Carmack's Doughnuts revives family "spudnut" recipe
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The "spudnuts" from Carmack's are light and fluffy and have a subtle potato roll-like texture. Photo: Meira Gebel/Axios
Sean Carmack is bringing a generations-old family doughnut business back to life in his home kitchen, just steps away from North Portland's Peninsula Park.
The big picture: Carmack's "spudnut" recipe — doughnuts made with potato flour — can be traced back to 1953, when his great-grandfather took over a small shop in Bountiful, Utah. It was a cult-classic success for four decades until a fire and failed revival attempt shut it down for good.
- Carmack tinkered with production and product development for two years, but a recent layoff was the catalyst for rebuilding the bustling restaurant he remembers from his childhood.
Zoom in: Carmack launched his namesake doughnut shop in January, operating under Oregon's cottage food laws. The menu is tight, offering just six options: classic glaze, rose, black walnut, cardamom-cinnamon and fried cinnamon rolls topped with either chocolate or vanilla.
- The potato flour gives each bite a gentle, yet distinct "potato-roll-like fluffiness," Carmack said. "You realize you're tasting something that's not quite like anything you've tried."
What's next: Over the last two months, Carmack said, demand has steadily grown — with weekend sellouts becoming more common — and he hopes to eventually turn the operation into a brick-and-mortar neighborhood spot with the same energy the original shop was known for.
- "It was a really important place for the community," he said.
If you go: Carmack's Doughnuts (5927 N. Borthwick Ave.) is open Thursday through Sunday from 8:05am to noon or sellout.