Arnold Zwicky's Blog

In the tradition of “Possibly unfortunate names” [for businesses] and “More notable business names”, yesterday came a new one. Passed on by Jeff Shaumeyer on Facebook, this posting by Andy Hopkins of the 12th (reproduced here verbatim):

Here in Toronto there is a new business that caught my eye. It is surprisingly called “Glory Hole Doughnuts”. I don’t think the owner new the double meaning of “Glory Hole” like so many gay men who are looking for some other kind of foot long cream filled treat that is sticky & sweet.

On the various senses of glory hole, see my posting here (with a link to AZBlogX).

From Toronto Life on the 12th:

Introducing: Glory Hole Doughnuts, Ashley Jacot De Boinod’s new crowdfunded Parkdale shop

Ashley Jacot De Boinod’s doughnut journey began about a year ago. Having worked as a pastry chef in some of the best spots in the city (including Buca and Scaramouche), Jacot De Boinod began selling her Glory Hole Doughnuts wholesale to shops like Thor Espresso Bar, Burger Bar and 416 Snack Bar to quite some acclaim. But “the eventual goal was to open a retail space,” she tells us. Despite setbacks in securing a location and finding startup capital for the project (she eventually turned to Indiegogo for crowdfunding), Glory Hole Doughnuts finally got itself a physical space in Parkdale a couple of weeks back.

The shop attracts a dozen or more visitors within 15 minutes of opening at 9 a.m. Designed by Jacot De Boinod and her husband, Rob Dean, who is also behind Glory Hole’s branding, the store has pale green walls and, like the doughnuts, a retro Canadiana vibe. The counter’s façade is made of pieces of chopped wood, and Canadian wilderness scenes are pictured on the wall. The back wall is covered with blackboard paint, and does double duty as a doughnut menu and a place to thank the shop’s various supporters and funders.

The doughnuts are meals in themselves. Some flavors:

Maple Bacon, S’mores, Coconut Cream Pie, Fried Chicken and Waffles, Chocolate Pudding, Lemon Meringue, PB and J, Dulce De Leche with Hazelnuts, Cotton Candy, Apple Pie, Cinnamon Sugar

[The shop also offers timbit-sized confections. On Timbits, from Wikipedia:

Timbits is the brand name of doughnut holes sold at the Canadian-based franchise Tim Hortons. The treats were introduced in April 1976 and are now available in various flavours that differ from store to store. ]

Many have commented on the name Glory Hole, calling it a “somewhat salacious moniker” and the like. The story from Jacot De Boinod (again, reproduced here verbatim):

Hi there folks! My name is Ashley Jacot De Boinod. About a year ago, I was working as a Pastry Assistant at a place called BUCA in Toronto. I was at the point in my career where I’d started to think about opening up something of my own. Of course it was going to be pastry related, so I asked myself “What was my favorite pastry of all time?” OF COURSE! A doughnut and a coffee! I finally had the idea.

I came home that night and told my Husband immediately — i was so excited. We discussed the idea and he asked me “Well, what do you think you’ll name it?” hmm, Doh? The Canadian? No, no, those aren’t right. Rob yelled out “What about Glory Hole?” It was perfect. It completely encapsulated my sense of humor and the message I wanted to get across to the people of Toronto — to not be so serious and to be as silly as you can be in life. A couple of months later, I officially registered my company name under Glory Hole Doughnuts. We later came up with a tag line that I felt was completely inappropriate and just fit the company so well: “What creams are made of”….heehee, I know, I know.

Glory holes and giggles.

This entry was posted on September 14, 2012 at 6:24 am and is filed under Gender and sexuality, Language in advertising, Names. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.