What Makes Paczki Different?

This is a question we get all the time: what are paczki and what makes them different from other donuts?

What Are Paczki?

Many people ask us what make Paczki different from other filled donuts.  The answer is this: as a traditional preparation for Lent, many Catholics, primary polish, would use the remaining eggs, sugar, shortening (or lard) and preserves in their pantry.  With those ingredients they made paczki, which are like jelly filled donuts, but have a richer dough, due to the extra sugar, eggs and shortening.

 

Fat Tuesday is celebrated widely in Michigan and throughout the Mid-West with Paczki, while other areas like Louisiana celebrate with pastries known as King Cake.

 

What’s Special About Groovy Paczki?

We pride ourselves on offering a large, high-quality paczki with a lot of options for fillings and toppings.  We offer 10 fillings (Apple, Blueberry, Cherry, Chocolate Cream, Cream, Cream Cheese, Custard, Lemon, Prune Lekvar & Raspberry) and 2 toppings (Glaze and Powdered Sugar).  Many who have tried our paczki have deemed them the best they have ever had!

Paczki Season Begins This Week!

This Thursday 1/25, we'll be serving a selection of these polish treats.  These will be available at each location through Fat Tuesday 2/13.

What's Different This Year?

To make pre-ordering easier, we've added a page to our website ("Fat Tuesday Pre-Orders").  We've only included items available for pre-order on Monday 2/12 and Fat Tuesday 2/13.  

Based on feedback from hundreds of you in a poll we put out a few weeks back (thanks to everyone who submitted a response).  We've created assortment boxes for Paczki, Vegan Paczki, GF Friendly Paczki and GF Friendly Cake Donuts for Pre-Order.  This will help reduce confusion on which paczki is which in your box.  If you have any questions, please let us know!

Pre-Orders: we are ONLY accepting Pre-Orders for Monday 2/12 East Lansing Order Pick Up and Fat Tuesday 2/13.    

Creme Brulee: Based on the incredible response we got last year, along with lots of feedback, we are making Creme Brulee Paczki an annual thing.  Pre-Order yours here!

Thanks for a Groovy 2023!

These are just a few highlights from a groovy 2023!  For more details, scroll down.  

We are so grateful for your continued support.  Wishing you a joyful and prosperous 2024!

  -Andrew Gauthier, Founder and Co-Owner on behalf of Monica Gauthier, Co-Owner and the Entire Groovy Donuts Team

As I look back on 2023, all I can say is: “wow…that went by fast!” And I know I’m not the only one who feels this way. We’ve heard many of you from the other side of the donut counter express the same sentiment throughout the year – especially the holiday season. It felt like a busy year. And, it was!

It’s important to us to look back in gratitude on the year that has passed and look forward in hope to the New Year to come! We invite you to read on for our Groovy 2023 Year in Review and our plans for 2024!

The first few weeks of each year are difficult for bakeries, as we battle our mortal enemies: New Year’s Resolutions (haha). In all seriousness, we usually spend much of January preparing for our very favorite holiday: Fat Tuesday! This year, we were proud to serve over 10,000 paczki, along with Vegan and Gluten Free options. Not to mention, the return of the Crème Brulee Paczki!

But, Paczki Day is not immune from the harsh realities of world we live in. This wonderful day came just 8 days after the tragic shooting on MSU’s campus. It was something that affected us as owners (Monica and I are both MSU alums), our team and our community very deeply. We are incredibly proud of how the community came together to support MSU, its students, faculty and staff. And, we’re proud to have contributed free donuts and coffee to those in need of a pick-me-up and offer our thanks to those in the community who donated, and assisted in these efforts!

As we entered spring, March Madness, St. Patrick’s Day and Easter helped bring some joy back to East Lansing. And, we learned some very exciting news during this time frame.

We were to be honored as the SBDC Capital Region Best Small Business at the Michigan Celebrates Small Business Gala in May at the Breslin Center! To say we were shocked and delighted would be an understatement. Beyond that incredible honor, we were invited to be the dessert vendor for the gala, hosting nearly 800 people. What a week!

Fall 2023 included two more amazing honors! In September, Founder and Co-Owner Andrew Gauthier was named a Ten Over the Next Ten Award Recipient by the Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce and Lansing 501. In October we received the 2023 Greater Lansing Entrepreneur of the Year Award.

These recognitions have been a wonderful reflection on where we started and how far we’ve come, since we first opened in Williamston in 2015. We are so grateful to our community, our team, our mentors, local businesspeople and area leaders who have supported and inspired us to reach higher as entrepreneurs, give back more to those in need in our community and strive to be better every day.

It was humbling to share a stage with entrepreneurs we respect and admire so much. We are incredibly excited to see what the future holds for Groovy Donuts and the Greater Lansing Area – there are a lot of amazing people doing wonderful things here!

Once again, thank you all for supporting us through the tough times. It's truly been a delight to share this experience with our team and our groovy community. You all helped make this happen, and for that, we can't thank you enough!

Throughout 2023, we continued our community-oriented efforts with donations to numerous local organizations, including our Annual Donut delivery to East Lansing and Williamston School Districts teachers, faculty and staff during Teacher Appreciation Week. These efforts culminated in our Inaugural Day of Giving, during which we raised $1911.73, 100% of which will benefit local nonprofits: Child and Family Charities, Junior Achievement of Mid Michigan, Dollars 4 Dyslexia, Project FISH and KCS Angels. Based on the strong community support for this event, we intend to host an Annual Day of Giving for many years to come!

None of this is possible without our team. They are the ones baking through the night to ensure your favorite donuts are available for you once the open sign turns on in the morning. They’re the ones serving your donuts and coffee. We make it our goal each year to offer the best possible employment situation we can. Last year, we added an Employee Assistance Program to bolster our benefit package. This year, the average take home wage for our team was $16.51 per hour (including tips)! This is the result of raising wages for our team, along with working hard toward advancing key team members to leadership tracks.

And, we’re excited to announce that we’ll be adding Paid Time Off for ALL employees working more than 20 hours per week starting in January 2024.

There is so much more to say about 2023 and what we’re looking forward to in 2024, but you’ve good things to do and donuts to eat. Thank you so much for your continued support. It’s been an incredible ride.  So, with that, we wish you a very Groovy New Year! Here’s to 2024 and many more to come!

-Andrew Gauthier, Founder and Co-Owner on behalf of Monica Gauthier, Co-Owner and the Entire Groovy Donuts Team

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