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EDWARDSBURG — Community members can not get enough of D’s Nutz.

D’s Nutz Donuts, located at 68972 M-62, Edwardsburg, opened its doors last week Thursday, Feb. 1 with much fanfare. The full-service bakery is open from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday through Sunday and offers donuts, cheesecakes, wedding cakes, muffins, bread and more – all from scratch and without artificial ingredients. In addition, it also has coffee options by way of Three Rivers Coffee Company as well as lemonade.

According to owners Donielle “Chef D” Watson and her husband Matt Loftus, D’s Nutz sold out that Thursday, Friday and Saturday. 

“On Saturday, we sold out around 9:30 a.m.,” Watson said. “There were people in the parking lot waiting for the open light to come on.”

So many donuts were sold that the shop was forced to close Sunday, Feb. 4 because it was out of product.

“We had a lot more people than I anticipated,” Watson said. “I figured it would be a slow, steady stream of people but people were coming in for two, three-dozen people at a time.”

At one point, Watson said the entire lobby was full and people were lined up outside waiting to get in. 

“It was chaotic, it was a lot of work but it was awesome,” she said. “I’m really proud and super happy. We got a really good reception and good feedback.”

After an exciting opening weekend, D’s Nutsz is taking measures to keep up with the increasing demand. Watson and Loftus purchased a donut sheeter, a piece of equipment bakers use to make the dough in large quantities without taking a lot of time.

Watson and Loftus’ new endeavor is receiving praise from customers who appreciate the quality of the food and the attention to detail. The donut shop offers gluten-free and diabetic-friendly pastry options.

“We had customers reach out and ask about food allergies,” she said. “We don’t use eggs in our yeast donuts. They thought it was great that we were asking about food allergies. I’ve been doing this for so long that I try to be as sensitive to peoples’ health needs as I can. I try to maintain high standards of quality in anything I make.”

While the opening weekend was a whirlwind, Watson thanked Loftus and their friends and family for their support.

“(Loftus) has been incredibly supportive,” she said. “I could not have done this on my own; I’m not a one-man show. It’s me and my team.”

After years of creating culinary work behind the scenes, Watson is still getting used to being the face of her business. Even so, she appreciates the kind words and positive comments as she continues to follow her dream.

“I’ve been an artist for years and when you’re an artist, you don’t always get the feedback that you need,” she said. “In culinary, you get that feedback, like an instant hit of dopamine. It fuels you wanting to do more. It’s really fun and fulfilling to see people come in smiling and excited about it. It made the years of working in kitchens and culinary school while being a mom worth it. All of that hard work is finally paying off in such a fun and exciting way.”