Cleveland - Converting The Doughnut Shop To Be Kosher

Ohio - A group of Orthodox Jews in the Mayfield and Richmond roads neighborhood approached Coste of the Amy Joy Donut Shop, and they asked if Coste, a Catholic with Italian roots, would be interested in converting the doughnut shop at 5076 Mayfield Road in Lyndhurst - a place he has run for the past 37 years - into a kosher operation.

Coste talked with his son, Tom, about the change. They decided to do it, so they created Northeast Ohio's first kosher doughnut shop. And the shop also sells kosher coffee and espresso. It soon will carry kosher bagels and ice cream.

"The best thing was, we didn't have to change any of our ingredients," said Coste. "It turns out they were all kosher." But he had to stop serving the breakfast sandwiches that were made with bacon, pork sausage and ham. He had to clean the entire interior of the building - part of the process of becoming a kosher establishment, also the employees no longer can bring in their own lunch - unless, of course, every bit of it is kosher.

"It is amazing, the immediate acceptance of the Jewish community. They've been wonderful," said Coste. The location, he said, has shown an immediate and dramatic increase in sales since it went kosher this Feb.

"People come in and say, 'This is wonderful. We can finally eat things other people are eating," Coste said.