruce at one time or another, and they enjoy reminiscing about the challenges of adjusting to kosher requirements under Bruce’s helpful and firm guidance.
Hazards come with any job, be it carpal tunnel, falling objects or burns from hot equipment. Vaad work magnanimously offers opportunities for all hazards. Bruce has been the Vaad’s go-to man for difficult kosherization of equipment. Some items can be kashered by sterilizing them in a kettle of boiling water. Try kashering flatware in a 50-gallon steam kettle for 650 guests while staying free of any burns. And the blowtorch. What could possibly go wrong when using a 20-pound propane tank and an industrial torch?
The effects of these hazards are not limited to human victims. The various kitchen facilities at The J bear witness to the gentle hands Bruce applied over the years while kashering for Passover. There is a great opportunity for a scavenger hunt on the campus, with the objective of identifying all the burn marks around the edges of equipment, semi melted rubber pipes and silicone sealant that became disfigured from Bruce’s torch. Some might call it pyromania, but come on, we know better…
Commercial kitchens have systems installed that are designed to suppress and contain fires. Mendel Segal, former director of the Vaad, recalls when Bruce tripped the sprinkler system while kashering at an event space in the P&L District. The BRGR that was under Vaad supervision was drenched. On another occasion, while kashering a warming cabinet at a downtown hotel, the heat melted the temperature gauge, prompting a $1,500 repair bill to the Vaad. Jeff Goldenberg, then president of the Vaad board, had a sage and philosophical reaction, noting, “this is the price of doing business.”
Professionalism? Well, usually Bruce is the consummate professional, but not when it impedes customer service. Vaad board member Greg Quin remembers a time when multiple families jointly ordered some meat. The meat arrived in one big piece, not divided in portions. Bruce took the box home, sliced the meat in his kitchen and schlepped it all to the old kosher Subway where he weighed out the meat, apportioning it equally for the families who participated in the order. Bruce doesn’t remember this specific story, but when it came up in a conversation he shrugged and replied with a grin, “sounds like something I would do.”
After more than two decades of service to the Vaad, Bruce is taking a well-deserved retirement. This doesn’t mean the end of his work with the Vaad. No doubt we will call upon Bruce, needing his expertise to assist us with an event, or to connect to a client with whom Bruce has the relationship and experience built over decades. However, the Vaad will have to learn to manage day-to-day without the constant presence of its most stalwart personnel.
This is an end of an era for the Vaad, and we wish to express gratitude for the many years of dedicated service during which the Vaad operated on Bruce’s broad and generous shoulders.
