Dough is the new steel

Daniel Arauz
November 5, 2015
This article was published more than 2 years ago.
Est. Reading Time: 3 minutes

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Hamilton is no stranger to high-quality bakers. Locally-sourced ingredients, vegan options and small batch from scratch preparation has become the standard for any new small business looking to start up in the local food industry. Yet, there is still something incredibly novel about taking these standards, adding a bit of creativity and applying it to the beloved donut. Donut Monster is one of the most creative and delicious new offerings in the city. You haven’t had a donut until you’ve tried one.

Donut Monster made its debut in July of this year, and since then has offered its expanding line of goods through a variety of local retailers. New flavours are announced every week via Instagram, often incorporating unorthodox pairings or drawing inspiration from other popular sweets. Notable favourites have included double chocolate brownie, mango cacao, blueberry basil, fig and brandy, honey mustard and rosemary, watermelon lavender, roasted plum and cranberry.

The dynamic menu and unique pairings of different ingredients are thanks to the innovative and culinary mind of Reuban Vanderkwaak. Vanderkwaak took inspiration from some of the many quality donut shops he encountered in his American travels, and began developing his own recipes. Despite the donut service being his first venture into professional baking and small business, Vanderkwaak was able to make experimentation and collaboration a fundamental part of his work.

The difficulties associated with finding affordable and sufficient space brought Vanderkwaak together with the owners of Willard’s Ice Cream, Hero Coffee Roasters, Sweet & Simple Candies and Real Food Kitchens to start the Kitchen Collective.

The Kitchen Collective is a co-op, non-profit, and state of the art commercial kitchen that offers members and the public access to a significantly more affordable means to start a small business. The kitchen was funded via Kickstarter last year, and is home to a total of 34 permanent, professional members.

The extra set of taste buds naturally lends itself to some great collaboration. Espresso Chocolate donuts made with Relay Coffee roasts, an Oatmeal Stout donut using Brimstone Brewery’s own Midnight Mass, as well as several other ingredients from fellow Kitchen Collective members have been used to create some fantastic collaborative flavours. “Part of what I love about Hamilton is the community aspect and the collaboration behind small businesses. It happens in other communities but it feels really strong in Hamilton,” says Vanderkwaak.

“A lot of people, they have an idea, and they wanna try it out . . . it’s a space to experiment. It’s a space to really see if you can take your dream to the next level and you can do that in a safe way and not have to invest a lot of money into it.”

While Vanderkwaak and other small businesses involved in the local food industry are excited by its rapid growth, the barrier of entry and competition has also predictably grown.

“It starts to price people out of the game and that’s what the Kitchen Collective is trying to combat as well,” says Vanderkwaak. “Let’s keep an opening for people that are not necessarily millionaires or have access to a large amount of funds or have such a history in the industry that they can easily find access to those funds. Keeping it experimental, keeping on a smaller level, keeping it fun. That’s what we’re doing.”

Donut Monster is carried by The Canon, Pinecone Coffee Company and the Relay Coffee stand at Hamilton Farmers’ Market from Thursday to Saturday. Butcher and the Vegan, The Mustard Seed Coop and Cafe Oranje provide donuts on Saturdays. Announcements and other news can be found via Donut Monster’s social media. For more information about the Kitchen Collective and its members, visit their website at www.kitchencollective.ca.

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