Less than 18 months after founding Glazed Donuts in her Essex home, Rachel Lee has announced plans to share space with Leo & Co. in the Essex Experience. Lee, 36, has put her bakery on hiatus while she builds a new dedicated doughnut kitchen in the market and café at 21 Essex Way. She hopes to start frying fresh doughnuts there in August to bring to the Essex farmers market before opening for weekend hours, ideally in September, depending on staffing. Leo & Co. offerings remain unchanged.
A brick-and-mortar location was in Lee’s “dreamed-for, hoped-for” five-year plan, she said. Unexpected demand for her freshly fried doughnuts, combined with the need for a temperature-controlled kitchen in which to make the rich brioche dough, sped up the timeline. A message from the husband of Leo & Co. owner Kayla Silver came at an opportune moment, and Lee soon signed a deal with Silver to share the space.
Lee started the business in February with the support of her husband, Jordan Lee. “Since we got married,” Rachel said, “we’ve been doughnut people.” When the couple moved in 2021 from Arizona to Vermont, Rachel said, they couldn’t find doughnuts they loved near their home. She started fine-tuning a recipe with the valuable — and eager — taste-testing services of the family’s four kids.
Soon after its debut, Glazed became known for its buttery, egg-enriched brioche dough and flavors such as Maple Crunch, with maple glaze and maple sprinkles; and strawberry frosted, made with local strawberries. Follow the new bakery’s progress on Instagram. ➆
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