5 Fun Facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!
Louisville’s favorite doughnut shop provides great business lessons and even better doughnuts!
It's National Doughnut Day, an observance dating back to the 1930s, which honors the Salvation Army "Lassies" who served doughnuts and other treats to U.S. Troops during World War I. Here in Kentucky, we take our doughnuts pretty seriously. In fact, the New York Times once traced a doughnut trail across our great Commonwealth. One of the state's most beloved doughnut stops is in a gas station! That's the great thing about doughnuts: they're inexpensive, accessible, and enjoyed by almost everybody! My favorite doughnut spot is Hi-Five Doughnuts, which serves amazing creations with a Kentucky flair. You absolutely MUST try the bourbon caramel glaze, and if you're really brave, you can try the Kentucky Fried Buttermilk Chicken Doughnut.
Hi-Five Doughnuts is one of my favorite Kentucky businesses, combining local ingredients, awesome female entrepreneurs, incredible marketing, and a fabulous product. Let's celebrate National Doughnut Day with five fun facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!!!
1. Hi-Five is woman-owned and operated. Leslie Wilson and Annie Harlow began their business running a food truck, affectionately named Shelby, then opened a storefront in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood.
The bacon-glazed doughnut is amazing, y'all.
2. The business name pays tribute to the legend that the custom of giving a high-five was invented in a U of L basketball practice in the 1970s.
3. Hi-Five has trademarked their hashtag! When you talk about the #ladiesofthemorning, then according to to the US Patent and Trademark office you're referencing Hi-Five Doughnuts!
4. The Hi-Five business model is so cool, a book has been written about it! Dr. Lyle Sussman of U of L's College of Business wrote "Breaking the Glaze Ceiling: Sweet Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Wannabes", which establishes 12 business principles based on Leslie and Annie's success. In interviewing the Doughnut Ladies for a prior article, I was so impressed that they built the entire enterprise on a no-debt model, opting instead to purchase only what they could afford at any given time.
That's cinnamon glaze + Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You need it in your life.
5. Everybody loves Hi-Five! The Travel Channel has visited them, they're a staple at local events like the Forecastle Festival, and they're often served as a finishing touch at local galas and weddings.
The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky: 2016 Edition
It's National Doughnut Day! Celebrate with Kentucky's favorite doughnuts!
Here in Kentucky, we love our doughnuts. We love them so much that, a few years back, the New York Times even ran a piece tracing Kentucky's Doughnut Trail.
Doughnuts are the absolute best -- they're sweet, inexpensive little pieces of nostalgia. They make you remember the morning you got to play hooky and pick up a sugary breakfast after a doctor's appointment, or the times your grandma fried up a fresh batch, or that little bakery in your hometown that made THE BEST doughnuts.
Last year's HerKentucky National Doughnut Day post stirred up a lot of feelings from y'all -- apparently, I missed out on a lot of local gems in my hunt for the five best doughnuts in Kentucky. So, I've spent a lot of time over the past year really mulling over what makes a GREAT doughnut. Here are the five Bluegrass State bakeries that made the cut.
5. Red's Donut Shop, Paducah. A local institution that sells only doughnuts. Locals will tell you that a Red's doughnut is like a fresh Krispy Kreme, only better. (Legend has it that Paducah is the birthplace of the Krispy Kreme, so these folks know what they're talking about!)
4. Doughdaddy's, Versailles. Fluffy doughnuts in more varieties than you can possibly imagine.
Nord's Bakery's Maple-Bacon doughnut is amazing.
3. Nord's Bakery, Louisville. You can't mention Kentucky doughnuts without discussing the magic doughnut at Nord's. Of course, you know the one I mean: the maple-bacon. It's possibly the world's most perfect food. Worth the drive over to campus/ Schnitzelberg. Go ahead and buy extras; somebody will want one.
Mural at Nord's Bakery.
2. Spalding's Bakery, Lexington. With a family tradition of fried doughnuts dating back to 1929, Spalding's makes Lexington's very favorite doughnuts. Remember to take cash, as Spalding's doesn't accept credit cards or checks. When you're that good, you don't have to.
1. Hi-Five Doughnuts, Louisville. I love Annie and Leslie, who run this amazing food truck, and I can't wait for their storefront to open! Their high-end, gourmet take on doughnuts is simply amazing, and their Maker's Mark caramel glaze is one of my favorite treats ever. Hands down, my favorite doughnuts ever.
Happy Doughnut Day, y'all! Who makes your favorite doughnut?
The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky
Kentucky's favorite doughnuts
Happy National Doughnut Day, y'all! Whether you spell it Donut or Doughnut, the Bluegrass State makes some of the finest rings of fried dough you'll ever taste. In fact, a few years ago, the New York Times even charted out a Doughnut Trail right here in the Commonwealth. We consulted family, friends, and acquaintances. We tested a lot of donuts. And we ranked our five favorites. (Nord's Bakery in Louisville's Germantown/Schnitzelburg neighborhood gets an honorable mention for those insane bacon donuts. This was a really hard list to narrow down, y'all.)
5. Burke's Bakery, Danville. When I lived in Lexington, I'd come up with every excuse I could think of to visit this old-school bakery and pick up a hot, glazed donut (or two). My Boyle County friends started to wonder why I wanted to go visit their parents so often, but it was so worth it...
4. North Lime Coffee & Donuts, Lexington. This Lexington shop has some of the most creative pairings I've ever seen. They even make a brisket donut! Even if you steer clear of the savories, they offer fresh, unique, amazing flavors!
North Lime Donuts, photo courtesy Ashley Sanders.
3. Doughdaddy's, Versailles. When we were house-hunting in Nashville, a homeowner inquired where we were from. When we said Kentucky, he immediately asked, in broken English, "Have you been to Doughdaddy's?" That anecdote doesn't quite prove that they're world-famous, but word certainly gets around about these light, fluffy donuts!
Hi-Five Doughnuts at Younger Woman's Club 2015 Gala. Photo courtesy Liz Bornwasser.
2. Hi-Five Doughnuts, Louisville. Louisville's high-end catering and food truck donuts. Amazing flavor combinations every. single. time.
Hi-Five Doughnuts at Younger Woman's Club 2015 Gala. Photo courtesy Sarah Doran Mudd.
1. Red's Donuts, Paducah: As Sarah Stewart Holland told us in the earliest days of HerKentucky, Paducah natives can attest that Red's donuts are the best anywhere.
Red's Donuts, Paducah. Photo courtesy Sarah Stewart Holland.
So, did I get it right, or do you have a favorite Bluegrass State donut spot that I missed? I'm happy to do more research if y'all think it's necessary!
If you're traveling the KY Donut Trail, don't forget a Donutucky shirt from Shop Local KY.
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