Doughnut you know it

NH Doughnut Co. opens in Bedford, expands menu offerings

When Amanda Baril opened the first New Hampshire Doughnut Co. on Route 4 in Chichester in 2019, her concept was simple — an outlet where you create your own doughnuts, choosing from a variety of toppings to customize them not unlike how you might an ice cream sundae.

Fast-forward just three short years, and Baril’s business has since evolved in a big way, introducing two additional brick-and-mortar locations, delving into brewery collaborations, doughnut pop-ups and custom orders for weddings, and even converting a former horse trailer into a miniature food truck. Her newest shop, now open on South River Road in Bedford, has further expanded the menu to offer yeast ring and filled doughnuts, fritters and French crullers.

It’s quite the success story, as Baril’s husband Chad pointed out, when you consider that all of this took place amid a global pandemic. The original New Hampshire Doughnut Co. opened back in late August 2019, some six months before Covid would arrive in the Granite State.

At the time, the business started out with a basic vanilla cake doughnut and a completely customizable list of coatings, toppings and drizzles to choose from. But as Amanda Baril quickly came to find out, most customers would prove to have a hard time choosing their own.

“We ended up putting out a favorites menu, and we found that people were really just choosing from the favorites. So we started putting those out and ready to go and people would just be like, ‘I’ll take this, this and this,’” she said. “They wanted the variety, but they also wanted it ready for them.”

In February 2020, the Barils signed a lease to open a second shop in downtown Concord, in the space formerly occupied by the Capital Deli. It was around that time, Amanda Baril said, when they decided to shift to a weekly doughnut menu that would regularly change with new offerings.

“Every week we would update the menu … and it would be different, and people really loved that,” she said. “We had the key normal favorites but then we’d change up everything else.”

The pandemic’s arrival that March ended up delaying the opening of the Concord shop all the way to December 2020. It’s unique for only operating as a retail storefront — according to Baril, the plan was always to bake everything fresh in Chichester and ship to Concord every morning.

Special doughnut-themed weeks, such as Harry Potter, Disney and others, also entered the mix.

By the summer of 2021, the couple began looking for a new location in the Manchester or Bedford area; they signed a lease on the South River Road property by the end of that year. The buildout of that space was relatively quick, Amanda Baril said, but ongoing supply chain issues with their equipment delayed their opening to mid-September of this year. For similar reasons, they have also since shifted to a monthly doughnut menu.

Today, the Barils now have staff members wholly dedicated to all different aspects of the business, from the newly available crullers in Bedford to gluten-free and dairy-free doughnuts made in Chichester, which has since transitioned into a production-only facility. They recruited Vanessa Robinson as a baker — she formerly worked at Van Otis Chocolates in Manchester.

“I was like, ‘I need to find somebody with experience who knows flavors better than I do,’ and she has been fantastic,” Amanda Baril said. “I am so happy to have her on board because she really adds so much.”

New Hampshire Doughnut Co. even now has its own wedding division, regularly fulfilling catering orders for doughnut walls, doughnut buffets and other gatherings large and small.

Chad Baril added that they’ve begun partnering with local colleges for internship opportunities — a student even designed their current logo — and have worked with several breweries to host doughnut pop-ups. Some, for instance, feature homemade icings made with locally brewed beer — on Friday, Dec. 9, and Friday, Dec. 30, they are expected to return to Lithermans Limited Brewery in Concord.

While there are no plans to open a fourth location, Amanda Baril said she hopes to eventually find a larger available space in Concord where they can bake doughnuts.

“I think when we had it written on paper before we opened up in Chichester, it’s come full circle now, I would say,” Chad Baril said. “The creativeness of Amanda and her staff was kind of the awesome curveball that we got, but now it’s starting to get back into that community. … We want to touch people’s lives and create a kind of legacy, sort of like, ‘Look at what we did.’”

New Hampshire Doughnut Co.
Where: 410 S. River Road, Bedford, 782-8968; 2 Capital Plaza, Concord, 715-5097 (a third location, on Route 4 in Chichester, is now used as a production facility only — no walk-in service)
Hours: Both the Bedford and Concord locations are open Wednesday through Sunday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., or until doughnuts sell out
More info: Visit nhdoughnutco.com, email [email protected] or find them on Facebook and Instagram @nhdohco

Featured photo: Photo courtesy of NH Doughnut Co.

