For the love of the doughnut: StowNuts Donuts and Diner
Karen Bellian was a nurse working in a doctor’s office when she got fed up with the “rat race” and decided to make her passion — cooking — her vocation by opening a doughnut shop. “Food is the way to make people happy,” she says. Now, as the owner of StowNut Donuts and Diner, she says, “It’s a joy to come to work.”
Bellian finds inspiration for new flavors by strolling through the grocery store looking for anything small enough or soft enough to fit on a doughnut. Noticing how much kids love to have cereal for breakfast, Bellian took a glazed yeast doughnut, frosted it and dipped it into Trix cereal. She was hoping to appeal to kids, but it seems adults love it the most.
Browsing the concession stand at the movies one day, Bellian was struck by more inspiration. She took everything — licorice, M&Ms, popcorn — threw it on a glazed doughnut, and the movie theater doughnut became a hit.
The buckeye involves mixing peanut butter with buttercream frosting, slathering that on a glazed doughnut, then drizzling it with chocolate. The ode to the state tree has become the second-most-popular item in the shop.
“I could care less if I ever make a dime,” Bellian says. “But I love to see people leave here with a smile on their face.”
StowNut Donuts and Diner, 3055 Graham Road, Stow