May 27 2006
Crowning a new King of Doughnuts
For the last five years I believed the best doughnut ever was a hot, fresh Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut. While living in North Carolina I’d drive 45 minutes just for a Krispy Kreme doughnut.
But this morning I am now crowning a new king of dougnnuts. This honor goes to a local joint, Spalding’s Bakery. Not only are Spalding’s doughnuts tastier than Krispy Kreme, but the over all experience of buying doughnuts is definition of local.
The bakery has been around since 1929 and just recently reopened in a new spot in Lexington, but it still has some of it’s original materials, including display cases and cash register. The bakery opens at 6:30am, when I arrived at 6:50 and the line was already wrapped around the building; so I stood in line with everyone else to wait for my turn.
Standing in line, I started talking with other locals asking questions about this new place versus the old place (most believe the old place made better doughnuts). And when I say locals I mean it; the four people I talked to were a city council member, a retired school teacher, a local bus driver, and a farmer (who recently moved 30minutes away but drove back just for the doughnuts).
After waiting outside for 20minutes, I finally got inside the small bakery to see the sparsely decorated bakery. A few pictures on the wall of the old bakery, two of the original display cases, and a counter with the old cash register is all that’s inside. No boards staing what they sell and for how much-everyone knows the price (fifty cents per doughnut).
Another 15 minutes inside and I finally got to the counter where I was helped by the daughter of the original owner! She explained to a couple customeres that her two daughters and grand-daughters were also helping in the back area as well- a true family business.
As for the doughnuts, oh the doughnuts. Warm, crispy, airy, and slightly chewy (not rubbery), I ate two in the car on the way home. Was waiting 45 minutes for doughnuts worth it? Yes, and I’ll do it again soon.
[tags]Krispy Kreme, Spalding’s Bakery, Doughnuts[/tags]