Coffee, cocktails and community

Café la Reine opens second spot in Manchester’s North End

Nearly a decade after Saint Anselm College alum Alex Horton opened Café la Reine on Elm Street in Manchester, she and her team have expanded to a second location built on quality eats, great coffee and community. Café la Reine – North End, which arrived in the space of the former Blake’s Restaurant last month, is more than three times the size of its downtown counterpart, introducing a full-service breakfast and lunch dining experience in addition to craft cocktails.

It was March 2013 when Horton, a Methuen, Mass., native who has lived in the Queen City since her college days, opened the original Café la Reine. At the time, there were not a lot of places around like it, and Horton herself recalls as a student always looking for a place where she could order a cup of coffee and comfortably sit down and do her homework.

Over the years, the spot has added everything from sandwiches and salads to avocado toasts, oatmeal bowls and açaí bowls to its menu, and has become known for its live “Java Jams.”

Even pre-pandemic, Horton said she had been looking for a potential second location. She happens to also live in the North End neighborhood where Blake’s closed its Hooksett Road restaurant in early January 2021, a spot that had been open for nearly four decades.

“When Blake’s closed, I knew that it was going to be kind of a loss for our neighborhood,” she said. “I mean, my husband and I went here on the weekends for breakfast forever, or we’d walk the dogs down [here] and get ice cream from the window. We frequented this place a lot.”

Soon after the property went on the market, Horton — along with her general manager, Dominique Gibson — decided to inquire about potentially taking it over.

“I really wanted a second location that had parking, and I wanted to expand on my menu, because you can only offer so much in a 1,000-square-foot space downtown. It’s so small and our kitchen is so tiny,” Horton said. “And so, I wanted a spot that had a bigger kitchen so that we could possibly make things for both locations out of this kitchen here.”

A few aesthetics, such as the tables and the blue-colored booths, have been kept and may be familiar to those who frequented Blake’s. But Horton and her team still spent the last several months revamping the space, even recruiting Alexis Clark and Nicole Rocha of The Terracotta Room on Elm Street to help install the plants you see along most of the booths.

As you walk inside, you can immediately turn to your right and order coffee or food to go from a counter, or you can be seated at a booth or table. Horton said her team plans to utilize the takeout window for online orders.

With the exception of the açaí and oatmeal bowls, just about everything on the menu downtown is available at Café la Reine – North End. But that’s not to say that the new eatery’s menu is a carbon copy of its predecessor. A wide variety of items are exclusively available at this space, from pancakes and Belgian waffles to eggs Benedicts and hash brown bowls.

“We have a bunch of starters, like loaded fries with eggs and hollandaise on top, which is so good,” Horton said. “We have wings, boneless [and] bone-in, and then we have huge breakfast sandwiches … and your classic big breakfast where you get everything. … For lunch, we have tuna melts, avocado BLTs and then some burgers and salads, so it’s a pretty full menu here.”

Café la Reine – North End also differs from the downtown location in that there is a full bar, from which you can order mimosas, bloody marys, and what Horton calls Above Average Joes.

“They are our boozy coffee cocktails that we serve in a pint glass. They’re so good,” she said.

Horton said she soon hopes to host either open mic or weekend live music events at her new space. A side room directly to the left of where you walk in has also already been used for larger parties and gatherings, or for those who want to go and work where it’s a little bit quieter.

Reflecting on the last decade, Horton said she never thought she would eventually expand to this degree, but has nonetheless enjoyed the experience and the response from the community.

“I was so young when I opened downtown, and I thought, ‘Oh, I’ll be OK with this,’” she said. “But then, I guess it’s just been the excitement and adventure of opening new businesses, especially with people that you love to work with. I feel like it’s all of our projects because we all had a hand in it, and that kind of reflects in everything from the menu to the way it’s decorated.”

Café la Reine – North End
Where: 53 Hooksett Road, Unit 6, Manchester
Hours: Thursday through Tuesday, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. Closed on Wednesdays.
More info: Visit toasttab.com/cafelareinenorthend, find them on Facebook and Instagram @cafelareine.northend or call 782-5367

Featured photo: Photo by Ethos & Able Creative, eacreative.co.

