So a few weeks ago we told you about Jeff’s Bakery in Southern Indiana and how much we loved it.  The big donut day was also the day of our Monogram Christmas party and I was telling Greg Delmonico from our Monogram team all about it.  He was pretty excited so we asked him to try it out and tell us what he thought…check it out below.

 

 Donut Shop Secret Spot

As a donut connoisseur I'm always eager to try different donut shops around town or where my travels take me.

Since moving to Louisville from Southern California, I've discovered many of the local “secret spots" for a variety of foods, beverages, etc. However, I had yet to discover or receive a recommendation for the donut shop "secret spot.” So I began to think that perhaps donuts were not a big part of the greater Louisville culture. Maybe the hot brown stole the donut's thunder? Who knows? We'll save that thought for another blog.

This past December I was at the Monogram Christmas party when I struck up a conversation with Brian, one of our chefs at the Monogram Experience Center. Over the course of our conversation Brian and I discovered we had something in common. No, it wasn’t love of sports, fine art or wine. No nothing that sophisticated or cultural. Rather, it was our love for the donut!

Brian mentioned that earlier in the morning he hosted a holiday breakfast in which donuts from Jeff's Bakery in Jeffersonville, Indiana were served. Brian raved about the donuts from Jeff's Bakery and even showed me photos. When I saw the photos, my eyes lit up. This could be it, I said to myself! This could be the donut shop I've been looking for! I knew immediately I had to try these donuts. So I set out to out to find Jeff’s Bakery.

On a cold and rainy December morning, I pulled into the parking lot of Jeff's Bakery. I quickly parked the car and made a dash for the store front. As I opened the door, I was treated to a cornucopia of olfactory sensations; from the sweet smell of sugar, to the smell of glaze, maple and the sights of elaborate donuts.

As I came to my senses, I began asking the bakery associate about the variety of donuts in the case. How do they taste? What are they topped with? Which donut(s) was Jeff's Bakery known for? What is her favorite donut? After much admiration and conversation about these donut creations, it was time to try them. I chose 3 donuts; the Long John (a go to for me, one which I find to be a good donut shop benchmark) an Apple Fritter and a Honeymooner, all washed down with some chocolate milk (another go to for me when eating donuts).

So the big tasting moment came. I started with the Long John. As I took my first bite, I discovered the perfect combination of the fried donut with the chocolate icing. It was great! The donut itself was light and airy and didn't have an after taste from the oil it was fried in. The chocolate icing wasn't too sweet and had just the right hint of chocolate to it. Together, the icing and the donut were in perfect harmony.

Next up was the Apple Fritter, one of the donuts Jeff's Bakery was known for. In fact, several customers behind me in line ordered one, so I knew I had made a good choice.

As I attacked the fritter, I started with a bite from the outer portion; just cake, no apple cinnamon and jelly filling. The edges were crunchy and the dough soft just the way you'd expect it. The icing was sweeter than what I had just tasted with the Long John, but again a good compliment to one another. What set this fritter apart from other fritters I've tasted over my tenure as a donut connoisseur was the filling.

To go along with the traditional apple cinnamon and jelly filling was an added touch of sliced apples! This was a nice surprise. Seeing this I knew I had a legit Apple Fritter in hand, crafted by an experienced donut maker. Overall, the Apple Fritter was great and I could see why Jeff's Bakery was known for it.

I saved the most extravagant donut for last, the Honeymooner. The Honeymooner is available in 4 varieties; cherry, lemon, apple and cream cheese. I chose the apple Honeymooner topped with caramel icing and a dollop of apple pie (think Apple Fritter filling) in the center.

Physically, this was a heavy donut, not just from the weight of the toping and thick icing, but from the donut itself. When I bit into the Honeymooner I was pleasantly surprised to find that the donut was soft, chewy and denser than a traditional donut (hence the weight). I could immediately tell this was a fresh donut. The Honeymooner tasted great, but was a little too sweet for me with the icing and apple pie dollop. Nevertheless, I knew Jeff’s Bakery spent hours perfecting the Honeymooner flavor combinations, which were hours well spent.

Jeff's Bakery had so many other interesting donuts I wanted to try, from the Texas donut to the Dutch Chocolate Vanilla Glazed donut, all of which hooked me for a much needed future visit, perhaps with Brian?

On my drive back to Louisville I thought about Jeff's Bakery and its similarities to Monogram Appliances. Both brands offer hand crafted products, designed by creative people, all of whom are passionate about what they do, leading to exceptional products in their respective industries.

Ultimately, I found that "secret spot" with Jeff's Bakery. It lived up to the hype Brian talked about in our conversation at the Monogram Christmas party and it exceeded my expectations from creativity to taste.

Cheers!