"You should sell these!"
That's what Jeff Buckwalter said to his sister-in-law, Leigh Kellis, when he first took a bite of the potato-based donut she made in her home kitchen.
Soon after, Leigh took his advice by opening The Holy Donut on Park Avenue in Portland, M.E., in 2012.
A year later, after the Instagram-friendly potato donuts became a hit in the town, Kellis brought Jeff -- with nearly two decades of big business experience under his belt -- to turn The Holy Donut into a legitimate company.
The Holy Donut has been featured in Bon Appetit magazine, The Boston Globe, and CNN, and has become a staple in Portland, considered by many to be the "foodiest city in America." They also ship their beloved donuts nationwide.
From the West End of Portsmouth, The Holy Donut C.E.O. Jeff Buckwalter joins host Troy Farkas to discuss why he joined the family business in 2013, the mess he inherited when he came on board, how Portland became a foodie destination, and the surge in national press The Holy Donut received in the first half of the 2010s. Plus, why they opened more locations, how the pandemic nearly crushed the business, and how they're pivoting their business model as a result.
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