By Terry Mittelman
Donuts mean a lot to me. I eat donuts for breakfast probably fives times a week, selling donuts is my main source of income, my love of donuts is by far my best and most attractive quality on my tinder profile, and I have made some of my best friends because of donuts.
My first memory of the magic that is a donut is from when I was six or seven. Whenever I would accompany my mom grocery shopping, she would grab me a donut, chocolate glazed, right at the beginning of the trip. I would eat the donut, slowly, as we wandered through the aisles and I would always finish just as we reached the checkout lane. What a cool mom trick! I didn’t bother her at all and I got an awesome tasty treat! Once I was old enough to stay home while my mom went grocery-shopping, donuts were far less present in my life. I’d have the occasional Krispy Kreme or a donut from Starbucks when my sweet tooth hit, but it wasn’t a frequent thing.
In 2014 I got a job at 
Federal Donuts. I was beyond excited. I got to quit my job at Starbucks and serve people donuts, coffee, and fried chicken. Federal Donuts is a magical place. Happiness oozes from customers who have traveled from all over the place for some donuts and chicken. The excitement and joy is palpable, and all the hype is totally valid; if you’ve never had a hot and fresh strawberry lavender donut I am very sorry for you and please find me so you can try one.
A good donut is a powerful thing. An extra donut has the ability to change someone’s morning or make the trip to Philly worthwhile. Donuts inspire generosity. I’ve had customers help me move furniture, patch a hole in my tire, even give me an extremely cool tote bag with a print of a deer on it. Maybe it’s the mild sugar high that comes from eating a donut, but people always seem friendlier and more interested in being part of the team after an awesome donut. Donuts seem to be the currency of joy.
While my dental health has certainly suffered from my love 
of donuts there would be a hole in my heart without them.
Terry Mittelman is Applied Mechanic’s magical Production Manager. She regularly brings donuts to rehearsal. She is the sweetest.