Skip to main content

San Diego’s Nomad Donuts Serves Up Crazy Flavors by a Michelin-Starred Chef

The idea of a donut shop backed by the genius of a Michelin-starred chef sounds utterly ridiculous, unnecessary, and amazing. It’s a little like Anthony Bourdain opening a hot dog stand. Whatever the reason, we’re thankful for the opening of Nomad Donuts, a new, independent donut shop with a surprisingly gourmet menu.

Nomad Donuts opened this month in the trendy (read: hipster) North Park district of San Diego. While the lineup changes regularly to accommodate fresh, local ingredients, every variety of doughnut is both unusual and creative. The shop is fueled partially by well-traveled CEO Brad Keiller, but primarily by his partner and Michelin-starred chef Kristianna Zabala. Her concoctions often combine disparate international flavor profiles that just work.

Recommended Videos

For example, her idea for “an inside-out sticky bun” blends a honey sesame ginger-glazed doughnut with candied kimchi bacon — all inspired by Korean barbecue. Her white chocolate mint-glazed doughnut is topped with jalapeno drizzle; he sweet, savory, and heat all culminate in a unique flavor experience. One recent sweet-meets-savory offering featured a scotch egg donut aka a fried sweet potato pastry filled with a medium-boiled, sausage-wrapped egg, all covered in a maple coffee glaze.

Nomad Donuts in box
Image used with permission by copyright holder

The shop’s opening comes amid a deluge of relatively new gourmet junk food stores across the country. Last year, Black Tap Burgers & Beer created a hot new New York City dessert du jour with ridiculously decadent milkshakes that often piled things like red velvet cake, cotton candy, and ice cream into a single mug. Portland’s Voodoo Doughnut is arguably the most well-known, over-the-top donut bakery featuring every ingredient from Cocoa Puffs to goat’s blood to NyQuil (yes, really). There’s no doubt these all make for great Instagram shots, but it feels as though there’s little thought behind these novelty Franken-foods except “more, more, more!” Instead of blindly layering one ridiculous ingredient on top of the next — which has resulted in a culinary arms race of sorts — Nomad Donuts is clearly taking a more thoughtful, measured approach.

The company’s new, expanded cafe includes the donuts they’re so famous for locally. The shop also offers coffee, breakfast sandwiches, dense Montreal-style bagels (boiled in honey water and wood-fired), and a chef’s counter where Zabala will serve one-off pastries in whatever flavors strike her fancy on any given day. The owners are working to secure a beer and wine license with the hopes of partnering with local San Diego breweries on donut and beer pairings.

Mike Richard
Mike Richard has traveled the world since 2008. He's kayaked in Antarctica, tracked endangered African wild dogs in South…
Topics
I tried the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe—here’s how it handled real recipes
Even if you make mistakes you can create crowd-pleasing meals with Kamado Joe Konnected Joe
Pre-heating the Kamado Joe Konnected Joe guarded by with Happy.

I jumped at the chance to test the Kamado Joe's Konnected Joe Digital Grill and Smoker. Like most members of our extended family of avid cooks and eager eaters, I enjoy grilling year-round. Still, my experience has been limited to conventional charcoal grills and three-burner propane grills. I was curious about what it would be like to cook with a ceramic grill, and grew even more excited by the prospect of precise temperature control promised by the Konnected Joe.
Why cook with a kamado-style grill

Kamado-style ovens, stoves, and grills use heated stone or ceramic to provide radiant heat that cooks the food. The Kamado Joe brand of kamado grills cooks with radiant heat, with thick ceramic sections in the cooker. It can take some time to reach the desired temperature, but the grill's heavy insulation retains the heat for a long time.

Read more
How I upgraded my De’Longhi Rivelia to make incredible cold espresso drinks
How to unlock six new cold foam recipes
De'Longhi Rivelia

I first started using the De'Longhi Rivelia espresso machine, the brand's newest fully automatic, innovative, and touchscreen espresso maker for home use. I was instantly impressed with how easy this espresso maker was to use and how quickly it made it possible to prepare all my favorite espresso-based beverages.

Ironically, I was so caught up in learning how to use the machine to make hot coffee drinks that I forgot it could also make cold coffee drinks. Once I upgraded with the De'Longhi LatteCrema Cool kit, I unlocked a whole new world of possibilities for cold coffee drinks, from an iced white flat to an iced cappuccino. This tiny upgrade changed the game, solidifying just how much I love this espresso machine.
De'Longhi Rivelia LatteCrema Cool

Read more
I learned the secrets of the Mai Tai at Hawaii’s most iconic beachfront bar
You can try three variations of a classic Mai Tai
Mai Tai Bar

The Mai Tai is one of the most popular Tiki drinks in the world, known for its sweet and slightly almond-flavored flavor. Until I visited the Royal Hawaiian, I had no idea just how much history lies behind this fruity cocktail. Initially created by "Trade Vic" Bergeron in 1944, the Mai Tai drink later made its way to Hawaii in 1953.

When Bergeron was hired to develop menus for the Royal Hawaiian, he introduced the classic Mai Tai recipe to Hawaii's most iconic beachfront bar, now known as the Mai Tai Bar. During my visit to the Royal Hawaiian, I stopped by the Mai Tai Bar for a special look at how the bartending team makes three of the most popular Mai Tai variations available on their menu today. You can't go wrong with any of these three drinks -- whether you prefer something more subdued or something fruity and sweet.

Read more