Small batch artisan donuts are filled with 100 percent love

Morgan M. Hurley | Downtown News Editor

Move over cupcakes, there is a whole new game in town. On March 23, Donut Bar opened for business at 631 B Street and not only is it the only known donut shop in Downtown San Diego, it sells “artisan donuts.”

The modest new enterprise, situated on a busy Downtown street directly across from Copley Symphony Hall, opened to much anticipation and fan fare on its first day the owners say, simply because this is not any ordinary old donut shop.

In fact, the methods used by co-owners Santiago Campa and Wendy Bartels are quite the antithesis of traditional donut making.

Starting at 7 a.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. on Saturdays, Sirius radio’s “Coffeehouse” station greets customers, the aroma of San Diego Coffee and Spice products fill the air and the donut choices are like those you’ve never seen.

The options change daily and range from crème brulee, bacon chocolate maple, Meyer lemon blueberry, chocolate espresso, Julian fritter, and strawberry cheesecake, to name just a few.

There is no Chinese food, candy or cigarettes here, just great coffee and even greater donuts. They have no set closing time; the “bar” stays open until every last donut is sold, which is usually mid-day.

At night in the same small space, there is a different kind of activity happening, when Campa said the staff is busy working the production line. They are zesting lemons, crushing hazelnuts, stirring batter and glazing, among other tasks, in a full-on exhibition kitchen that is visible from the street between the hours of 10 p.m. – 3 a.m. He invites people to come see for themselves.

Campa said the couple have dismissed the advice of countless others “in the industry” who’ve all counseled them on what it takes to run a donut business and save both time and money; such as acquiring a glazing table, using larger mixers and weighing each donut. Campa said they flatly refuse to comply and have good reason.

“A glazing table is a big metal contraption you stick into a big vat of glaze and within 10 seconds you can glaze 40 donuts. Then you’re done, you walk away from them and they are up on the shelf. Zero percent love.”

Campa’s method depends on the donut, but he said the process is the same – individual attention – whether it is hand-dipped or pitcher-poured.

“Each [donut] gets that special touch and energy, with 100 percent love,” he said. “I literally get goose bumps just thinking about it. We get the nice effect that we really truly want. If we’re charging $3 for a donut, we better give them the best damn donut we can get.”

Not all Donut Bar donuts are $3. Their raised donuts – which are easily twice the height of standard raised donuts – are much less and Campa said some should probably cost a lot more, like the bourbon maple bar. An entire quart of bourbon, heat-condensed down to about 1/3 cup, goes into each batch.

“What I’m looking for and what we’ve achieved is a donut where you bite into it and you taste maple, then as you’re chewing it and you’re exhaling, those hints of bourbon enliven your senses and that’s a good donut,” Campa said.

He said their mixing machine is a mere 20 quarts, compared to the industry standard of several 80-quart mixers or larger. Having just one 20-quart mixer ensures small batches and Donut Bar produces between 1,200 and 2,000 donuts per day. Those numbers vary, he said, because the offerings vary and they are still doing lots of experimenting.

“We must be doing something right because we are selling out every day,” he said.

With the help of social media – the Donut Bar Facebook page already boasts over 1,000 followers – they were able to generate quite a buzz prior to opening by releasing tidbits of information and making the most of photos to generate appeal. A “donut sampling” advertised on Facebook a few days prior to their grand opening turned out such large crowds, Campa said it became an unexpected “crash course” and he was worried it might turn his staff away, but it didn’t.

Campa said he could not be more pleased with the five employees he brought on board after an extensive search for baristas and pastry chefs, including one who has done time at several five-star establishments.

“We really got the best of the best,” he said. “They are professionals and they understand the level of service we are trying to ascertain, how to plate something and make it look presentable, and that we’re going for with the quality ingredients.”

He and Bartels said they believe in treating their employees well, and have offered them a good salary, creative flexibility, bonuses and lots of appreciation.

The couple, who said they only snuck in about 40 hours of sleep their first week of business, also work right alongside their staff every step of the way; in the kitchen all night, doing sales and service all morning, and of course, juggling all the other responsibilities that come with owning a business.

They use their Facebook page to advertise the day’s menu items, show off new flavors, field customer feedback and even to ask for new flavor ideas.

“The past week has been a whirlwind,” Bartels said. “But we’re already seeing regulars.”

Despite the naysayers, both in the industry and in their new neighborhood, Campa and Bartels said if this first week in business has been any indication, they have a winning product.

“Our biggest backlash has been the running out of donuts,” Campa said.

That seems to be a pretty good problem to have.

Donut Bar is located at 631 B Street in the Core area of Downtown. Follow them on Facebook/DonutBar for daily menu offerings, specials and other surprises.