Siblings open donut shop

A desire to bring sweet and tasty treats to residents while proving their business savvy is what prompted Marina Yon and Brian Sao to open a donut shop in Tucumcari.

"I wanted to show my skills by making the best donuts for Tucumcari," Yon said, adding that she and her brother made the more than 800-mile move from Oakdale, Louisiana, with the goal of starting a successful donut shop in unfamiliar surroundings.

"It has been fantastic," Yon said, as she packed a dozen assorted donuts into a box during a rush hour. "We have only been open for three days, but every day, we run out of donuts."

Sao said the process begins at 2 a.m. when he and his sister prepare the shop to open and begin to make the donuts.

Yon said her brother is the baker, the one who makes the magic happen in the kitchen, while she handles sales and customers.

"We have been making and selling donuts for 10 years," Yon said. "It excites us to have an opportunity to showcase our skills somewhere new."

Even 30 minutes from closing, customers continued to walk in and pull into the drive thru.

"My kids and I love the donuts," said Jessica Urioste, Tucumcari resident.

Urioste said her children like the donuts so much that she has been back to the shop every day this week, and it's nice to have some variety and choice while supporting a local business.

"The people of Tucumcari have been so kind to me and my brother," Yon said. "Even before we opened the shop, people were interested and supportive of our efforts.

Yon said the friendly reception by the residents while moving to Tucumcari and preparing the shop has her hopeful that the business will do well and grow.

"It's not on the sign, but we call ourselves Tucumcari Donuts," she said.

Yon said currently the shop is making a variety of donuts, including blueberry, cake, cream and jelly filled, as well as traditional glazed and maple frosted donuts and cinnamon rolls. She said the shop even has kolaches, pillowy puffs of soft dough with regular and jalapeno sausage inside.

"We want to try making more items like burritos, but right now, it's hard just to keep up with what we are making," Yon said.

She said as soon as the door opens, Sao is working non-stop to keep the shelves filled with donuts. She said they have talked about hiring help, and she hopes once they do, she can expand on menu items and choices.

The Donut Shop is open from 5 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday-Sunday and is located on the 700 block of East Route 66.