This article was printed in the September 2003 issue of Southern Living magazine.
By Wanda McKinney
This delectable dessert oasis has won acclaim from sweet-toothed fans both near and far.
Would you l ike some wonderful doughnuts?" my guide asked as we drove through the charming town of Somerset, Kentucky.
Never one to turn down a sweet dining experience, I was confused when he pulled into a Shell service station on U.S. 27. "Are they high-octane doughnuts?" I asked.
He laughed and informed me that the Sugar Shack — connected to the gas station — has doughnuts that have been named among the top six in the country. "Try the coconut," he urged. "It's the most famous."
So I did, and now — as The Monkees once sang — I'm a believer. The slightly crusty outside blends perfectly with the tender cake inside and turned me into a babbling, smiling Sugar Shackophile.
Doug Stephens, owner of Sugar Shack, is used to such confectionary conversions. His parents started Amon's Bakery in Pulaski County in 1951 (which is still in operation), and he grew up delivering doughnuts to tourist campsites.
Sugar Shack produces an average of 150 dozen doughnuts a day, including three types of the deservedly famous coconut, as well as a butternut version that has been described as "eating a butter-pecan-ice-cream-cone doughnut."
"We have about 70 different kinds. The Bismarks are real popular," Doug says, pointing out the chocolate-iced, white-cream-filled beauties. "And, of course, lots of people just enjoy the plain glazed."
Between mouthfuls of a Bismark, I ask when the best time is to get them fresh. "We open every day at 5 a.m.," says Doug. "So come in bright and early — around 6 or 7 to get them really hot. We're open till 11 at night."
"You don't get much sleep, do you?" I ask, grabbing a plain glazed so I won't look picky.
"I have good people working for me," he says.
I'm relieved to find out Sugar Shack offers mail order. I can just give Doug a call, tell him what I want, and his staff can wrap, seal and send them out overnight.
