Pam Hall
The Ashland Beacon
Most everyone loves a good glazed donut. If you are someone who does, you owe it to yourself to try the Wagon Wheel Donuts from the Dutch Fryers food truck.
Recently, Dutch Fryers came under new ownership. Carl and Denice Wellman, owners of Pappy’s Cookin’ and Momma’s Sweets in Flatwoods, bought the Dutch Fryers business.
“I saw on Facebook that the owner was wanting to sell the business,” Carl said. “I called him, we met, and in less than two weeks, it was ours.”
The Wellman’s spent three weeks with an employee training on the truck, learning the process of making the donuts. They park the truck in various places throughout the Tri-state, usually Wednesdays through Saturdays, although some Tuesdays are beginning to be added to the schedule.
What makes these donuts so special? First of all, the recipe for the delicious donuts is an old tried and true Amish one, made fresh right in the food truck. Secondly, “They’re as big as your head,” Carl said with a laugh.
The Wellman’s have also added homemade fried pies to the menu. Although not made from an Amish recipe, they are delicious nonetheless, and have a stamp of approval from two Amish sisters that were served the pies. The pies have also become very popular, with various flavors available such as apple, cherry, raspberry, strawberry, peach, lemon, and s’mores. Other flavors, such as pumpkin, are being added later, along with possibly more menu items.
These special treats, the donuts and fried pies, are also currently available on a limited basis at the Wellman’s ice cream and dessert shop, Momma’s Sweets.
“We are working toward having everything available there on a regular basis as well,” Carl confirmed.
Having the restaurant, Pappy’s Cookin’, and the dessert shop, Momma’s Sweets, along with Dutch Fryers keep the Wellman’s busy, but they are enjoying every minute.
“We have done a lot of interesting things over the years,” Denice remarked, “but I never thought we’d own a donut truck. I thought Carl was crazy at first, but I saw the potential of the business and how much fun we could have with it.”
“The opportunity presented itself,” Carl added, “so we took it. We love the business, love the reaction from people when we show up in their town. We are constantly looking to improve the routes in order to maximize our exposure and serve as many people as possible.”
The route for Dutch Fryers varies from week to week, although there are a few places that are consistent each week. On Thursday the truck is always in Proctorville and on Friday it is always in Grayson. Other days, they can be found in Wheelersburg, Ashland, and various other places. The weekly schedule can be found on the Dutch Fryers Facebook page or heard on 93.7 The Dawg at 8:10 a.m.
Do yourself a favor and try a Wagon Wheel Donut or Fried Pie from Dutch Fryers. You won’t regret a single bite!