Breadsmith Artisan Bread in Warson Woods will become kosher certified and open a satellite shop at Kohn’s Deli in Creve Coeur.

The conversion of Breadsmith’s equipment from non-kosher to kosher, which will be supervised by the local Vaad Hoeir, will take place in mid-March, with a tentative date of March 14 for the opening at Kohn’s. The Vaad will continue to regularly inspect the Warson Woods bread shop once the kosher operation gets underway. All of Breadsmith’s products will be Pareve – neither dairy nor meat – and Pas Yisroel – products that are cooked or baked with participation by a Jew.

” This decision took us a while to make,” said Duane Johnson, who along with his wife, Kay, has owned Breadsmith at 10031 Manchester Road for 12 years. “But as a franchise, we have a lot of experience with kosher in other markets. We tested our products using kosher recipes and found that the taste and quality didn’t change. We did blind tests with our customers and they couldn’t taste a difference.

“If there had been meaningful differences in our products, we wouldn’t have done this. There is no way we would compromise the quality of our product.”

The news comes in the wake of the closing earlier this month of Pratzel’s Bakery – an institution in both the local Jewish and general communities for nearly a century. Pratzel’s was the only independent kosher bakery in the St. Louis area and operated its retail business out of Kohn’s. Owner Ronnie Pratzel has said while the retail side of the business remained strong, his wholesale operation had decreased by 15 to 20 percent in recent years.

Johnson explained that in becoming kosher, Breadsmith will use non-trans fat margarine and soy milk in place of dairy products such as butter and buttermilk. “Our signature country butter top bread will become country white bread but the taste and flavor will not change. We don’t ever use preservatives. In the case of many of our breads, including French, Italian and six-grain, nothing changes at all.”

Breadsmith has about 35 franchise locations throughout the country, a handful of which are kosher, including South Bend, Ind.; Skokie, Ill. and all three of its shops in Minnesota. Johnson said customers can expect most – but not all – of the dozens of items that Breadsmith carries to be at Kohn’s, including many types of bread, muffins, cookies, scones and dessert loaves. “We’ll see what customers want and adjust, but we’ll offer a great variety,” said Johnson, adding that of course, Kohn’s will have plenty of Breadsmith challah on hand, “especially on Fridays.”

Lenny Kohn, owner of Kohn’s, said he is “excited” about the new partnership. “I’ve gotten a lot of feedback from my customers about how wonderful the kosher Breadsmith products are,” said Kohn. “One lady told me how she buys 15 loaves of their zucchini bread when she visits the shop in Skokie.

“I know their bread is going to make my sandwiches better because it’s so delicious,” he added. “It’s really exciting and it’s a load off my back.”

Kohn said that his daughter, Danielle, who is involved in the catering side of Kohn’s business, will fill in some of the pastry gaps ADD COMMA making iced cakes and pastries that Breadsmith does not supply. Kohn’s also will deliver two kosher soups daily to Breadsmith in Warson Woods.

Rabbi Zvi Zuravin, executive director of the local Vaad, said he is very pleased about Breadsmith’s decision to go kosher.

“Breadsmith is known for its high quality bread and other baked goods and it is reasonably priced. Everything is made from scratch,” he said. “This is a bonus for the community.”

Johnson said Breadsmith products can be found at about 30 restaurants, country clubs and hotels throughout the St. Louis area as well as all Straub’s Markets. The Warson Woods store will keep its same hours – 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. The store can continue to stay open on Saturday because while it is kosher, the Johnsons are not Jewish and therefore are not obligated to obey the Sabbath.

Robin Rickerman, who runs the kosher Herky’s Café at the J’s Staenberg Family Complex, said Breadsmith products would be available there as well.