Gourmet Doughnut Shops on the Rise

Dough is on the rise in Charm City, and a bundle of old-fashioned doughnut shops coming to the area will soon provide the perfect cure for sweet tooth cravings.

B. Doughnut—a new shop slated to join the scene in Hampden at the end of August—is taking over the former home of a children’s boutique on Chestnut Avenue, beloved pop-up Center-Cut Doughuts is in search of a permanent space, and soon you won’t have to venture too far to experience the goodness of a traditional hot-glazed doughnut from Krispy Kreme.

With all of the chain’s local stores out of business since 2010, Krispy Kreme is making its return to the area with a shop slated to open in Anne Arundel County by the end of the year, and various locations currently in the works around Baltimore County.

Center Cut owner Josh Kowitz, who has recently put himself on the map with frequent appearances at The Charmery and the Hampden Farmers' Market, says that the lack of gourmet doughnut shops in the area was what prompted his concept’s development.

“I’ve traveled for work a good bit, and in every city that I visited I would seek out fancy doughnut shops and try all of the crazy flavors,” Kowitz says. “Then I realized that Baltimore didn’t have any places like that, and we needed one.”

Back in April, Kowitz collaborated with longtime friends David and Laura Alima, owners of The Charmery, to debut Center Cut Doughnuts to the public—a pop-up that resulted in Kowitz’s entire stock selling out within an hour.

“After that, I upped the quantity and we did another [pop-up] three weeks later that was crazy successful,” he says. “Word spread and it just started to explode. Social media is nuts in the best way possible.”

Bold flavors like Oreo cheesecake, strawberry basil-glazed, Old Bay chocolate, and peach Sriracha-glazed, have attracted foodies from all over the state to Center-Cut’s stall at the Hampden Farmers' Market.

Currently, Kowitz is in search of a permanent space to house his colorful confections and hopes to have set up shop by the first of the next year.

“I’m looking in Hampden,” Kowitz says. “People go to Hampden for forward-thinking food, and they appreciate when restaurants try to stretch new boundaries.”