The Donut Man
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The Details:
915 East Route 66
Glendora, CA 91740
Phone: (626) 335-9111
Fan page on Facebook
Open 24/7
Fresh, In-Season Strawberries
Most fruits and vegetables are available at supermarkets year-round, and it has been that way since I was a little kid. I’ll admit that until I was in my mid-20s I didn’t know which foods were in-season at any given time. I was aware that fresh foods have seasons, but I thought that the concept was outdated and didn’t matter anymore. Well, it does matter. Big time. Take strawberries for example. When they are in-season (which is right now, in case you were wondering), strawberries are sweet, juicy, plentiful, and cheap. At any other time of the year, they are normally pretty bland, and you pay a premium for the privilege of eating subpar fruit. Strawberries only ripen on the vine, so once they are picked they only have a few days before they spoil. It’s a good thing that The Donut Man in Glendora cranks through hundreds of strawberry donuts every day this time of year.
Unlike most donut shops, The Donut Man uses only fresh strawberries. Unlike most donut shops that use frozen or canned fruit, owner Jim Nakano has been doing it this way since he bought the place in the 1970s. These aren’t the typical strawberry-filled variety you’ll find at most pastry shops. These monsters are crammed full of whole fresh strawberries swimming in a gooey strawberry glaze. They take fillable, pocket-style donuts and split them in half lengthwise. Then they cram them so full of fresh strawberries that they look like clam shells displaying a shimmering, red mound of succulent fruit.
Not only were the folks at The Donut Man willing to chat about the strawberry donuts, which is remarkable considering that they surely have been doing so nonstop for the past few weeks, they even invited me inside the door to take some better photos. These folks are good people. Even better, they make awesome pastries. Yes, the strawberry donuts are amazing. But so are the apple fritters (but not better than Bob’s Coffee and Doughnuts) and the cinnamon rolls. Finally, it’s on Route 66, and that’s just cool.
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