Icing on top
You decide to treat yourself to something sweet in the morning. The perky woman behind the counter hands you a cup for your coffee, a plate with two icing-topped donuts and…a knife and fork? The iced, powdered and sprinkled deep-fried breakfast item is generally known for being an easy-to-eat finger food, but not at the newly opened Duck Donuts at The Shops at Stonefield. Instead of a thin, glossy layer of sugar glaze that’s been sitting out long enough to solidify, the freshly made icing is globbed on top in a way that’s more reminiscent of cupcake frosting. Toppings like sprinkles are added by the handful, and the donut itself is so soft, fresh from the fryer, that it practically melts in your mouth. Your clean hands and face don’t stand a chance without some silverware.
Owners Rebecca and David Johnson introduced Charlottesville to the made-to-order donut franchise that originated in the Outer banks of North Carolina on Saturday, March 14. Despite being located hours from the coast, the Stonefield store has a decidedly beachy vibe to it—pink and blue decor; framed posters featuring a nautical-looking cartoon duck and sayings like “I don’t do mornings, I do Duck donuts”; shelves lined with rainbows of T-shirts, coffee mugs and Frisbees. Each franchise remains true to its Outer Banks roots (even the coffee comes from that area), regardless of location, and Rebecca Johnson said Charlottesville, despite being in the middle of the state, is a logical city for it.
“So many people here vacation in the Outer Banks and they’re excited to have a Duck Donuts at home now,” she said. “It creates a lot of nostalgia for people.”
What Duck vacationers who are familiar with the shop haven’t seen yet, however, is a menu item that will be specific to Charlottesville. Johnson said they’ve been working on coming up with a Cavalier donut “to identify us with the area,” so keep an eye on the menu for orange and blue.
In the meantime, you have dozens of flavor combinations to choose from, plus daily specials like the Wednesday zebra donut, which features vanilla icing and a chocolate drizzle. Coating choices include freshly made icings in flavors like peanut butter, maple and strawberry, plus classics like glazed, powdered sugar and cinnamon sugar. As for toppings, pick from sprinkles (chocolate or rainbow), chopped peanuts, shredded coconut and chewy bits of bacon. Bacon maple is unquestionably the most popular, but Johnson’s favorite is the French toast—maple icing, cinnamon sugar and powdered sugar. A new cherry frosting is in the making, and just wait until fall, the only time of year that the folks in the kitchen deviate from the classic recipe to roll out a pumpkin donut. You may feel a little silly when you dig into a donut with plastic cutlery, but trust us. Once you reach that perfect bite of maple icing and bacon (or lemon icing and coconut, or chocolate icing and peanuts, or…) oozing through the hole of the donut, you’ll be grateful for the fork.
Re-rolling on the river
James River Brewing Company held a soft re-opening March 7 and 8. In a related story, James River Brewing Company closed in early January.
According to a spokesperson for the new ownership group of Tim and Ron Byers, Scott Minor and Shannon Brown, the previous owners had backed away from day-to-day operations and officially shut the doors of their Scottsville brewery on January 4. Former brewmaster Kelby Barnhill reportedly resigned late last year before the new owners moved in. Barnhill declined to comment for this article.
The ownership group spokesperson said the team would prefer not to divulge JRB’s new brewmaster at this time but indicated his first batch of beer will be ready in time for a grand opening celebration in April. The ales flowing in the remodeled tasting room for now were produced in December.
Cake walk
“I’ve been here for six-and-a-half years and I love it, but unfortunately, it’s time to close my doors,” said Frank Cappellino, owner of Cappellino’s Crazy Cakes.
Cappellino announced last week that the Third Street bakery—hailed for the allegedly labor-inducing lemon drop cupcakes adored by expectant mothers, shots of buttercream frosting and treats topped with edible glitter—will make its final sales on Saturday, March 28. According to Cappellino, it’s getting increasingly more difficult for downtown businesses to stay afloat.
“It got to the point where my business, along with others on the mall, aren’t what they used to be, and we are struggling,” he said. He added that things like dwindling foot traffic, a proposed meal tax hike and an increase in panhandling have made the mall less welcoming for pedestrians and business owners.
The good news is, Cappellino himself isn’t going anywhere, and neither are his recipes. On April 1 he’ll start his new gig as a baker at Foods of All Nations, and he said he plans to continue making a lot of the goodies that made the bakery so popular.
“As far as the lemon drop cupcakes are concerned, as soon as I get over there that will be the first thing I’m going to implement,” he said. “So pregnant ladies will still be able to go and get those cupcakes.”