Meet Leigh Kellis, the founder and co-owner of The Holy Donut and author of Women Who Need Donuts.

Back in 2011, Leigh started The Holy Donut, with nothing but a few simple ingredients in her pantry and a whole bunch of love and permission to indulge in her cravings. She was also going through a pretty tough time in her personal life. But soon donuts became more than a distraction. They became an obsession. She made batch after batch on her kitchen stove tinkering with recipes and finally landed on ‘The Holy Donut’!

Leigh will be the first one to say that her donuts are nothing out of the ordinary but loyal fans would argue that they are unforgettable. You are probably wondering what makes them so special. Let’s start with the not-so-secret ingredient…Maine mashed potatoes. Everyone knows mashed potatoes are the ultimate comfort food, but add them (without butter and milk) to some sugar, butter, flour and a few more baking basics like baking powder, baking soda and salt and you get a super moist donut that almost melts in your mouth. But here is why Leigh’s donuts came out on top. She came up with the most unique flavors like Maine’s favorite and inexpensive Allen’s Coffee Brandy; freshly squeezed and zested infused Lemon Glaze; roasted sweet potato donuts; vegan and gluten-free donuts (that actually tasted delicious); the addictive, Holy Cannoli Donut (with a ginger glaze and a ricotta filling) and the ultimate Bacon Cheddar Filled donut. The Dark Chocolate Sea Salt is my favorite!

I’m going to stop here before I go into a donut coma just writing about all this wholesome sugary goodness.

Leigh’s mission was simple: she aimed to make a sinfully delicious donut from scratch that she felt good eating. Take a listen to her podcast and hear the incredible story of how Maine’s reigning Donut Queen made it all happen with love, passion and family.

This podcast would not feel complete without an homage to Leigh’s father, Allan Kellis, who was a co-owner and a huge part of The Holy Donut’s success. He was also a big time Barbershop quartet fan and composed this awesome Holy Donut jingle that we simply had to include in this episode in his memory.

On December 11, 2018, Melissa Kelly, walked into the local theater in my hometown of Boothbay Harbor to attend the screening of the pilot episode for my video series Mumbai to Maine. Why this two-time James Beard Foundation Award winner chose to make the drive from Rockland… on a snowy night… on her night off, will forever remain a mystery to me.

But I’m so thankful she did.

I’ve been extremely fortunate to interview Melissa at length not once, but twice in the last 6 months.

This past October, I was honored to host Melissa as my inaugural guest for the Talking Food In Maine, Intimate Conversations series at the historic Lincoln theater in Damariscotta created by the brilliant Executive Director, Andrew Fenniman. As you can imagine, it was a packed house. I was so taken with her and her career I knew I just had to have her on my podcast to share her story with everyone.

  

As soon as I launched my podcast, I asked Melissa to come sit down with me again, but this time, at my home studio in Boothbay. During the Gospel According to Melissa Kelly episode, we had so much fun chatting about her life’s work we totally lost track of time. This episode was so widely shared and so well received, I knew there were some die-hard Melissa Kelly fans out there who would love the additional stories that got edited out of the original podcast. I sat down with my audio engineer, Guy Scott, who came up with a neat idea to add a BONUS episode, entitled, A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly…a sequel! Thanks Guy!

This is a brief but fun 10-minute interview with some engaging moments that I’m sure will captivate you. If you’ve ever wondered what Melissa’s signature dish is at Primo, her award-winning ‘full-circle kitchen’ restaurant in Rockland, Maine? Or what it was like to cook for Anthony Bourdain on his show, No Reservations, take a listen, here is – A Second Helping of Melissa Kelly.

 

Have you ever had a fabulous food idea that you wanted to develop and bring to the marketplace, like an Impossible Red Hot Dog or Maine’s Mushroom Burger, but didn’t know where to get started? Look no further than Rob Dumas, University of Maine’s Food Science Innovation Coordinator and the Manager of the Dr. Matthew Highlands Pilot Plant, a state-of-the-art research facility that aims to elevate, diversify and innovate Maine food products alongside big and small Maine food producers. The Pilot Plant is decked out with top-notch food processing equipment, including a pasta maker, meat chopper, dehydrator, blast freezer, steam cooker, cheese making equipment and packaging equipment.

A few months ago, I was researching how to start a specialty food product in Maine. The first link that popped up led me to Dr. Beth Calder, Food Science Specialist for the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and School of Food & Agriculture. Dr. Calder has been an invaluable resource to me in launching my culinary collection, ‘Journey in a Jar’ – signature shelf-stable Indian sauces, spreads and marinades.

Dr. Calder suggested I attend a training at MOFGA( Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association) and that is where I first met Dumas who happened to be a presenter at the training. I was on the heels of launching Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast – Maine’s food story past, present and future. Intrigued by how Dumas’ role could shape Maine’s food landscape in the future, I invited him to share his thoughts and his vision on the podcast.

Dumas has the most fascinating food story, one that started in the southern state of Louisiana, and ended up in the northern state of Maine. He’s cooked in kitchens large, small and even presidential. From a submarine off the coast of Virginia, to the White House Navy Mess and even cooking for the Obama family while on the road. Yet, if you met him he would tell you he is facing his biggest challenge yet!

My head is already brimming with ideas I might want to develop alongside Dumas’ expertise and the top notch commercial equipment at the Dr. Matthew Highland’s Pilot Plant. It seems like a no-brainer to leverage the tremendous resources that the University of Maine’s School of Food & Ag have in place. Check them out here. There is a fee associated with the service and its based on the scope of the product being developed.

But first, be sure to tune into Rob’s insightful podcast to find out how a latchie kid from Slidell, Louisiana curated a deep understanding of food… one that greatly influences his gig as Maine’s food innovation go-to-guy!

I’m so honored to kick off the inaugural episode of Maine’s Bicentennial Food Podcast with Susan Axelrod.

As Food + Special Projects Editor for Maine Magazine, Maine Home + Design and Eat Maine, Susan has covered scores of lifestyle features on Maine’s finest culinary tastemakers, innovators, designers, artists and philanthropists.

Susan is deeply anchored into the Maine food scene and has a way of staying ahead of the culinary pulse of this state. Her love affair with Maine goes back to her childhood when her family would summer here in the mid-coast Maine region. Although she grew up in D.C., Maine stayed close to her heart.

I asked Susan to share some of her most memorable food stories. As you’ll hear in the podcast ( click below to take a listen) we take a deep dive into Maine’s food culture discussing cheesemaking, craft-beer brewing, distilling, bread-making, sustainable fishing and aquaculture, modern-farming initiatives, the ever-growing and award-winning restaurant scene and finally the collaborative ethos between Maine chefs and their commitment to supporting local farmers.

Join Susan as she takes us on a culinary journey from her first batch of disastrous donuts as a teenager to her deep admiration for all things Julia Child, to her success as a food writer from New Jersey to Maine.

I hope you’ll understand that we simply had to kick off this food podcast and signature bicentennial series by indulging in some locally sourced, hand-crafted cheeses, freshly baked sourdough bread, late fall harvested apples, Stonefire naan slathered with Chaat Masala-infused home-made ghee and local lavender honey! (Check out the chopping board below!)

Go ahead, it’s okay to drool!