Keith “the fry guy” Juman sometimes found himself at 10:30 p.m. huddled over Paul Valenti’s newest doughnut creation. Juman was Valenti’s guinea pig for doughnuts and glazes — Valenti was trying to perfect the menu for a shop.

Since then, Valenti has turned his vision of a doughnut shop into a reality, one late night food brainstorm at a time.

On any given Saturday morning, the Valenti family isn’t heading to soccer practice or watching cartoons at home. Instead, they’re running the family business Glazed & Confused. Paul and Sarah Valenti, along with their two children Isabella and Roma, spend much of the their time working at their specialty doughnut shop in Syracuse on the outskirts of Armory Square.

This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the shop. It came to life after the Valentis tested their sweet treats at “Taste of Syracuse” and received positive feedback. Since opening, the business has grown rapidly, with more than 20,000 followers on Instagram to prove it.

When co-owner Paul Valenti began brainstorming the shop in summer 2016, he knew he wanted to “create an experience” for customers. He soon discovered how to pave the way for the best customer experience by perfecting their recipes and establishing a brand.

For the Valentis, creating the memorable experience also meant sticking to their vision. The business’ goal is “keeping it local,” “keeping it fresh” and “having fun,” Paul said.

This inviting atmosphere is evident upon walking in the door. With artwork on the walls, ceramic doughnuts made by Syracuse elementary school students on display and music blasting from their five speakers, a fresh energy greets every customer.

With more than 20,000 followers on Instagram, Glazed & Confused celebrates its one-year anniversary. Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

This vision translated into the creative process of finding a logo. With a more “hipster” design originally in mind, Paul said they decided on their current logo — a doughnut with a mustache — because it was more “fun” and appealing to the kid-friendly audience they hoped to bring in.

Paul said the next step was satisfying Syracuse’s need for a doughnut shop by perfecting their product. The Glazed & Confused team meets each Tuesday to discuss upcoming special flavors and what products are selling best. For their first year, 12 signature doughnuts were on the menu along with many specialty doughnuts.

Beyond creative recipes, freshness is their priority — it’s one of the biggest things that sets them apart, Paul said. With their production flow, customers can expect to buy a doughnut that was made less than 10 minutes before.

“If we kept the freshest product possible, then hopefully having good service and making an experience would bring people back,” Paul said.

While things are going well for the shop now, there were a few minor kinks to work out when they first started. In the business’ early days, they sometimes underestimated the number of doughnuts they should make each day and how long each batch took to make.

One problem that the Valentis didn’t face was with their staff. Figuring out the logistics was a matter of trial and error, but the shop’s staff made the transition process much easier, said Sarah, co-owner and assistant director of events and facilities at Syracuse University’s College of Law.

“We’ve had virtually no turnover,” she said. “Without sounding cliché, our staff is really kind of like our family.”

Two of the family’s final steps when creating Glazed & Confused were creating a brand and giving back to the community. They engage with customers outside the store itself — as of Nov. 12, the store has 21.3 thousand followers on Instagram and more than 12,000 likes on its Facebook page.

Paul has a background in social media and marketing. He’s the founder of Sugoi Social Media and considers himself a “media junkie.” He knew from the start that this was something Glazed & Confused should capitalize on, so he worked to cultivate a large following early on.

“I think I underestimated the power of how fast that would travel,” he said.

He was “moved” when he’d see customers document each part of their experience — taking photos of the storefront, the glass case of doughnut boxes. This motivated him to keep the case of doughnuts filled and to change the display every couple of days. He knew people would want to take a picture of a full display and share it on social media.

While their successful following can be attributed to Paul’s tech-savviness, he said it is also a matter of luck because a couple people sharing something online can go a long way.

Paul (left) and Sarah Valenti (right) spend much of the their time working at their local specialty doughnut store on the outskirts of Armory Square. Paul Schlesinger | Staff Photographer

The Valentis’ 11 year-old son and co-founder, Roman, also believes their social media presence is something that led to their popularity. Roman, who typically works in the store on the register, said a big part of the business is their ability to give back.

“We try to give back to the community a lot, and they give back to us too,” Roman said.

In creating the idea for the store, both Sarah and Paul knew they not only wanted their children to learn the importance of working and running a business, but also the importance of giving back to the community.

“We thought it was important for our kids to learn the whole business portion of things, to understand that … you’re paying your bills, you’re paying your staff, you’re thinking about yourselves last,” Sarah said.

Ten percent of their profits are donated back to the community, whether that’s through donating doughnuts to the Rescue Mission or making a donation to a raffle fundraising for a cause. Each month, they pick a new organization to donate to — past organizations have including United Way and the American Heart Association.

For Paul, being mission-based is extremely important. No matter how popular they get, he doesn’t want the business to lose sight of giving back.

“Obviously, you can smile, because you’re doing what you love and you’re passionate about it,” Paul said.

This passion has led them to expand both internally and externally further into central New York. On Nov. 27 the store will be launching its new menu, keeping only two doughnuts from the original menu.

It also has many things planned for the future. The Valentis are in the process of opening up another location in Rochester for spring 2019 and hope to open up a shop in Ithaca as well.

Looking ahead to summer 2019, Glazed & Confused will begin its late-night Friday hours and specialty milkshakes, which they test-ran for six weeks this fall. Paul said there’s a possibility of them getting a liquor license for Sunday brunch events.

Glazed & Confused will celebrate its first birthday on Nov. 15. The bakery will have extended hours until 7 p.m. and will offer $1 doughnuts and free coffee.

Published on November 13, 2018 at 10:05 pm

Contact Sarah: srslavin@syr.edu