National Donut Day-Baltimore

Whole Foods Chocolate Nutella-Filled Donut. AEC 2014.

People that know me know that I love donuts...and doughnuts! ;-) So, when that first Friday of June rolls around, I get a little too excited about National Donut Day. Since I have recently moved to Baltimore, I'm taking this as an opportunity to explore some local spots that claim to have the best of one of my favorite culinary confections...donuts.

What's the story behind National Donut Day? The Salvation Army put on the first celebration in 1938 to raise funds during the Great Depression and recognize the contribution of the brave female volunteers who worked to bring soldiers the comforts of home right on the frontlines during World War I. Scarce resources cut out a lot of dessert options, but they had just what they needed to make donuts. Many credit the "donut lassies" for propelling donuts to the level of popularity that we see today.

Now, how am I going to commemorate this historic occasion? Don't think too hard about it. I will be partaking in as many donut deals as many possible! National chains, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin' Donuts, have some of the most popular promotions. At participating Krispy Kreme locations, you can get any donut for free, while they last. I suggest the new Brownie Batter or Cake Batter varieties. Their versions smashed their competitors. It had to be said. Dunkin' Donuts is offering a free donut with the purchase of a beverage. I wish you could do something akin to a buy one get one free donut deal. I'm not a fan of their novelty beverages.

So, I'm living in Baltimore, now. DC is so close, yet so far away! Dunkin' Donuts is all over, but I'd have to trek all the way to DC to get a free Krispy Kreme. Yeah, I've done it! Royal Farms has a pretty righteous Krispy Kreme selection at all their locations, but I doubt you could score a free one. Don't worry Baltimoreans, I made some calls. Fractured Prune will be offering a free made-to-order donut with purchase. A representative of Diablo Doughnuts said they and their other spot, La Cakerie, would be offering free glazed treats. Word of caution: I seemed to have caught her off guard. It was almost as if I reminded her of National Donut Day. With that, anticipate a deal, but it may not be entirely free.

I was a little disappointed that other good Baltimore spots for donuts didn't have any plans in the works. Dorsey Cakes & Donuts, Fenwick Bakery, and Hoehn's (who has a tasty marshmallow creme-filled donuts) all said they had no plans for National Donut Day.

I hope this gives some folks deeper insight regarding my obsession with donuts. I will be starting my rounds early tomorrow morning. In the meantime, check out Entenmann’s Facebook page. They're donating a buck to the Salvation Army for every person that likes the page, up to $30,000. Shout-out to the donut lassies!

AEC