How Doce Donuts became a Seattle destination in just a few months
Fremont's Doce Donuts is a delicious blend of cultures and flavors that Seattleites can't get enough of.
"You're basically taking an American staple, the donut, and blending it with our culture, Latino culture," explained Claudia Monroy, co-owner of Doce Donuts.
When Monroy and her husband, Damian Castillo, first moved to Seattle, they discovered two things: just about everyone has a 12th Man flag outside their door, and folks here love donuts.
"I started going to different donut shops around Seattle. They were great, but I felt like there weren't any with our flavors. So, that's how I came up with the idea," said Castillo.
"Doce means 12 in Spanish," added Monroy. "We tried to pay homage to the city that is now our home while being authentic to our roots. That's where Doce Donuts was born."
Located on the border of Wallingford and Fremont, it took almost no time for Doce to become a bonafide donut destination — drawing lines down the block, thanks to the power of social media and word-of-mouth.
"I cried the first day when my husband texted me, 'We're sold out.' I'm like, 'How are we sold out? Nobody knows us,'" said Monroy. "It's beyond our wildest dreams. I'm so grateful."
The support from the community is made all the more sweet because this is a family business. Castillo's dad, a baker for more than 40 years, runs the kitchen, and his mom and sister, who owns a bakery in Miami, also help out.
"We put our love into everything we do. It's truly a labor of love and why not do it with the people you love the most, your family," said Monroy.
This family makes some serious donuts, the base of which is a unique, raised brioche dough.
"We let it rest for over 24 hours, which makes it a really fluffy donut that you can have even the next day and it'll be as good as the day before," explained Castillo.
That brioche provides a canvas for flavor. At Doce, the rotating menu is inspired by the family's Venezuelan roots and Latino background.
"We try to recreate Latino desserts. We're constantly coming up with different flavor profiles that resemble our flavors and our culture," said Monroy.
Staple flavors include Mexican hot chocolate, churro dolce de leche and Monroy's personal favorite, guava con queso, though the team at Doce likes to switch things up with new flavors each month. There is, however, one constant ingredient — love.
"It's truly a family business, and we pour our hearts into every single donut we make."
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