The Doughnut Master | Georgi Slavov
Georgi Slavov greets his clients with a smile, often by name, as he knows most of them. When the door of his doughnut shop opens, and the next customer enters one can see Georgi livening up and getting ready to give a tour of the beautifully displayed doughnuts. He knows each flavor perfectly as he has come at 2 a.m. to prepare the first batches for the day.
Indeed, while most people are still asleep and some students finish up studying, Georgi has already started his new day at work. “It’s a very demanding process, of making doughnuts,” he says.
“You’ve got to be very disciplined and focused, you need to love what you do, especially coming to work at 2 o’clock in the morning,” Georgi explains. He usually works until 6 p.m. at least. “I’m here until the last hour,” he laughs.
Georgi’s favorite thing about his job is when customers come, try a doughnut, and say that it is the best one they have ever had. “That’s something I’m thankful for,” he says.
People giving feedback and returning the love that Georgi has put into his work is what keeps him motivated. As well as his love for doughnuts. His favorite is The Original Glaze, where the dough is the highlight, and together with the vanilla glaze is the perfect bite to dip in your morning coffee.
Many customers enjoy the Apple Pie doughnut and children specifically love the one with bright pink raspberry glaze and sprinkles. “We have something for everyone: we have a chocolate, we have something with caramel, something with fruits, we’ve got PB&J, which is a combination of blueberry jam and peanut butter on top,” Georgi explains.
The perfect craft doughnut needs six to seven hours to be made. “We make everything from scratch, it’s handmade, so that takes up a lot of time,” Georgi says. Everything, from dough to fillings and glazes is made fresh every day, throughout the day, so the customers coming at 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. will get the same mouth-watering artisan doughnut.
Such a doughnut can lighten up your sad day or make your good day even better. A doughnut is “A fun piece of pastry that anyone will enjoy,” says Georgi. “It involves a lot of work. So that [a] doughnut is a by-product of the love I put into it and also the high quality of products that we use,” he adds.
At first, Georgi started making smaller batches of doughnuts for friends or specific events. Encouraged by the positive feedback, he decided to take the venture further by opening his own doughnut shop. The place is now called Bluestone Doughnuts, inspired by Georgi’s hometown- Sliven, and a close-by nature park, named the Blue Stones. The name is catchy and is something personal for Georgi- the perfect combination.
Even though during the last year and a half, doughnuts have been an inseparable part of Georgi’s life, that has not always been his career plan. “I wanted to be an actor, a musician, I wanted to write poetry,” shares Georgi. Today, he sees crafting doughnuts as a natural continuation of his fondness for storytelling.
Georgi wishes he could spend more time with his wife and daughter, but work hinders this right now. “I’m very fortunate to have a family that is very supportive, and they understand,” he says. He believes this is a sacrifice that will be worth it.
Georgi is grateful for how his life is structured right now, around his business and family. “It’s just the beginning,” Georgi says. He is excited to see the community around Bluestone Doughnuts grow and bond. Georgi has many ideas for the future development of his business and aspires to create new flavors. “Stay tuned,” he says and smiles.
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Boyana Kostadinova is a sophomore at the American University in Bulgaria, majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication. She loves talking to people and trying different foods.
