Jimmy Lyons and Kelly Briguccia are busy. The co-founders of North Fork Doughnut Company in Mattituck are expecting their second child, renovating their home, and physically expanding their shop into what had been a beer store next door. But mostly they’re busy because doughnut sales are brisk.
“Sales are better now than they were last summer, when we first opened,” Lyons says. “And not only are we surviving the slow, cold months of January, February and March, we’re thriving.”
Located on Main Road just around the corner from the shops of Love Lane, North Fork Doughnut Company (or NoFoDoCo, as it’s smartly being branded) sells homemade, high-end doughnuts from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., Tuesday through Sunday. Lyons and Briguccia make and bake the doughnuts from scratch each morning, on the premises, arriving in the kitchen at about 3 a.m. to do so. Each batch takes approximately four hours from start to finish, and, when possible, includes fresh, local ingredients.
“We’re making doughnuts, so obviously we’re not able to avail ourselves of all the great produce the North Fork is known for,” Lyons says. “But when we can, we do, like the great, organic Sang Lee fruit we incorporated into the chocolate-covered strawberry doughnut this year.”
At around $3.50 per doughnut, North Fork Doughnut Company’s creations are not cheap, but the cost doesn’t seem to deter customers.
“The Fruity Pebbles doughnut is to die for,” says Jonah Ferstand, a college student and Mattituck local. “I come in every couple of weeks to get one.”
Part of the business’ allure is surely those unique creations, which include popular favorites like the Fruity Pebbles doughnut, the Samoa (inspired by the Girl Scout cookie) and the cannoli (yes, the cannoli doughnut). When the calendar calls for it, NoFoDoCo produces themed baked goods, too, including doughnut “bouquets” for Valentine’s Day, Boston Crèmes decorated like footballs on Super Bowl Sunday, and, most recently, sugar-coated beignets for Mardi Gras.
A selection of North Fork Doughnut Company flavors. The Fruity Pebbles is on the right.
Of course, North Fork Doughnut Company makes traditional favorites like glazed or raspberry-filled jellies, too, but coming up with their own recipes is one of the things that Lyons and Briguccia relish about owning their own business.
“We just make up the flavors ourselves,” Briguccia says, “although often it comes down to childhood favorites.”
Ironically, given that their business emphasizes homemade cooking and high-end ingredients, Lyons and Briguccia’s story started in a decidedly non-foodie environment. Their courtship began with a first date at a Dunkin’ Donuts. Asked if he or Briguccia were fans of those iconic baked goods, Lyons is coy.
“We liked the coffee,” he says diplomatically.
Lyons had previously worked in the beer industry and as a production manager for the artisanal, organic chocolate maker Mast Brothers in Brooklyn. Briguccia had followed in her mother’s footsteps and been a lifelong baker. When the couple decided to go into business together, doughnuts seemed a fun and obvious choice, but they also looked to the past when planning their future.
“Kelly’s mother died twelve years ago,” Lyons explains, “and we wanted to use some of her recipes.”
“It was one of the ways we wanted to honor her,” Briguccia says.
The couple experimented in the kitchen with a doughnut recipe they found in one of her mother’s cookbooks, eventually perfecting it and making the dough their own. Today, that dough is the foundation of the large, light, and luscious doughnuts that have Long Islanders returning again and again to NoFoDoCo’s Mattituck door. Well, it’s the doughnuts and the coffee, of course, served hot or cold.
“We get our coffee from North Fork Roasting Company in Southold, and our nitro cold-brew coffee on tap is from Sail Away, in Patchogue,” Lyons says. “As much as possible, we like to work with other local, small businesses.”
While a traditional menu of doughnuts and coffee remains the staple of the business, that doesn’t mean North Fork Doughnut Company doesn’t get a little creative. Twice Lyons and Briguccia have partnered with Long Island breweries to make doughnut-themed beers, including the Strawberry Frosted Donut Milkshake IPA they just brewed with Destination Unknown Brewing in Bay Shore. At the launch party for that beer, cheeseburgers were served inside a NoFoDoCo glazed doughnut.
“Yes, they were popular!” Lyons laughs. “We actually ran out of glazed doughnuts that night.”
North Fork Doughnut Company isn’t yet planning to expand its menu, but the business is growing. Open for less than a year, NoFoDoCo has already purchased new kitchen equipment to increase production and is taking over the empty storefront next door. While Lyons and Briguccia are not prepared to announce any specific plans about adding to the menu or opening new stores, that’s not to say they don’t have their eyes on the future.
“The best thing to do is find us and follow us on social media,” Jimmy says of NoFoDoCo. “That way you’ll find out what’s happening as it happens.”
—
For the best of the Hamptons and North Fork, follow us on Facebook and Instagram.