Wheels of fortune

Kurt Landry knows the power of donuts. It’s Monday morning, and the Baton Rouge pharmaceutical sales rep has stopped off at Thee Heavenly Donut on South Sherwood Forest Boulevard before making the rounds to area physicians. He’s greeted warmly as he orders four dozen, each box an even split between glazed and chocolate. He doesn’t dabble in cake-style, jelly- or cream-filled, but sticks to the steady duo most associated with this timeless morning pastry.

“I like the basics,” Landry says. “I think it’s better to keep it simple and not give too many choices. Everybody’s happy.” Impeccably dressed, Landry leaves with the tower of boxes—currency, really—as he makes his rounds. Doors open quicker when he has a dozen donuts in hand.

The Capital City loves its donuts. There are more than 20 shops in the area, a number that has grown steadily in recent years. Scattered throughout Baton Rouge, donut shops generally draw loyal customers from their neighborhoods. The faithful return regularly to fetch boxes for Scout troops, church groups, offices, overnight parties, sales calls and Saturday mornings. Perhaps that’s what has helped donuts hold steady during economic downturns and fad diets, says Jay’s Donuts owner Jay Lindsey, adding that unlike other mom-and-pop stores, donut shops have withstood being swallowed by big box retailers.

“It’s not something Wal-Mart does well,” he says. “When you want a donut, you want it fresh and hot. You want to know that it was made on site.”

Thee Heavenly Donut owner Catherine Estilette agrees.

“Our donuts are here today and gone today,” says Estilette, who began her career as a teenager at Meche’s Donuts in Lafayette, the forebear for Thee Heavenly Donuts. “We don’t fool with day-old donuts.”

While every donut is composed of the same simple ingredients—flour, water, yeast and sugar—the result varies, sometimes dramatically, from store to store. Perhaps the most recognizable franchise in the region, Mary Lee, produces a donut lighter than most, with a gossamer texture and flaky bits of sweet glaze. Krispy Kreme donuts, which still roll off the conveyer belt on Plank Road, are known for their tidy, uniform layer of sugary glaze that cracks and gives way to soft fried dough. Thee Heavenly Donuts are slightly chewy and not too sweet. Baum’s are light and airy, while Jay’s are slightly spongy. Central Donut Shop’s bountiful, sugary glaze wins fans, and many will tell you Port Allen Bakery, temptingly close to downtown Baton Rouge, trumps all others with its luscious texture. Mikey’s dominates the landscape in North Baton Rouge, and Wholly Donuts makes not only tender twists and donuts, but like other shops, features kolaches (modified pigs-in-the-blanket) and year-round king cakes.

Jay Lindsey has been around donuts most of his life. His father owned several Downyflake Donut stores in New Orleans and Baton Rouge. In 1972, while studying at LSU, Lindsey launched his own shop at Cedarcrest Avenue and Airline Highway. He eventually moved to his current location on O’Neal Lane. Lindsey has watched the industry for years, and believes the donut business is not for everyone.

“It’s labor intensive, low-profit and location is everything,” he says. He should know. Set to lose his shop due to the widening of O’Neal Lane, he’s looking hard for another corner to replicate his years of success. “A corner is where you want to be,” he says.

Jay’s has all the trappings of an authentic donut shop: an honest vibe, a few colorful booths and signs that transmit a stripped-down discourse on life. The message “Get off the phone” hangs above the counter. But such directness is earned. Donut shop owners arrive for work at 2 a.m. or earlier to begin the multi-step process of mixing, proofing and frying dough in time for the opening bell at 4 or 5 a.m.

“You have to be a person who gets up early,” says Estilette who just opened a second Thee Heavenly Donut at Highland Road and I-10. “More than that, you need to be someone who functions well in the morning.”

But for donut makers like Estilette and Lindsey, it’s all worth it when their sweet creations roll out into Baton Rouge and open doors by the dozen.