Eat a doughnut today for National Doughnut Day

By KALEA HALL

khall@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

There’s just something about doughnuts. The smell. The taste. The look. The feel.

Sprinkle-topped or cream-filled, and no matter the flavor, doughnuts hit all of the senses.

“We put lots of tender love and care into making sure they look good and they taste good,” said Debbie Pifer, owner of White House Fruit Farm in Canfield.

The tender love and care will go to the extreme today for National Doughnut Day – a holiday made to celebrate all sensational doughnuts.

White House, Plaza Donuts and Dunkin’ Donuts will all have their racks filled with doughnuts for the occasion, prepared to sell more than usual on a Friday.

Plaza, with locations in Liberty, Boardman and Youngstown, will give away a couple of doughnut holes with any purchase.

Participating Dunkin’ locations will offer free classic doughnuts with the purchase of any beverage.

Giant Eagle is also participating with doughnut deals. Customers receive a free doughnut with the purchase of a hot or cold fountain beverage or any size GetGo coffee; six free doughnuts with the purchase of six doughnuts; and one dozen doughnuts free for customers visiting the store dressed like a superhero. A portion of the doughnut proceeds will be donated to The Salvation Army.

“Doughnut day” actually started on the battlefields of France during World War I.

Salvation Army workers would serve coffee and doughnuts to soldiers to cheer them up. National Doughnut Day officially started during the Great Depression to raise funds for the Salvation Army’s social-service programs. Female Salvation Army volunteers were known as “donut lassies” for their work in providing supplies and doughnuts to soldiers.

“Dunkin’ Donuts has been celebrating National Doughnut Day with guests for the past eight years by offering a free donut with the purchase of any beverage, with 2015 as one of the most successful National Doughnut Days in the brand’s history,” the company said in a statement.

White House has a poster for National Doughnut Day up in the window behind the doughnut counter, but the special holiday isn’t much of a big deal for the fruit and vegetable farm store. The doughnuts, especially blueberry with blueberry frosting and the chocolate varieties, fly off of the racks without a holiday.

Before the doors even open today the doughnut makers will have prepared 100 dozen pre-ordered doughnuts for parties including graduations and weddings.

“We sell out every day,” Pifer said.

Right now, White House has a red velvet doughnut topped with a golden icing for the Cleveland Cavaliers during the team’s run in the NBA finals.

Plaza Donuts does experience an increase in business on National Doughnut Day.

“We are making more doughnuts than usual,” said Michael Froomkin, owner of Plaza.

The Plaza Donut cream stick, a chocolate-iced doughnut with homemade cream, is the top seller.

“It’s very unique,” Froomkin said. “It’s one of the original recipes. We opened 53 years ago.”