Ayrshire foodies are going dough-nuts for these American-style donuts – and they’re the baddest in town.
Gemma Cook, 27, from Irvine, has only been making her Baking Bad doughy delights for six weeks and has been inundated with orders.
Her selection of fluffy fried treats include flavours such as Milky Way Crispy Rolls, Happy Hippo, Daim, Tablet, Caramac and the classic sugar and cinnamon-dusted kind.
Gemma, who works part-time at Ayrshire Food Hub based at Crossroads, also creates ‘donuts cakes’ for those who prefer to indulge with a donut instead of a birthday or wedding cake.
She told Ayrshire Live: “It’s been six weeks and I can’t believe how supportive people have been.
“I wasn’t expecting it all to happen so quickly.
“I thought it’d take months and months and I’d be building things up and taking my time."
Gemma previously worked for a baking supply company for four-and-a-half years and noticed a gap in the market for homemade donuts in Ayrshire.
She said: “We were supplying all these businesses across Scotland and the one thing I noticed was so many donut places in Glasgow, and we have nothing like that here.
“I’ve been working in sales and none of that has ever been what I wanted to do.
“I was working 7am to 7pm, doing work at the weekend and night-time for the previous company I was working for and I thought ‘I don’t enjoy this'; there’s other things I could be doing with my life that I’m not doing, I guess, out of fear.
“When I was at school and worked in hospitality, I always used to go on about all I want is to have my own shop and do baking, cakes, coffee.
“That’s always been my dream. I think the coronavirus pandemic has made everyone think ‘hmmm, I’m going to re-evaluate my life a little bit’.”
Gemma quit her job, went part-time with her new employers and started Baking Bad, with her creations now being stocked in Drift cafe in Troon, Scran in Kilmarnock and Forno in Irvine.
The name ‘Baking Bad’ came from a friend, who Gemma jokes will receive a lifetime supply of donuts.
“I love the TV show Breaking Bad for a start, and it’s American. I had in my head I wanted something American because it’s American-style donuts,” she said.
Gemma admits her home – who she shares with boyfriend and lucky taste tester Ryan – has been taken over with ingredients and stock.
“It’s ridiculous,” she said. “I’ve now got all my bulk boxes in the spare bedroom and half of my boxes that are folded and made up are sitting on the dining table.
“I’m not joking when I say I’ve basically taken half of our kitchenware into the bathroom cupboard!
“I love baking all sorts of different things and I’d loved to have the opportunity down the line – if the dream pans out – that eventually I’ll get to expand and do lots of different things.”
Keep up to date with Baking Bad at https://www.facebook.com/bakingbadltd/
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