The Weekly Dish 22/11/24

News from the local food scene

• Grab a pint: The New Hampshire Brewers Association is once again promoting breweries with the return of its annual NH Pint Days fundraiser. Now through Wednesday, Dec. 7, limited-edition 16-ounce Wili Belcher pint glasses are available for sale at more than 35 participating breweries statewide. The artwork portrayed on this year’s glasses, titled “State of Adventure,” is by local artist Sarah Fenerty of Northwoods Brewing Co., and $1 from each glass benefits the Association. Visit nhbrewers.org or find the Association on Facebook @nhbrewers to view a list of breweries that have the pint glasses, which is sorted by region of the state.

• Five courses, five breweries: Join Amphora Restaurant (55 Crystal Ave., Derry) for a special beer pairing dinner on Tuesday, Nov. 29, at 7 p.m. that will showcase options from five different local breweries with each course. Featured beers will be from Throwback Brewery of North Hampton (paired with the pumpkin bisque), Rockingham Brewing Co. of Derry (paired with the strawberry, walnut and feta salad), Daydreaming Brewing Co. of Derry (paired with the pineapple glazed wings), From the Barrel Brewing Co. (paired with your entree of choice — bangers and mash, risotto milanese with smoked brisket and fig glaze or eggplant sto fourno), and Out.Haus Ales of Northwood (paired with bananas Foster). The cost is $100 per person, with a $50 deposit required that will be billed the night of the event. Visit amphoranh.com.

• Spirits of history: Get your tickets now for a special Prohibition Repeal Day Old Forester bourbon dinner at Rambling House Food & Gathering (57 Factory St., Suite A, Nashua), scheduled for Monday, Dec. 5, the 89th anniversary of the repeal of Prohibition in the United States. The event will begin with a cocktail half-hour at 5:30 p.m., followed by a five-course bourbon taster and pairing menu at 6 p.m. that will reflect important dates through Old Forester, bourbon and American culinary history. Old Forester, according to the dinner event page at ramblingtale.com, was one of six distillers that was granted government permission to continue production for “medicinal purposes” during Prohibition, and it’s the only one of those six that’s still in the whiskey business today. Roaring Twenties attire is optional, but encouraged, during the event. See the website or call 318-3220 to purchase tickets or reserve your table.

On The Job – Ryan Aloise

Painter

Ryan Aloise is an independent professional painting contractor and the owner of Painting Perfection, based in Nashua.

Explain your job and what it entails.

First, I meet with potential clients and go over what it is that they may need for painting services. This could be repainting an existing and established home or painting brand new construction that has never been painted and is bare drywall or trim. After I give a potential client an estimate for the work that needs to be done, the customer can either accept it right away or do their research and gather other estimates from other companies. If hired, I go in and perform whatever the service may be that I was contracted to do. This could be painting the full interior or just certain aspects, such as walls, trim or ceiling. It could also be the exterior of the home, whether it be the body or siding of the home, the trim or either-or.

How long have you had this job?

I started my company in February 2021, but I’ve been painting for the last four and a half years.

What led you to this career field and your current job?

I was hired on as a painter-laborer for another local painting company before being laid off, which, in turn, led me to follow my passion for painting that I had found and pursue my own dream of running my own company. I have had a lot of different jobs, and this was the only job and career path that I actually fell in love with.

What kind of education or training did you need?

I gained all my experience from previous work with another painting company. I am also currently pursuing certifications for the safe handling of lead paint and OSHA regulations and safety training to further my knowledge to continue to be successful.

What is your typical at-work uniform or attire?

I wear branded T-shirts, sweatshirts and hats with my company logo, usually with khaki slacks and comfortable and safe shoes as I do use ladders quite frequently.

How has your job changed over the course of the pandemic?

I started this company when it was still in the height of the pandemic, and let me tell you that it did not hinder my ability to work or even gain more work throughout. I actually have stayed busy and fully booked throughout the entire period.

What do you wish you’d known at the beginning of your career?

That other painting companies are not competition. In fact, they are a valuable part of my networking circle today.

What do you wish other people knew about your job?

