![\"Team](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/10\/Team-Nomad-Donuts1web.jpg\")
<\/a>The upcoming venture is being launched by surf buddies Brad Keiller and Cameron Corley, who formed a customer-bartender friendship when Corley was mixing drinks at Ponce\u2019s Mexican Restaurant in Kensington.<\/p>\n
After securing an 850-square-foot space that was formerly a tattoo shop, the duo hired pastry chef Kristianna Zabala of Bertrand at Mister A\u2019s, who will move over to Nomad to construct donuts that defy what consumers typically dunk into their coffee.<\/p>\n
Think tom ka soup when chomping into a Thai-inspired donut made with traditional yeast dough, but sporting an unexpected glaze of lemon grass, coconut milk, ginger, chilies and basil.<\/p>\n
\u201cKristianna made them for us in the interview process and we were blown away,\u201d said Corley, who holds fond memories of eating apple fritters and old fashion donuts at Rudy\u2019s Donut House with his grandparents when visiting them as a kid in the Bay Area.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s a donut that I don\u2019t like, which is why I\u2019m opening up a donut shop,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Keiller, who left the software industry to co-start the business, recalled that he came to appreciate \u201cdonuts of all kinds\u201d as a young adult while working with his father in carpentry.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere were a lot of coffee-and-donut breaks, and I took on an appreciation for the quality ones,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Blending sweet and savory ingredients, he added, should give Nomad a competitive edge on a section of 30th Street void of competition. At the very least, it\u2019s what attracted Zabala to the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like donuts because \u2014 who doesn\u2019t like fried dough?\u201d Zabala said. \u201cBut what\u2019s kept me from buying them regularly is the fact that they\u2019re always so overly sweet. But this was right up my alley because it\u2019s a chance to change the perception of donuts as always being so sugary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Also in the pipeline is a \u201ccaprese\u201d donut filled with tomato-strawberry jam and topped with basil glaze and balsamic drizzles. Another will feature a filling of roasted pineapple complimented by panang curry glaze.<\/p>\n
Everyday fritters will take on new life as well, with figs replacing the customary apples along with the additions of smoked bacon, rosemary and goat cheese implanting further dimension.<\/p>\n
Yet for those who don\u2019t care for herbs and curries interfering with their sugar intakes, the rotating selection will encompass flavors such as cinnamon-pear and spiced chocolate as well as a few traditional varieties catering to old-school palates. Biscotti and coffee drinks using beans roasted by Zumbar Coffee & Tea in Sorrento Valley will also be in the offing.<\/p>\n
Donut prices will range from $2 to $5 apiece, depending on the flavor. They\u2019ll be available by the dozen as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now we have about a dozen specialty flavors. Other recipes are waiting to be born,\u201d added Corley, assuring that the donuts \u201cwill be pulled directly from the cooling racks and won\u2019t be sitting around long after they\u2019re cooked.\u201d<\/p>\n
The daily selections will appear in a pastry case used for display only. A few indoor tables will eventually extend to sidewalk seating as the team hopes to offer late-night service on Fridays and Saturdays.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want people to be happy about what they\u2019re getting while at the same time being surprised by prosciutto on a donut, which will be a reality at Nomad,\u201d said Corley.<\/p>\n
For more information, call 619-431-5000 or visit nomaddonuts.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n