Vegan donuts debut at Purple Glaze
Hendrix inspired - features traditional to the sublime
The small donut shop on the corner of Summerfield and Emory opened quietly two weeks ago but quickly made its mark this week.
“I highly recommend it, the cake is so moist,” said Joy Barrie of Neptune City who made her second trip in as many days. “Everyone should get a dozen of their different assortment.”
The Memorial Day holiday weekend kicks off with the launch of their much anticipated vegan recipe. And, like their other offerings, a patron can choose from the traditional to the sublime.
“We have vegan cookies, vegan chocolate, vegan marshmallow,” said baker Dan Felicetta of the baked – not fried – donut.
Purple Glaze is a collaboration by mother and son baking enthusiasts Jacki and Wesley Sharpe.
“I started practicing making donuts out of my house four years ago,” Wesley Sharpe said. “It took a lot of practice to come up with something that we wanted to use.”
In the meantime his mother Jacki, a retired community college administrator and educator, took a pastry course offered by Brookdale Community College’s Culinary Education Center, where she met Felicetta.
“Everything came together very organically and we are trying to do this the same way,” Wesley Sharpe said.
“My focus is not to be a gourmet or boutique [donut shop],” Jacki Sharpe said. “I want to be a neighborhood shop.”
The 450-square-foot storefront pays homage to psychedelic rocker Jimi Hendrix and taps in on an inventiveness that couples traditional offerings with bold flavors.
Take for instance, the peanut butter and jelly inspired PB&J, a jelly filled donut with chocolate icing and a peanut butter drizzle or the cream cheese filled French Toast with cinnamon, sugar and a maple drizzle.
For those with an adventurous palate there’s the Ring of Fire, a vanilla iced donut filled with Holly Jolly Jam’s jalapeno pepper jelly. But if you have a tame palate there are the traditional powdered, glazed, and sprinkle topped choices, in both vegan and regularly fried.
Or you can craft your own.
“We try to make the donuts throughout the day,” Wesley Sharpe said. “It’s all very quick.”
To date the team can top a dozen donuts within three minutes.
“We’d like to get it down to less than that,” he said.
Employee Tyler Guertin said he appreciates the fact that every part of the shop, from its employees to artwork and logo are from the local region.
Art Tank did the mural and decals, B2 Creative did their logo, Asbury Woodcraft the counter, and the coffee hails from Asbury Roastery, Jacki Sharpe said.
“We try to use local ingredients when we can,” she said. “The pepper jam comes from Holly Jolly Jams of Tinton Falls.”
Purple Glaze is located at 516 Summerfield Avenue. Their hours of operation are from 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For more information visit, www.purpleglazedonuts.com or call (732) 361-5308.
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