All of our baked goods are certified kosher by DCKosher. Kosher certification indicates that the ingredients and baking process are supervised to ensure that the products are produced in accordance with Jewish dietary law.
All of our products, except for our breads, are certified kosher dairy. This means that they either contain dairy products, or are produced in proximity to dairy products and should therefore be treated as being dairy from a Jewish perspective. Our breads are pareve, which means that they contain neither meat nor any dairy products, and are baked separately from dairy items.
How are you open on Saturday while being a kosher establishment?
Penina Randolph is Jewish and the driving force behind getting kosher certification. Penina, who is the general manager, is on site daily, does not work on Shabbat, nor is she an owner of the business. Penina’s in-laws, Marc and Deborah Randolph along with Cindy McLachlan are the original and current owners of PbR and are not Jewish therefore PBR is not bound to the laws regarding Shabbat observance.
How can you use beef gelatin and still be kosher dairy?
This is a complex concept and we follow the OU’s adherence to the laws regarding kosher gelatin.
“This special kosher gelatin is made exclusively from the skins of kosher ritually slaughtered cows. Strikingly, this variety of beef-derived gelatin is considered pareve, and may even be combined with dairy ingredients! Although kosher laws are very strict concerning the segregation of milk and meat, the processing of these hides renders them pareve. Therefore, even kosher milk chocolate delicacies can be made with kosher beef gelatin. Orthodontists of the world rejoice: every sticky gummy treat is now available to the kosher consumer.”— OU
The brand gelatin we use is called Fit Gelatin. More about their OU-Certified Kosher Gelatin can be found on their website.
Is everything in the store certified kosher?
Yes, everything is certified kosher.
Which items have dairy?
All items may be baked with other dairy products and should be considered dairy. We do have items that do not contain any dairy ingredients like our Zucchini Bread, Plain Coconut Macaroon, and certain candied nuts or dark chocolate barks. However, we still label them with a dairy sticker out of caution.
Do you have any Pareve items?
All of our items are made using the same equipment. Our bread items are the only items that do not contain any dairy and are baked without any dairy in the oven at the same time. Our bread should be considered Dairy Equipment.
Are you kosher for Passover?
No, we are not certified kosher at all during the 8 days of Passover. We have a variety of flourless items but they are made with the same equipment and in the same environment as flour, yielding them not kosher for Passover.