Cloudy Donut Co., a vegan pastry company based in New York City, is on its first pop-up tour outside of the Mid-Atlantic region and its next stop is Detroit.
Following visits to Delaware, Philadelphia and Atlanta, on Saturday, Aug. 22 and Sunday, Aug. 23, co-owners Zewiditu Jewel and Derrick Faulcon will bring Cloudy Donut to Core City in a collaboration with Periodicals, the magazine shop and concept store at the corner of West Warren Avenue and Grand River.
As its name suggests, Cloudy Donut has become wildly popular for its light and airy doughnuts in a wide range of unique flavors that rotate weekly. Think Mango Chile Lime dusted with Tajin and sprinkled with fresh lime zest and Grapefruit Mimosa topped with brûléed grapefruit and a pipette
of champagne.
The Detroit events, however, will not serve up the brand’s famous doughnuts. Jewel and Faulcon instead are taking another beloved pastry item on the road: vegan pound cake.
“We can do a pop-up in Detroit this weekend and bring our doughnuts,” Jewel said, noting the pastry company’s doughnuts are only available at Cloudy Donut’s brick-and-mortar stores in Brooklyn, New York and Manhattan. “But then you won’t ever have them again unless you come to New York. The next chapter for Cloudy Donut that we’re preparing for is to ship our pound cakes, which is what we’re bringing to Detroit this weekend. We wanted these cities to actually have the products that they’ll be able to order online very soon.”
Jewel wouldn’t yet confirm how soon Detroiters will be able to order Cloudy Donut pound cake. In the meantime, the menu for the upcoming pop-up events is written.
At Periodicals, guests can expect pound cakes in four flavors: lemon blueberry, pineapple upside down cake, brûléed sweet potato and basil olive oil.
The pop-ups will be from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 22 and 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Aug. 23, with 50 slots per day for pre-orders by phone available now. There will also be pound cake available without pre-order but if the Detroit pop-up is anything like sales at Cloudy Donut stores, guests should prepare for a speedy sellout.
The fanfare for Cloudy Donut goes beyond Jewel and Faulcon’s stellar pastry recipes. The duo has cultivated a brand with a sartorial sensibility, fusing culinary excellence with a dose of swag and a commitment to Black culture.
Cloudy Donut has also garnered a celebrity clientele. The brand, which counts Detroit-native Tim Robinson as a fan, has shared imagery of Will Smith and Paul Rudd enjoying pastries from the bakery, and most recently, Jay-Z tapped the brand to provide desserts for Jay-z30, a Manhattan pop-up honoring the 30th anniversary of the rapper’s debut album, “Reasonable Doubt.”
When Jewel and Faulcon opened the bakery’s Brooklyn location in 2022, it became the first Black-owned food business in Brooklyn Heights, an affluent neighborhood overlooking the East River, Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge. The pop-up tour aims to bring a taste of Cloudy Donut to historically Black cities and support the Black businesses that power them.
“We know Detroit for the history of music and culture that still exists today, which is why we’re excited to partner with Periodicals, which is a Black-owned, woman-owned magazine shop,” Jewel said, acknowledging Periodicals owner Aleiya Olu.
The Sepia Coffee Project will also have a presence at the pop-ups, serving a menu of signature coffee beverages, teas and tonics. Try lattes made with saffron and turmeric, matcha infused with berries or a fizzy brown sugar and basil tonic.
“The beautiful thing about this is that I’ve had a great pleasure of talking to a lot of people from Detroit over the past few days, and they’re learning about some of these places that are in their own city for the first time, so it also brings a lot of exposure to other businesses as well,” Jewel said.
On whether the Cloudy Donut pop-up tour is any indication of new storefronts to come for the brand, Jewel said not in the immediate future.
“So many people are more apt to do click-and-order versus brick and mortar, so it’s not necessarily about opening another Cloudy Donut location in another city, as much as it is about creating longstanding relationships and partners,” she said. “It’s not just about coming to Detroit and selling pound cakes, it’s really about touching people and connecting with these folks. It’s an ode to Black businesses and Black entrepreneurship alike.”
Cloudy Donut Co. at Periodicals, 11 a.m.-5 p.m., Aug. 22 and 1 p.m.-5 p.m., Aug. 23; 4892 Grand River Ave., Detroit. 347-463-9628 for preorders; cloudydonut.com
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: A NYC doughnut shop is coming to Detroit — but won't bring popular product
