Corn’s Kosher Deli is being sued by an Illinois food distributor for about $150,000 in unpaid bills. The deli is one of the few kosher butchers, grocers and caterers in the area.
Kosher food retailer Mid Town Distribution filed the lawsuit against Bake Corns LLC, a company formed by Yehuda Kestenbaum and Avraham Blum, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois on June 27.
The distributors allege that Cornes failed to and refused to pay $149,345 for the sale and delivery of goods to a kosher deli, butcher, bakery, grocery store and catering business in Creve Coeur. The lawsuit details about two dozen unpaid transactions from March and April.
“Despite being aware of their obligation to pay the outstanding balances, Corns and Kestenbaum failed to pay,” the complaint states.
Earlier this month, Corn’s Kosher Deli, the area’s last old-fashioned deli, closed. Vard Heuer of St. Louis, which certifies Corn’s kosher, issued a statement on July 9 saying, “Vard feels a strong need for fresh kosher meats, kosher catering and kosher restaurants in St. Louis.”
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The statement said individuals are working to reopen Cornes, but that “a number of practical and legal issues need to be resolved by the parties involved.”
Kestenbaum and Vaad Whale’s rabbi, Zvi Zravin, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Kohn’s Kosher Deli is located at 10405 Old Olive Street Road.
Holocaust survivors Simon and Bobby Cone founded Cone’s in 1963. The Cones’ adult children, Renee Cone and Rosemary Cone Cooper, ran the business until 2022, when new owners took over.
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