A baker at Lafeen’s cuts out the dough for the classic donut and puts them on the rack. After the baker cuts out the dough, it is then baked and deep-fried in cooking oil. — photo by Lillian FurlongFriday, June 04, 2010
By Andrea Farrell
The Western Front (Washington State, USA)
There is nothing quite like the smell of fresh doughnuts: sweet rising dough, sugary glazes and, of course, the grease in the fryer as it bubbles away.
All of these smells drift through the air inside Lafeen’s Donuts & Ice Cream. Lafeen’s, located on Electric Avenue near Whatcom Falls Park, has been serving doughnuts to Bellingham residents for almost 27 years.
More important than the smell, however, is the taste.
“Oh, my gosh, they are the best doughnuts in the state,” customer Aaron Brown said.
Other loyal patrons agree. Manager Shawn Samuth said the company doesn’t have a website and rarely advertises.
Instead, the business relies on word of mouth to find new customers.
Lafeen’s is open between 6 a.m. and 10:45 p.m., but those in the know will say the evening is the best time for a warm, fresh doughnut.
Fryer and glazer William Born said he isn’t sure why Samuth decided to start making doughnuts at night instead of the early morning.
“I think my boss just got old,” Born said.
Samuth and his brother have owned and operated Lafeen’s for 14 years. Samuth said he enjoys running a business.
“I like it because you get to work for yourself,” he said. “You have the freedom to run the business the way you see fit, and to put your own ideas into it.”
Freedom is a familiar concept to Samuth. He and his family immigrated to the United States from Cambodia in 1976. He said they fled to escape the Khmer Rouge, the totalitarian regime that caused the deaths of approximately two million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979.
Samuth was 16 years old when he and his family took everything they could carry and left Cambodia. They hiked through the Dângrêk Mountains for five days and nights, finally arriving at a refugee camp in Thailand.
Samuth said it was frightening to be pursued through the mountains by government soldiers.
“My cousin’s family had a baby and we were worried he would cry,” he said. “But I carried him and he didn’t cry at all.”
In Thailand, Samuth’s father found work in the Thai army, which helped sponsor him to bring his family to the United States. Samuth became an American citizen in 1983.
Now, Samuth enjoys tinkering with new flavors and styles of doughnuts.
Since acquiring Lafeen’s in 1996, he has added the raspberry fritter, a selection of cake doughnuts and the popular buttermilk bar. The shop now boasts 75 different types of donuts, Samuth said.
Another recent addition is Wi-Fi Internet, meant to attract college students and professionals who want to get out of the house or office while staying connected.
Whatcom Community College freshman Phil Tatman said he usually takes advantage of the WiFi, sitting with his laptop and a doughnut.
Tatman said that when he first moved to the area, he came into Lafeen’s every day. He ate so many doughnuts that he got sick of them and had to take a break.
He now comes just twice a week. Still, he can’t get enough of the doughnuts.
“When you have a buttermilk bar or a French crueller hot and fresh, you are spoiled,” he said. Going back to old, cold, stale doughnuts just isn’t possible after you’ve tried Lafeen’s, he said.
Tatman said the shop is popular with families and stoned people with the munchies. One reviewer on Yelp.com wrote that Lafeen’s is a common ground and unspoken neutral zone for stoners, drunks, students and cops.
Tatman said he also visits Lafeen’s for the service.
“Once, I got a fritter straight out of the fryer,” Tatman said. “I asked, ‘Are there any chocolate ready?’ and they turned around, dipped it into the chocolate and handed it back to me.”
All of these smells drift through the air inside Lafeen’s Donuts & Ice Cream. Lafeen’s, located on Electric Avenue near Whatcom Falls Park, has been serving doughnuts to Bellingham residents for almost 27 years.
More important than the smell, however, is the taste.
“Oh, my gosh, they are the best doughnuts in the state,” customer Aaron Brown said.
Other loyal patrons agree. Manager Shawn Samuth said the company doesn’t have a website and rarely advertises.
Instead, the business relies on word of mouth to find new customers.
Lafeen’s is open between 6 a.m. and 10:45 p.m., but those in the know will say the evening is the best time for a warm, fresh doughnut.
Fryer and glazer William Born said he isn’t sure why Samuth decided to start making doughnuts at night instead of the early morning.
“I think my boss just got old,” Born said.
Samuth and his brother have owned and operated Lafeen’s for 14 years. Samuth said he enjoys running a business.
“I like it because you get to work for yourself,” he said. “You have the freedom to run the business the way you see fit, and to put your own ideas into it.”
Freedom is a familiar concept to Samuth. He and his family immigrated to the United States from Cambodia in 1976. He said they fled to escape the Khmer Rouge, the totalitarian regime that caused the deaths of approximately two million Cambodians between 1975 and 1979.
Samuth was 16 years old when he and his family took everything they could carry and left Cambodia. They hiked through the Dângrêk Mountains for five days and nights, finally arriving at a refugee camp in Thailand.
Samuth said it was frightening to be pursued through the mountains by government soldiers.
“My cousin’s family had a baby and we were worried he would cry,” he said. “But I carried him and he didn’t cry at all.”
In Thailand, Samuth’s father found work in the Thai army, which helped sponsor him to bring his family to the United States. Samuth became an American citizen in 1983.
Now, Samuth enjoys tinkering with new flavors and styles of doughnuts.
Since acquiring Lafeen’s in 1996, he has added the raspberry fritter, a selection of cake doughnuts and the popular buttermilk bar. The shop now boasts 75 different types of donuts, Samuth said.
Another recent addition is Wi-Fi Internet, meant to attract college students and professionals who want to get out of the house or office while staying connected.
Whatcom Community College freshman Phil Tatman said he usually takes advantage of the WiFi, sitting with his laptop and a doughnut.
Tatman said that when he first moved to the area, he came into Lafeen’s every day. He ate so many doughnuts that he got sick of them and had to take a break.
He now comes just twice a week. Still, he can’t get enough of the doughnuts.
“When you have a buttermilk bar or a French crueller hot and fresh, you are spoiled,” he said. Going back to old, cold, stale doughnuts just isn’t possible after you’ve tried Lafeen’s, he said.
Tatman said the shop is popular with families and stoned people with the munchies. One reviewer on Yelp.com wrote that Lafeen’s is a common ground and unspoken neutral zone for stoners, drunks, students and cops.
Tatman said he also visits Lafeen’s for the service.
“Once, I got a fritter straight out of the fryer,” Tatman said. “I asked, ‘Are there any chocolate ready?’ and they turned around, dipped it into the chocolate and handed it back to me.”
3 comments:
Cambodians have redefine how donuts are made... Some day Cambodians could take over the donut business in America. We can be known for this success.
Why would Cambodians want to take over the donut business which generally caters to fat COPS and Policemen?
up above is the dumbest comment I have ever heart.
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