Near the intersection of Fremont Boulevard and Thornton Avenue in the city of Fremont is an assembly of gas stations, dentist offices and fast food chains. They perch along the sleepy corridor in a typical suburban setting for the East Bay town, but just beneath an apartment complex lies a locally owned gourmet doughnut shop that has made this strip a Bay Area destination.
On a recent Wednesday, about a dozen customers lined up inside Bun Appétit Donuts just after 8 a.m. to scan the nearly 30 savory and sweet doughnuts, croissants and stuffed malasada-style pastries displayed behind glass. Classic sprinkle and glazed doughnuts were nowhere in sight, but these loyal patrons already knew that. They were up early for the store’s elevated brioche doughnuts, including house favorites such as tiramisu, guava cheesecake and “everything,” a savory doughnut like the bagel.
Gourmet doughnuts aren’t scarce in the Bay Area, given the numerous shops putting their own spin on them. In San Francisco, locals can get their fix at relative newcomers George’s Donuts & Merriment and Magic Donuts & Coffee, both of which are helmed by pastry chefs with Michelin cred.
In Oakland, Donut Savant has kept customers coming back for over a decade with its roster of elegant mini doughnuts. Yet the farther south you drive, gourmet doughnuts become somewhat of an anomaly. So, when Lydia Choi decided to open Bun Appétit in 2018, she knew she wanted to offer epicurean-style pastries closer to the tri-city area where she grew up…