Memories of National Donut Day, An Underrated Event

Last Friday was National Donut Day. I almost missed it; turns out that Dunkin’ Donuts, a huge national chain, was giving away a free donut with a beverage. It’s a somewhat dubious offer (even if free, the Dunkin’ does NOT produce a great product). But, if you’ve ever met me, you can SEE that I live for donuts, with a good Boston crème my favorite.

I was reminded of this august date by the recent announcement that USC’s Maude Megens was selected as national player of the year and Trojan coach Marko Pintaric was cited as coach of the year. Both are, in my opinion, entirely worthy of these honors, though I might quibble and say that UCLA’s Adam Wright, who won a national championship with the Bruin men and got his women to the NCAA title match, would have been a fine pick for coach of the year.

My last trip to San Francisco was in June of 2018 for the Cutino Awards (remember them?!). For me personally, it was a glorious experience; the club was exceptionally gracious in opening its doors to me, and I had the great fortune to work with photographer Cathryn Hayne in covering the awards ceremony.

The Olympic Club old pool. Photo: Cathryn Hayne

As it happened, that Frisco trip fell on National Donut Day, a holiday (of sorts) that I was previously unaware of. What made it special is that I was introduced to Bob’s Donuts, a culinary high-water mark for a quotidian pastry.

Located on Polk Street in the Nob Hill district, Bob’s was NOT the most tidy bakery; in fact, this was part of its charm. It was a place for serious creation, and any creative endeavor must be messy (which is why cooks often are trained first to wash dishes; they learn that there’s a mess to be cleaned up after they’ve done their part).

The variety of donuts I met at Bob’s was not overwhelming; if you go to say a Donut Plant or a Fan Fan Donuts in Brooklyn you would get more variety (often esoteric). But you can’t go wrong with Bob’s for quality, price and presentation. Yes, a maker space is not the ideal culinary backdrop for sophisticated New Yorkers, but it struck me as the right environment to produce great donuts.

More than just a reverie on donuts, this is a flashback to a MUCH better time, one where you could think of celebrating (without masks). And to a moment when I got to cover some of the country’s best polo players. The pandemic changed all that; Cal’s Luca Cupido and USC’s Amanda Longan won in 2018; Ben Hallock and Mackenzie Fisher made it a Stanford sweep in 2019 but no Cutino was awarded in 2020 or this year. As of today, the Olympic Club remains closed by order of San Francisco authorities, a continued casualty of COVID-19.

It’s been such a weird time; no polo, no trips and very few donuts the past few months (gotta watch my waistline…) until Friday’s freebie. And there’s been so much bad in the past year—including what I’ve covered during the pandemic.

But, donuts and polo remain two of my favorite things, so I’ll include comments from some of the folks at Bob’s I met on that 2018 visit to San Francisco—one of my best days ever for both things I still can’t get enough of.

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My favorite from this brief “Man on the Street” piece is talking to someone named Nico, who lived blocks from Bob’s and said he doesn’t eat donuts—but just had a hankering for the pastry on this particular day (and not because it was a special donut day). He seemed woefully ignorant of the gravity of the moment (for some).

- Why Bob’s Donut’s on National Donut day?

Nico: I’m in the neighborhood. I only live two blocks away.

- Is there something special about Bob’s?

Nico: I can’t tell you. I don’t know…

- You just ended up here because it was the only donut shop around? Bob’s has a reputation…

Nico: They say say so. I don’t eat donuts. Just today I want to eat one. But I don’t need them. Too much sugar.

- But today it’s National Donut Day and you’re eating Bob’s.

Nico: Is that today? I didn’t know that.

There’s also my brief exchange with Roko Smiljanic a one-time employee of Bob’s Donuts, about what makes his shop’s pastry so good.

- What makes Bob’s Donuts San Francisco’s best?

Roko Smiljanic: What makes our donuts special is we constantly make them fresh throughout the day. Everything is handmade. We make everything individually. We stick with the tried and true—nothing fancy—we go with the basics that will satisfy and please.

- How long has Bob’s been around?

Smiljanic: It’s speculated to have been around since the late ‘50s / early ‘60s. It’s been in the current family since the early ‘70s.

Let’s hope I get back to Bob’s soon enough to see what’s cooking in their kitchen.