Donuts without the quintessential O-shaped centre?
Mike and Debbie Skellas and Tony Merante are doing exactly that with their latest spot, Unholy Donuts.
The new bakeshop serves up brioche-style donuts that forego the centre hole to create dense pastries that can be chock-full of creative fillings like ganache and lemon curd, or piled sky-high with toppings.
“The un-holey structure also allows for donuts without filling to climb high with toppings. Our baker and co-founder works her magic with jaw-dropping, drool-worthy toppings that often end up looking more like mini-cakes,” says co-founder Mike Skellas, whose wife Debbie is the in-house baker, helming the kitchen and whipping up the delicious creations you can order for take-out.
Lifelong friends and restaurateurs Mike Skellas and Tony Merante have a storied history of helping each other launch restaurants and all three members of the team are veterans of the Toronto food scene.
Mike and Debbie previously owned a buffet-style Greek food restaurant in North York and Tony is the owner and operator of DeSotos, the family-friendly Regal Heights neighbourhood spot – a 17-year mainstay for comfort food and a charming corner patio on St. Clair West. Tony is also a partner and co-founder of Atomic 10, DeSotos’ neighbour, a restaurant specializing in cocktails, tacos and Latin fusion food.
Unholy Donuts was born from last year’s sudden shutdown of indoor dining in Toronto. With Mike and Debbie’s enthusiasm to serve donuts, Tony converted his dining room at DeSotos into a commercial bakery for take-out orders and the people of donut-obsessed Toronto quickly fell in love.
Unholy Donuts was an instant success and quickly needed its own space to grow, and so the aptly named bakeshop moved into its own space on December 27. The building is a bright pink converted house on 95 Maitland St., right near Church, complete with a neon sign.
The character of the Victorian-era home has been preserved despite some minor updates inside, combining the old-world charm of the home with the bold, creative flair of the brand. A bright blue-and-white colour scheme decorates the walls with a stunning chandelier hanging from the original plaster medallion on the ceiling. Some might say the interior echoes the history of Toronto’s love affair with donuts while combining Unholy’s trailblazing innovation: tried-and-true injected with a bit of novelty and creativity (and don’t forget that sweet, sweet filling).
Of their new venture’s potential, Mike is unabashed.
“We’ve learned that a focused brand producing a good product is a recipe for success. And, of course, only goodness can come out of a Greek couple and an Italian restauranteur determined to make the best donuts in the city!”
The space is focusing on take-out only so you can swing by for a donut (or dozen) from 11:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. seven days a week. The spot also serves drip coffee and espresso-based beverages so you can wash down a bacon-topped maple glaze with a cappuccino or latte.
Delivery through mobile is coming soon, so keep an eye out on your favourite apps.