That painting is not for just anyone. In my experience, people think painting is easy and that anyone can do it. Wrong. Painting takes quite a bit of patience, skills and passion to be successful. There is so much more than picking up a brush or a roller. You need to have finesse, a steady hand and a system that you follow to make sure you are putting out quality work.

What was the first job you ever had?

My first job was when I was 14. I worked for a pizza shop called Ledo’s Pizza in Maryland where I grew up.

What’s the best piece of work-related advice you’ve ever received?

To put out work you will be proud to show off. It’s not about the money, but more about the relationships you build and the repeat customers you gain from doing quality work. Word of mouth is either your biggest enemy or your best friend.

Five favorites

Favorite book: A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer
Favorite movie: A Walk to Remember
Favorite music: A wide variety of ’80s, ’90s and today’s genres
Favorite food: Chicken broccoli ziti
Favorite thing about NH: Within a short drive, you can either be in the mountains, the beach or the city.

Featured photo: Ryan Aloise. Courtesy photo.

Treasure Hunt 22/11/24

Hello, Donna,

Can you help me by telling me what this is? My wife says a wax stamp for envelopes. It’s 2 1/2 inches long and has a design only on one end.

Thanks for any information.

Eric

Dear Eric,

Thanks for the photos and question.

What I believe you have is a potter’s chop, which is basically a potter’s mark or stamp. It would be imprinted into the clay to identify who made it.

The value is the tough question. It really depends on whether the artist is well-known, the age, style of work, etc. Some can be extremely high in price on the market, but you really have to know who it is.

I did talk to a couple other people about yours and got a starting value of at least $50. Remember though, Eric, it could be much higher. It really would be like a needle in a haystack to find out, possibly trying an appraisal auction place like Skinner in Bolton, Massachusetts. That too is only a possibility. The other thing is it could just be a stamp design.

I hope this was helpful, Eric, and I will keep looking into it as well. Thanks for sharing an interesting piece.

Donna

Kiddie Pool 22/11/24

Family fun for the weekend

Getting crafty

• Head to Bookery (844 Elm St. in Manchester; bookerymht.com) on Saturday, Nov. 26, (which is also Small Business Saturday, when Bookery is planning live music and more) for a wolfy storytime and craft at 11:30 a.m. The featured book is Little Good Wolf by Susan Stevens Crummel and illustrated by Janet Stevens. It follows the son of the Big Bad Wolf, and how he is too good to be evil the way all the adults in his life want him to be. After the story, kids will learn how to make a paper bag wolf puppet. The event is free, but register at the Bookery website.

• The Addiction Recovery Coalition of New Hampshire (180 Elm St., Suite E, Milford) is starting a kids’ holiday craft series startingon Sunday, Nov. 27, at 1 p.m. The four-week series will have a new craft each session for kids, as well as cookies and juice. Parents can stay with the kids, get their own craft, or drop kids off. Price is $10 for the first child, an additional $5 for each child after. Register at the Evebrite page, or visit arcnh.org.

Library fun

• The Plaistow Public Library (85 Main St.) is hosting an outdoor activity called tinkergarten’s frozen treasures on Monday, Nov. 28, at 10 a.m. The event will have kids 18 months to 8 years old, as well as their parents, exploring outside to discover frozen nature treasures. To learn more about the event or to sign up, visit plaistowlibrary.com.

• Read to a dog at the Pelham Public Library (24 Village Green) on Tuesday, Nov. 29, from 5 to 6 p.m. Blondie is a trained therapy dog who will stay with children while they read. For information about the benefits behind kids reading to a therapy dog, see the Nov. 3 issue of The Hippo, under the story called “Meet Mischka” (find the e-edition at hippopress.com). To register for this event, call the library at 635-7581 or email [email protected].

YMCA playtime

• Join the YMCA of Greater Londonderry (206 Rockingham Road) for a “Lounge Day” version of kids’ night at the Y for ages 4 to 12 on Friday, Nov. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Y’s trained child care staff will take care of kids while parents have time to themselves to do holiday shopping or other errands. Kids will have fun activities, like art and STEM projects or active playtime, and a pizza will be served. Spots are $45 per child, $40 for each additional sibling. Visit bit.ly/ygl-kids-nights to sign up. Register by Nov. 22.

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