Donut Dreamers Sink A Hole In 1

Anita Mclean and Cedric Emery will ring in the new year celebrating the six-month anniversary of Many Donuts, their mom and pop donut shop nestled between Fitch and Jewell streets at the Whalley Exxon.

A concept that had been brewing since Anita’s childhood, Many Donuts specializes in fresh, doughy, mini-donut creations topped with creative combinations of cookies, frosting, and breakfast cereal. The donuts are made a few feet away from the register, where customers can watch Cedric work the donut machine through a plexiglass guard.

The donuts slowly float down a small river of oil, then flip onto a pan, where Anita and Cedric powder them, frost them, and arrange them in half dozen or dozen orders.

The final product is a hot, tasty, doughy assortment that melts in your mouth.

In just six months’ time, word has spread about Many Donuts’ mouthwatering creations.

Last week, the New Haven Youth and Recreation Department hired Many Donuts to cater a skate night at the Walker Rink on State Street. A few weeks before that, Many Donuts created a buzz at the Holiday Village Christmas tree-lighting on the New Haven Green, with a nonstop flow of shoppers lining up at their booth.

“People like us because of the quality of our product,” Cedric said. ​“All our products are made fresh, and with our unique toppings we’re a party favorite.”

Many Donuts offers different menus depending on the season. Right now the top flavors are Strawberry Shortcake, Banana, and Grinch Party, a donut topped with Christmas colored sprinkles.

Other flavors include Smores, Hot Chocolate (pictured above), Fruity 2.0 (topped with Fruity Pebbles), Churro, Cookies and Cream, and Sugar Cookie. 

The treats are made in less than a minute with a machine capable of producing 1,200 donuts per hour. The batter is floated down a pool of hot oil that fries and flips the donuts to cook them evenly. Once the donuts are done, Anita and Cedric add the toppings and serve them in half dozen or dozen options.

The time between being freshly cooked and placed in a customer’s hand takes less than a few minutes, which ensures freshness, doughiness, and great taste. 

Many Donuts also caters private events including work parties, gatherings, and potentially weddings. (It’s rumored they might have a wedding-cake donut in the works.)

Anita and Cedric are native New Haveners with a passion for food. For Anita, Many Donuts embodies the gleeful sugar-fueled childhood moments she experienced at county fairs, when her aunt would buy her donuts and other sugary fair treats. 

When my aunt would take me to the Big E, they always had these cinnamon mini donuts, and it was always the highlight of the trip for me to bring home a bucket of these donuts,” Anita recalled.

“Fast forward years later, and I saw mini donuts come up on my feed on social media one day. I thought it would be really cool if we could do our own donuts with a twist, not just powder and sugar but toppings that people can’t normally get.”

After sitting on the back burner for a few years, the idea sprang to life eight months ago, when Cedric and Anita decided to finally pull the trigger and find a location to set up shop. Cedric scouted for a location and eventually decided on an empty former sandwich shop spot at the Exxon gas station on Whalley.

“I’ve been in the restaurant business for 30 years now” said Cedric, ​“I was tired of working for people, I wanted to work for myself. I believe in our product, and I knew it would work. It’s a sweet treat you could order online, or pick up. You could have fun with people, use them for gatherings, and so that’s how I wanted to make it.” 

Together, the mom-and-pop business couple have won the hearts of locals with their irresistible treats. Their two daughters, 16 and the 20, have played an integral role in developing the brand and flavors. ​“It’s trial and error, but as a family we definitely create a lot of these options as a joint effort,” Anita said.