VG Donuts & Bakery

I have a love hate relationship with VG Donuts. Each morning I run up the 101, sweating, working hard, proud of my daily dedication to my fitness and health. I pass by the Kook, and as he looks down on me I'm sure he's approving of my efforts. I push on, a healthy start to another beautiful San Diego day...

And then I smell it. Sweet, sugary doughy goodness. It wafts over the train tracks and wraps itself around me. I am no different than Pavlov's dog as I suck in the drool that is threatening to make an escape (and right in front of the Kook, too. How embarrassing). I'm delirious. I manage to make it out of the stream of the intoxicating aroma, but the idea has been planted. I finally reach D Street in downtown Encinitas, the turn around point in my run, and then several miles later it's back, stronger than before, or perhaps it's just the six miles under my belt and the lack of breakfast. But I spend every morning daydreaming about the pastries that are prepared in VG Donuts and Bakery.

VG has been around since 1969, sending out its intoxicating smells each morning to the myriad of walkers, runners, and locals enjoying every San Diego morning. Most known for its donuts, the bakery offers other treats as well, including cookies, cakes, muffins and bread. I had always assumed VG was someone's initials, especially since most everyone I know refers to it as "VGs" as opposed to just "VG". But VG actually stands for "Very Good", not very creative or exciting, but I guess it's to the point. And once you've had a treat from their counter, you can't really argue with the name.

The bakery itself exudes a chill beach town vibe. You walk in to see an old fashioned long glass counter displaying the morning's fresh pastries and donuts. Racks are haphazardly scattered behind the workers with the overflow from the mornings session. It's slightly chaotic, with customers pointing behind the glass counter at a holiday specialty, but oh, what is THAT over there and I'll have two thank you very much, and do you have any more glazed twists? Regulars know the drill and quickly list off their order. Children smash their faces up to the glass fogging their view, overwhelmed with the decision they have to make. And as boxes and bags are filled for customers, the line will often snake out the back door as people strain to see what the day's offerings are. Note that there is a ten dollar minimum on cards, so either bring cash, or be prepared to eat a lot of donuts. Or you could be like me and "forget" to bring cash, thus justifying the purchase of over a dozen donuts.

What many people find surprising is that the bakery also does wedding cakes. And if you take the time to look through the catalog of their work, you might also be surprised to find that their cakes are really beautiful. A place known for their donuts produces surprisingly unique and elegant cakes. If you are interested in having a VG cake for your wedding, you can meet with one of the bakers and she'll show you binders filled with images of cakes they have created and will tell you about the flavors. But my favorite part is this: They will make you two "mini" cakes with your choice of cake, filling and icing to take home, share with family, and then choose what you would like for your wedding. If you want to try more, no problem! - they'll make you additional cakes for $5 each. Spending most of my life only miles from VG, I knew this was where I would be getting my wedding cake, so I ordered three samples after our meeting: marble cake with chocolate Bavarian cream and crushed oreos, white cake with fresh strawberries and Bavarian cream, and chocolate cake with mocha filling. Let me tell you, these were no "mini" cakes. We shared them with friends and family at dinner one night. And there was plenty left over so I took the rest home and proceeded to eat cake every night for over a week. And there was STILL cake left, but my husband insisted it had gone stale and we needed room for real food in the fridge. He had to wrestle the remaining cake from my sticky sugary fingers.

Sources and For More Information:
http://vgbakery.com/