First Look: Glory Hole Doughnuts, a temple to indulgence in Parkdale

By Karolyne Ellacott

The Kensington Brewing Co. doughnut (Images: Karolyne Ellacott)

With its tongue-in-cheek name and capricious attitude, Glory Hole Doughnuts is the latest culinary addition to Parkdale’s booming foodscape. The west end’s Rizzo to Leslieville’s Sandy (a.k.a. Paulette’s), this doughnut shop is the work of Ashley Jacot De Boinod, a pastry chef who’s cut her teeth at Buca, Scaramouche and other restaurants around the city.

“Originally, I wanted nothing to do with pastry,” De Boinod says, noting that it took a stint at Stubbe Chocolates for her to fall in love with it all.

The idea for a doughnut shop of her own took root after a honeymoon in Spain, while she was working at Buca. She started out wholesale, and now, seven months later, her retail spot has finally opened its doors. Over 600 doughnuts were shelled out on its opening day over the weekend.

De Boinod’s day begins at 3 a.m., when she begins churning out batches of yeast-based doughnuts, which are crafted entirely from scratch. Keeping with her rep, there is nothing yawn-worthy about the selection: current picks include Black Forest Cake ($3.50), Pretzel ($3.50) and Bread and Butter ($3.50).

So far, however, the most noteworthy of the lot are the Kensington Brewing Co. doughnut ($3.50) and the over-the-top Elvis with Marshmallow extravaganza ($4.50). The former is topped with a beer-and-brown-sugar frosting and studded with beer nuts and hunks of chocolate. “You can really taste the salt,” De Boinod says. Meanwhile, the Elvis features peanut-butter-and-cream-cheese icing loaded up with banana chips, bacon and — right in the hole — a King-sized mallow.

We suggest going early to ensure you get the pick of the litter.

Glory Hole Doughnuts, 1596 Queen St. W., 416-420-5169