PVDonuts

A New and Better Donut Destination for Rhode Island

Nothing stirs up a food frenzy like the word “donut,” especially in Rhode Island where we have yet to experience the hot trend of specialty donuts that has taken the rest of the country by storm. Cities like New York, Boston, Chicago and Seattle have all joined the donut craze—and that’s exactly what Lori Kettelle noticed on her travels.

“I’d seek out the best donut shops in the city I was visiting,” Lori explains, citing The Holy Donut in Portland, ME, as one of her favorites.

“After each trip I’d return to Providence and wonder why there was nothing like that here.” A graduate of the Johnson & Wales Pastry and Baking Arts Program, Lori took to the kitchen and began experimenting by making her own donuts, aiming for the perfect, not-too-sweet, 24-hour brioche-raised base. As she baked, she shared her creations on social media, and thanks to a few mentions by RI Food Fights and Johnny Clam Cakes, two Rhode Island Instagram accounts with large followings, her donuts gained a devoted fan base.

Move over, cupcakes: The rise of PVDonuts has been meteoric. Lori received her license from the Department of Health in February of this year, and by March she had started baking out of the Hope & Main kitchens. On April 2, the first wholesale order of 12 dozen donuts landed in a few select coffee shops and sold out within minutes. The following weekend she doubled her production and, with lines at each location, the donuts again sold out in minutes. Within two weeks, PVDonuts had outgrown the fryer capacity at Hope & Main, and Lori began looking for ways to expand production. As fate would have it, Jennifer Luxmoore, the owner of Sin desserts, where Lori once did an internship, was looking for a tenant to share her current space. Lori jumped at the opportunity.

Opening Memorial Day weekend in the Sin desserts space at 220 Allens Ave., PVDonuts has found a home. You’ll be able to get your fix of Strawberry Glaze, Butter Pecan, Cookies & Cream and more, every Wednesday through Sunday at the new location. Be sure to get there early for your decadent, glaze-induced sugar rush!

Note: Since the printing of this story, PVDonuts has moved to their new flagship store located at 79 Ives Street in Providence. According to their website, pvdonuts.com, they are still open Wednesday-Sunday, "8am 'til we sell out!"