This Friday, June 4th will be National Donut Day. Donuts or Doughnuts, either way you spell them are my favorite treat. There are13 great South Florida donut makers, as well as others scattered throughout the state, including one in Key West. These are besides the two national brands, Dunkin Donuts and Krispy Kreme Donuts.
MY CONSTANT SUPPLY OF DONUTS
Growing up in Brooklyn, N.Y. in the 40’s I had a constant supply of donuts. My father at that time, after the war, was working for the Jo-Lo Company located in Manhattan. The major product that they created was donut flour. They produced tons of donut flour every day, and shipped it to the various bakeries, like Silver Cup. Of course, before they could ship it, they had to test every batch they made, by what else, baking dozens and dozens of donuts. Not only did they test the plain donuts that they baked, but they coated dozens of donuts, with chocolate, sugar glaze, cinnamon, and of course powdered sugar. The best part was, they allowed the employees to take home as many donuts as they wanted. My father would come home with several dozen plain donuts to share with our neighbors, and a ten-pound bag of powdered sugar. He also brought home, large pieces of the semi-sweet chocolate that they used. The chocolate came in large slabs, six feet long, by three feet wide. The other product that they made, was the syrup for the frozen popsicles. We made our own, by using an ice-cube tray.
ONLY ONE DONUT A DAY
You would think that I had an unlimited supply of treats. Unfortunately, my father was a health food nut. Everything he, and the family ate was healthy, and in moderation. So, it was only one donut per day, after dinner. I remember, he approached the company with a new idea. Combine chocolate with plain yogurt, which he loved. They didn’t think it would sell. So much for foresight. When I was in scouting, before an overnight trip, my father would supply the troop with dozens of donuts. Boy, was I a popular scout!
