There's no shortage of funny puns and jokes about donuts.
“That’s my favorite food group: donuts. I love the donut,” Laura Linney, actress.
“A new study found that Americans are exercising more than ever but still not losing much weight. Not good. In fact, it’s all I could think about on my jog to Dunkin’ Donuts,” Chevy Chase, actor.
At Shelia's Bakery Company in North Augusta, they've heard them all.
Meet Shelia Martin, the founder and owner of Shelia's Bakery. Stepping into her bakery on Georgia Avenue in downtown North Augusta is an amazing sensory treat of fried dough and sweet sugar.
And judging from the crowd waiting for donuts on a recent weekday, customers agree.
Martin's
journey started in Texas, where she grew up. She eventually moved to Pennsylvania to work and then to Waynesboro, where a friend lived. There she worked and learned the ins and outs of the food service industry.
Going into the food service industry was daunting, but her brother convinced her to branch out. "He said, 'You should just go for it.'"
She started with a food truck in 2018 before opening her first storefront in Evans. In 2020, she relocated the business to North Augusta and still has the food truck.
Along the way, her husband has been her biggest cheerleader, she said. She laughs when telling the story of how she met her husband at a wedding. Today, they have a 2-year-old daughter, Darcie.
"I love baking," she said. "My mom taught me to bake."
Inside her bakery, rows of all flavors and types of donuts and pastries line the glass display cases, making it difficult to decide which one to try. Comfort food at its finest.
During a recent visit to Shelia's Bakery, the front of the restaurant was full of customers ordering morning donuts. There's some indoor seating, and plenty of tables and chairs on the wide, covered sidewalk out front.
Martin took a few minutes out of her busy morning to talk about her business and her passion for donuts and pastries.
"Donuts are universally loved," she said.
Her favorite? "I love pastries. That's where my heart is," she said.
Martin adjusts her menu with the season and changes her offerings monthly.
The most popular now are the filled donuts, especially ones filled with strawberries and cream. The most popular year-round is the chocolate-iced donut.
Other very popular items are the Very Berry Cheesecake and the Cream Cheese Danish.
Sheila's Baking Co. is located at 434 Georgia Ave. in North Augusta. The hours are Tuesday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 1 p.m., and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. The bakery is closed on Sunday and Monday.
Jennifer Miller covers food and business for The Augusta Chronicle. She can be reached at JMiller@usatodayco.com.
This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Shelia's Bakery in North Augusta attracts donut lovers daily | Exclusive
