Voodoo Voodon’t

• On Southwest 3^rd Ave
• Across from Skidmore Fountain
• At 6:00 a.m. on a Friday morning
• There is a twenty-minute wait during shift change because the business is open 24 hours a day
• The magic is in the hole is printed on a sign above the cash register
• Two friends—Kenneth "Cat Daddy" Pogson and Tres Shannon—started the business together
• They embarked on something that they knew nothing about
• And trained in Los Angeles to learn the tricks of the trade
• They learned when to throw the flour, proper handling of a rolling pin, the intricacies of an old fashion, the "flip," and countless other tricks
• Their new venture became a Portland, Oregon phenomenon that is known around the globe
• Airplanes luggage compartments smell of sugar and yeast from tourists taking them back home
• The logoed, pink boxes are unmistakable
• Their products have names like:
• Captain my Captain—topped with Captain Crunch Cereal
• Bacon Maple Bar with real bacon on top
• Vegan—nuff said
• Dirty Snowball—with white coconut and a dollop of peanut butter
• Arnold Palmer with lemon and ice tea dust on top

The Portlanders know that I just described Voodoo Doughnuts. It is a feast for the senses—the smell, sight and taste.

Today’s gift was to deliver the doughnuts to people in Portland, some we knew and others to whom we became acquainted. In the parking lot of one company people began making conversation and eyeing the pink box. Waiting in the lobby for my appointment, people smiled and asked who was getting the Voodoo.

The security guard protected them as idol threats were made about how the prized doughnuts might just mysteriously disappear. She made it known that it isn’t “Voo-do take one,” but “Voo-don’t touch them.” What a fun way to share something that made people smile on a snowy and cold Friday morning in Portlandia.

In Giving and Sharing Voodo,

Robin