Donuts

I’ve just been looking through John T. Edge’s latest, Donuts: An American Passion. Despite the fact that there are no North Carolina places listed in his “Black Book of Donut Shops” (the closest place to us is Mulligan’s in suburban Atlanta), that hardly means we’re suffering a donut deficiency here. Of course, everyone knows that North Carolina is home to the headquarters of Krispy Kreme, but we can also be proud of the Tar Heel roots of the Doughnut Plant, which is currently producing some of the most delectable donuts in New York City.

The Doughnut Plant was started in 1994 by the grandson of Herman Isreal, who operated the College Pastry Shop in Greensboro for decades. The store on Tate Street was a popular hangout for students from Women’s College from the 1930s through the 1960s. Isreal’s grandson came across the recipe for the donuts in the early 1990s, made a batch, and before long people throughout New York were discovering what students and alumna of Women’s College had known for years: these donuts were something special. The whole story is on the Donut Plant website.

Since the Doughnut Plant seems to be doing well these days, I think it’s time the owners honored their roots and opened a branch back in North Carolina. It doesn’t necessarily have to be in Greensboro. Something in my neighborhood would be just fine.