Popular pop-up Curiosity Doughnuts set to open bakery in Doylestown

The mood was light as customers made room for one another in the packed line that had formed inside Native Café one February morning last year.

Twice a week, the coffee shop’s cozy space in downtown Doylestown hosts a pop-up for Curiosity Doughnuts, never failing to draw crowds of loyal followers.

That popularity, which had grown over the seven years since owners, Aki Kamozawa and Alex Talbot, first started the business, has propelled Curiosity Doughnuts to open a brick-and-mortar shop in Doylestown Township, tentatively set for Feb. 8 in the old Back to the 50s diner, which closed four years ago.

The dream of opening a permanent location was buoyed by the success of a crowdfunding campaign set up in early December to meet capital needs for renovations, equipment and staffing to turn the space from diner to a modern, bright and spacious bakery.

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The $25,000 goal was met in just four days.

“It was insane. We didn’t expect to meet our goal that quickly, and we’re just really touched that people were that excited over our doughnuts,” said Kamozawa, admitting she and her husband were initially nervous about expanding.

The couple first met in a kitchen, both working in the same restaurant in Boston. And they’ve continued working side by side since, running their own restaurants, doing consultation work for other chefs, and publishing three cookbooks together.

So, when they decided to move to Doylestown from New Hampshire seven years ago, they asked one another what they should do next.

“Doughnuts is one of the things we’ve always enjoyed, and we’d drive all over to try and find a great doughnut, but they were always mediocre,” Kamozawa said. “So, we decided to make our own doughnuts.”

Starting with the no-knead doughnut dough recipe from their book, "Maximum Flavor," Talbot worked on tweaking the ingredients and technique for weeks until he came up with a recipe he was confident they could build a business around.

“As you try different things, you have mistakes and successes along the way. And then you have this aha moment, and that aha moment comes from obsessing and tinkering,” Talbot said.

For two years, they sold their doughnuts weekly at Stockton Market in New Jersey, before they contracted with Whole Foods, which afforded them a space to bake and sell their doughnuts out of the Spring House store and another location in Virginia. In addition, they partnered with local coffee shops to offer pop-ups or “doughnut drops” twice a week.

But as their contract term with Whole Foods ended, instead of renewing, the two decided it was time to go out on their own.

When they found the old diner, with its 1,800-square feet, they discovered an opportunity to, not only expand their doughnut production, but also flex their combined years of experience to offer a menu that includes specialty egg cream drinks, breakfast sandwiches on a homemade potato shokupan bread and fried chicken sandwiches served on buttermilk naan and topped with yogurt.

“This was an opportunity for us to play a little and do a little more,” Kamozawa said.

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With a large array of doughs, glazes and crumb toppings, Talbot is always coming up with new combinations, ensuring their doughnuts are as eye-catching as they are flavorful — like a challah doughnut stuffed with chocolate mousse or a hot cake doughnut topped with a pineapple glaze and cinnamon toast crunch crumbs.

Their most sought-after doughnut is the Curiosity Cruller.

“It’s light and airy with just a touch of crispness, but it melts in your mouth. And the glaze falls into all the nooks and crannies. It’s just magical,” Talbot said.

And there's handcrafted soaps made using the oil left behind from frying their doughnuts too.

“I was basically throwing out all this used oil at the end of the day and felt like it was unacceptable. I knew there was potential to do something about it, so we started making these beautiful soaps,” Talbot said.

And since they only sell doughnuts made fresh that day, any leftovers are also repurposed, often turned into doughnut bread pudding or dehydrated to be used as crumb toppings, he added.

Renovations are still underway with the help of Doug Riggs of Modern Chef Designs. A key feature are the new countertops and tabletops made from reclaimed bowling alley wood, all refinished using an epoxy with a suede-like finish.

Once open, Curiosity Doughnuts will offer take-out and plenty of indoor seating Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Additional patio seating will be available during the warmer months.

And their doughnut drops will continue every Wednesday and Saturday morning at Native Café in Doylestown and Luminary Coffee in Lambertville, New Jersey.

“Curiosity Doughnuts is a manifestation of ideas and food — asking questions, testing things out and being curious,” Talbot said.

“I wanted to create an affordable luxury. And that’s what we did with doughnuts.”

Go: Curiosity Doughnuts is located at 800 Edison Furlong Road in Doylestown; curiositydoughnuts.com

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This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Curiosity Doughnuts to open bakery in Doylestown, continue pop-up drops