Red's Donuts

(Photo: Courtesy of Wandering Eyre.)

One of the tastiest bits of Monterey history is Red's Donuts, producer of sinfully good pastries since 1950. The original Red's is still intact at 433 Alvarado St., a narrow store with the original racks, cases, and counter for the patrons who sit on the 12 stools or take bags of goodies to their offices and homes. It still uses the original recipes of founder Herman "Red" O'Donnell, though all the baking is now done at a larger shop three of his children opened in 1985 at 1646 Fremont Blvd. in Seaside. They truck the doughnuts back to the original store and to a number of groceries, restaurants, hotels, and offices in the area. The secret of Red's exceptional taste is in the flour: doughnuts made with potato flour "the old-fashioned way." Red, who died in 1974, used to peel the potatoes himself. Today's doughnut makers buy ready-to-use flour.