World-famous Shelbyville Optimist Donuts share spotlight with Tennessee walking horses

Just inside the gates of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration show grounds in Shelbyville, the aroma of doughnuts wafts above the smell of sawdust and horses.

Since 1960, Shelbyville Optimist Club has been serving the world-famous doughnuts that have drawn the taste buds of millions over the past six decades.

You can only purchase the deep-fried and glazed doughnuts during the 10-day show, which begins two weeks before Labor Day and spotlights Tennessee walking horses. And to many, the doughnuts are as memorable as the show.

"Growing up going to the Celebration was always something we looked forward to every year," said Mandy Pinion, of Eagleville, who has been attending the show since she can remember. "Getting to hang out with friends, trying to pick the winners and eating fried doughnuts are core memories that will last my lifetime."

For civic and nonprofit organizations throughout Shelbyville, the TWHNC is a big money-maker. Each club sells a variety of concessions, like burgers from the football boosters to cotton candy sold by the band, and doughnuts from the Optimist Club.

The doughnuts were late-comers to the concession lineup, however.

After the Shelbyville Optimist Club was formed in 1958, members wanted in on the revenue action. The TWHNC board told the group they'd need to come up with a unique product to sell. Clubs were already selling foods like hot dogs, candy apples and burgers.

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In 1959, club member George Baker, who sold breakfast and lunch to factory workers from his mobile food service, suggested they could sell the same doughnuts he made.

"He told them they could sell doughnuts and coffee and (club members) laughed at him," said Brent Pewitt, who runs the doughnut booth operations.

By the next year's Celebration, club members were a little more eager to listen to Baker's idea. They approached the board, who agreed to the club's plan.

Members expected to have a booth under the bleachers inside the Celebration like all the other groups. Instead, the board offered up a portion of a barn outside the arena gates. The club, which had a membership of 50 at the time, would have to do their own renovations to make the crude building usable.

So they poured a concrete floor, built a wall and put a window at the front.

"By the second night, the line was all the way to the road," Pewitt said.

Doughnuts were 10 cents a piece or $1 for a dozen.

Popularity of the doughnuts grew, so club members approached the board and asked for additional space.

"They renovated that barn and then they built a kitchen on the back, probably in the late 1960s," Pewitt said.

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A decade after beginning, the club once again approached the board with a request — and the money — to build a new building. Optimist Club members demolished the original barn-turned-booth and built the one standing today.

Same recipe for more than 60 years

The original operation was not quite as streamlined. But over time, the process improved. What hasn't changed is the recipe: it's the same mix and glaze used 62 years ago.

But now the process is much more efficient and runs like a well-oiled operation, literally and figuratively. An industrial-size mixer from the old Whitman's Bakery is used to make the batter, which is then dropped into a boiling vat of cooking oil. Workers — both paid and volunteers — use wooden dowels to turn the doughnuts as they fry.

Once the doughnuts are golden brown, they are lifted from the oil onto a metal tray to drain momentarily before each one is drenched in a sweet glaze. From there the doughnuts are sorted and slid onto a serving pan while volunteers on the other side package and serve.

The entire process from start to serve takes about 15 minutes.

But the result is one that perks up taste buds from across the globe. People ship them all over the world, Pewitt said.

"You can also freeze them," Pewitt said. "I can attest to that because as as a kid, I would eat them for breakfast six months out of the year. My dad (Earl Pewitt) would bring them home and I would freeze them."

About three of the doughnuts can keep your hunger at bay until lunchtime, when you're ready for the next trio of treats, Pewitt joked.

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One-of-a-kind 'magical' flavor

Frozen or fresh, the taste is something akin to magic, Pinion said.

"I don’t know if they put magic in the doughnut batter or the grease they’re fried in, but they are truly one-of-a-kind and extremely addictive," Pinion said. "Only being able to buy them 10 days out of the year also makes them irresistible."

For many, it's about memories as much as taste.

Lisa Mitchell, whose father Jim Puckett was a walking horse trainer, was able to introduce her 5-year-old grandson to the Celebration — and the doughnuts — this year. And she's been able to enjoy them herself.

"They are warm with just the right amount of sweetness," Mitchell said. "I don’t like them day old. Only fresh and hot while at the show with icy cold milk."

You don't have to attend the Celebration to get your own dozen of Optimist Donuts. During daytime hours, just enter the main gates entering from Jessup Place. Take a right just beyond the arena and look for the booth, located across the way from the Blue Ribbon Circle event venue. Anyone on the show grounds can point you in the right direction.

Doughnuts are $8 a dozen and can also be purchased individually and by the half-dozen. Proceeds benefit community projects funded by the Shelbyville Optimist Club. Check out the group's doughnut booth page on Facebook.

Reach reporter Nancy DeGennaro at degennaro@dnj.com. Keep up with restaurant news by joining Good Eats in the 'Boro (and beyond) on Facebook and follow Murfreesboro Eats on TikTok.

This article originally appeared on Murfreesboro Daily News Journal: World-famous Optimist doughnuts a delicious tradition in Shelbyville