What's the problem with Lawrence village's kosher restaurant?

Following a contract review, the Village of Lawrence has closed the doors of MG Craft Kitchen, a kosher restaurant at the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club, which led to a livelier-than-usual village board meeting last week.

The village, which owns and operates the club, sent an email to residents on Aug. 6, informing them of the situation.

“MG Kitchen is not a landlord-tenant relationship,” Village Administrator Gerry Castro wrote. “It is a Licensing Agreement to operate Village property. As with all of our Village Licensing Agreements, insurance requirements are mandatory. It was discovered that MG Craft Kitchen — operating since April 1st 2024 — never submitted proof of the required insurance.”

On July 16, after village officials learned of the lack of insurance declarations and endorsements, they sent the restaurant a non-compliance notice, requesting the necessary documents, and MG Craft Kitchen responded by sending the documents to the village’s insurance consultant for review, Castro wrote. He added that some of the businesses insurance coverage was insufficient, and other coverage that it needed did not exist.

On July 18, the village gave the restaurant 48 hours to produce evidence of the necessary coverage, but received no response. Then, on Aug. 2, the village issued MG Craft Kitchen a cease-and-desist order, which was ignored, forcing the village to close the restaurant, Castro wrote.

When the village emailed the letter to residents on Aug. 6, it had received neither proof of the required insurance nor evidence of Workers Compensation and state disability coverage, Castro continued.

On Aug. 15, the village sent another email to residents, informing them of a request for proposal for kosher caterers at the country club.

“As the Village looks ahead to enhance the features and opportunities within the community for residents as well as non-residents,” Castro wrote in last week’s email, “the Village seeks to bring diversity and expand the service choices within the food and beverage department of the Lawrence Yacht and Country Club.”

The club currently features Greenview, the house caterer, and glatt kosher caterers Chap-A-Nosh, of Cedarhurst, and Saffron Culinary.

Kevin Dudleston, the club’s general manager, declined to comment on MG Craft Kitchen’s future at the facility.

At the village board meeting on Aug. 15, Philip Ettedgui, of Lawrence, spoke in opposition to the closure of the eatery.

“I don’t understand why you have to ruin a local business like MG restaurant,” Ettedgui said. “They’re a good business. A lot of people come there. We support them, and suddenly you close them for some stupid insurance reason.”

Castro reiterated his explanation in the Aug. 6 email.

Lawrence village Mayor Samuel Nahmias said that the village had every intention of working the MG Craft Kitchen matter out.

Abraham David, the attorney representing the restaurant, said that some policies addressed in the village letter had been resolved. “As we sit here tonight, the doors should be open,” David said. “We understand that the village wants MG Craft to go above and beyond, and we’re willing to do that.”

Nahmias asked David if he had spoken with the village attorney, Steven Losquadro, who was not at the meeting, and David said that he had.

“I’m not an attorney that’s going to sit there and tell you what the differences of opinions are,” Nahmias said. “It wouldn’t be my place, and it wouldn’t be right for you to come and just dictate your point without him being here to represent to the people what really is our point of view.”

Some of the attendees held signs in support of reopening the restaurant.

Before the facility’s opening in April, former Deputy Mayor Paris Popack, wrote an article for The Jewish Home, a weekly publication focused on community news, on the benefit of having a kosher eatery at the LYCC.

“The Park Commission and Board of Trustees (BOT) originally wanted to convert the existing non-kosher snack shop to kosher with the goal of having meal options for all to enjoy,” Popack wrote. “After resistance from certain membership, we chose to build a kosher facility so all members could be served.”

Michoel Hayes, the restaurant’s general manager, responded to a request for comment by referring the Herald to their attorney’s, Berg & David PLLC, who had no update as of press time.

Have an opinion on the MG Craft Kitchen situation? Send a letter to jbessen@liherald.com.