The Culture & Entertainment Notebook: You do-not want to pass up Grandma's Old Fashioned Donuts

The iconic Grandma's Old Fashioned Donuts has been a farmers market mainstay for nearly seven years now -- selling nearly 800 a day -- and can be seen from afar because of the sheer size of the pastry.

Current owner Vincent Hahn who lives in Anna, Illinois, owns the business and said he has found the overwhelming response from the community to be "very encouraging."

Vincent took over the business about a year and a half ago, he said, from the folks who started it, Vernon Troyer and Enos Kauffman originally from Advance, Missouri. He said the business has always been family-owned but people have asked about franchising opportunities. As of right now, he wants to focus on serving the community through farmers markets in Southeast Missouri.

"Both of the original owners moved out of state, and they didn't want to close the business down, so they looked for someone to buy it," he said.

Hahn said the first market they tested the doughnut business was in Sikeston and from there, it was relocated to Cape Girardeau, seeking more exposure.

On any given farmers market day, Grandma's Old Fashioned Donuts consists of one food trailer, four employees, pounds of flour per batch and cases of powdered sugar for the glaze, he said.

In addition to the doughnuts, the business also sells lemonade, he said, with a new menu item available soon. Everything is handmade made from scratch, he said, with no preservatives in the doughnuts.

"We're busy the whole time," he said. "I am planning to try a new kind of doughnut this summer; a chocolate glaze doughnut."

To Hahn's knowledge, there is no specific reason for the size of the doughnuts.

"Traditionally, they would've been the regular-sized doughnut. The thinking into the large doughnut goes more with a concession style of business," he said. "Just to be different and to give customers enough to eat while they're walking around the market."

He also said the recipe is not secret and people have tried to imitate the product.

"I think some of it is the size of the batches that I do," he said. "There are those who have tried it in smaller batches and complained, 'it doesn't get the same.'"

He said one of the previous owners had family who were also in the doughnut industry in other parts of the country and the oversize doughnut idea could have been passed down from them.

Hahn moved in 2012 from New Jersey, but said he's always been involved in the food industry.

His parents used to own a restaurant in New Jersey where he'd take part in barbecue catering. Which he said is now more of a hobby.

"I enjoy working with food, so my father taught me that," Hahn said.

Hahn also described his background and culture as Mennonite.

"Now, you would not really see a differennce between Mennonite and Amish," he said. "The Mennonites, as a whole, are a little more progressive."

He said his culture accepts newer technology such as electricity and vehicles. As compared to the Amish, who he said, "are very cultural," because they "stick to the old ways, the horse and wagon."

Hahn said as far as their belief system and doctrine, it would be considered very similar to the Amish.

"The Amish are accepting cellphones now," he said. "As this technology becomes available, they are getting into it somewhat. But the biggest thing would be the electricity and the vehicles."

He said Mennonites don't necessarily embrace every new technology or advancements.

"We don't have radio or television," he said. "Any internet usage is filtered pretty heavily. We do not do any social media like that."

But the doughnuts tend to get plenty of likes and shares, anyway.

Local celebrities

Branson Cusack and Spencer McGruderSubmitted photo

Southeast Missouri State University students Branson Cusack and Spencer McGruder -- both photojournalists -- were recently featured on ABC's "20/20."

Professor, TV and Film operations manager in Southeast's Department of Mass Media Jim Dufek said in a news release that "20/20" wanted a sense of the area, including railroad tracks, farm land, water towers, churches and various signage and identifiable markings.

"We wanted to also show these are real people and real stories. There were no special effects. Everything was real and natural," he said.

The segment, hosted by Diane Sawyer, is the first national broadcast company's investigative journalism piece to include Southeast student talent.

"We had to prepare the right opportunities to film the requested shot while finding the best possible way to get them done," McGruder said in the release. "We had to battle weather conditions and travel to remote locations to get exactly what we needed."

jhartwig@semissourian.com

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