This year has been hard on businesses, both nationally and locally, and especially for the restaurant industry. With so many closing their doors temporarily or permanently in response to the pandemic, it’s more important than ever to support the locally-owned eateries that are still with us, and it’s wildly refreshing to hear of a newly-established bakery opening, despite the odds! As of this past summer, Young Buns Doughnuts has become the latest place to procure hot, fresh, gourmet doughnuts!
Owners Adam and Ebbie Young met at the Ocean House in 2010, when the hotel opened and they were working as the Executive Pastry Chef and Executive Assistant, respectively. Adam, driven by a desire to offer a broader community with luxurious pastries, eventually set his sights on opening up his own place, which led to the founding of Sift Bake Shop in May of 2016. Ebbie, who has taken on the role of marketing and social media manager, shared that they had looked at a variety of locations, but after discovering she was pregnant, they decided to settle in Mystic, Connecticut since that’s where she’s from.
Sift has been a resounding success that warrants its own exploration, but suffice to say that no restaurant, no matter how successful, could have predicted the challenges of 2020. Like many places, they had to scale back their hours and experiment with how they reached both new and loyal customers, which also led to some reduced hours for staff – a heartbreaking decision for any company, but particularly for one as tightly knit and family oriented as Sift.
So, in the midst of a Covid-19 summer, as many businesses struggled to adapt and stay afloat, Adam and Ebbie decided to open a new business – Young Buns Doughnuts. “This allowed us to re-create jobs for people already on the team,” Ebbie explained. “A space became available, and we had been wanting to start offering doughnuts anyway, so we figured there was no time like the present! Everything was rapid fire and came to fruition quickly; Adam and our team did all the construction, even while still baking running the day-to-day operations at Sift.”
Happily, doughnuts, which are already grab-and-go by nature and a source of comfort and solace for many, have proven to be an excellent choice for the Youngs and for their customers. “We’ve had all the anxiety that comes with opening a business under normal circumstances, compounded by the pandemic, but we’re here and we’re so grateful every day,” Ebbie said.
Doughnuts have long been a staple breakfast (or any time!) treat in this country, with some sources estimating that Americans consume roughly half a billion dollars’ worth of the classic sweets each year, while gourmet doughnuts have been enjoying a trendy moment for a few years now. Ebbie chalks this up to their individually-sized nature. “First it was cupcakes, now it’s doughnuts – they’re something everyone knows, but they are a fun way to try something new, without necessarily committing too much.”
Young Buns offers fourteen flavors to choose from. There’s eleven classic options, such as old fashioned, cinnamon sugar, blueberry, rainbow sprinkle, and their flagship flavor – the Young Bun, which is a vanilla cake doughnut topped with vanilla icing and vanilla streusel. “We like to keep it simple, no frills, delicious, and fresh,” Ebbie said. For anyone feeling a little bit adventurous, there’s also three special, seasonal flavors that allow everyone to experiment a little.
For December, customers can indulge in the newly launched triple gingerbread doughnut, eggnog crème brûlée, chocolate peppermint, or a spiced blood orange jelly doughnut! “We get together as a team and just chat about ideas for flavors we’d like to have on the menu, and then we run little trials and tweak them a little. It’s so fun!”
“Doughnuts present their own challenge,” Ebbie explained, when asked about how Young Buns differs from Sift. “Consistency is important, of course, and everything happens all at once with doughnuts, whereas other pastries may take all day to craft. It’s a dance, and we’ve learned to get into the rhythm.”
As the business continues to grow and evolve, the Youngs are planning options for make-your-own doughnut kits or home-decorating kits, or even full size doughnut cakes, but their focus will remain on small batches of high quality treats.
“We find what we do very rewarding, and we never take it for granted,” Ebbie said as we wrapped up. “Like everyone, we’re looking forward to putting the pandemic behind us, but to keep delivering great doughnuts and great service for years to come!”
