We know that history often repeats itself, and while this saying is often used as a cautionary tale to warn against repeating our mistakes, can we also use the phrase to look with hope to the future? There are a variety of circumstances in which children follow in the footsteps of the important adults in their lives. Plenty of doctors, members of the military, lawyers, painters, firefighters, and farmers came to their occupation—and even dreamed of it—in order to follow in the footsteps of someone they love. Of course, children often idealize the adults in their lives and lack understanding of the struggles along the way, but I’d like to think that sometimes a child’s dreams come true, and being a part of the “family business” can really be as beautiful as it once seemed.
World’s Best Donuts in Grand Marais and Johnson’s Bakery in Duluth are two bakeries in the Northland that have remained in the family for 56 and 79 years, respectively. In addition to remaining family bakeries for all these years, World’s Best Donuts and Johnson’s Bakery have developed deep ties within their communities, becoming a destination, a tradition, and an employer for all those years. These bakeries have created beautiful legacies to share with their own families, and with their communities. Join me in exploring their stories, their legacies, and the children who have followed in their parents’ footsteps to not only sustain their parents’ dream, but be an integral part of the next generation’s story.
World’s Best Donuts, Grand Marais
Once upon a time in 1969, Merieta Altrichter picked up a spoon and a plastic bowl and built a family legacy. That legacy is now known far and wide as World’s Best Donuts. Formerly known as Grand Marais Donut Shop, Altrichter changed the name after being told time and again that her donuts were, in fact, the world’s best. Altrichter’s granddaughter, Dee Brazell, is still operating the shop, which has now proudly employed five generations.
You’ll find World’s Best Donuts in a small bright red building in Grand Marais, often surrounded by a crowd of hungry patrons soaking up the summer sun, and taking advantage of the Viking cutouts for a stellar photo opportunity. World’s Best Donuts sells both raised and cake donuts, made in-house. They have all the basics: cake and raised donuts served plain, frosted, dusted, and glazed. They also serve Bismarks, long johns, and Chet’s Best—a raised donut with frosting and sprinkles. If you want something that travels well, you might want to try their donut kabob, and if you need some protein in your donut, the maple bacon long john might suit your fancy. In addition to their delicious donuts, World’s Best Donuts has a few other pastry offerings like turnovers, muffins, and cinnamon rolls. They’re also known for Altrichter’s infamous creation, the Skizzle, which is a flat, sweet pastry with a dusting of sugar. Yum!
From the beginning, World’s Best Donuts has been a seasonal operation, and they are open from May to October, five days a week (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.—or until they sell out for the day.
Johnson’s Bakery, Duluth
Once upon a time in 1946, Bill and Lillian Johnson started a bakery. Lillian was a teacher, but agreed to help Bill and his mother, Mary, out in the shop decorating cakes for two years—and another legacy was born. Lillian continued decorating cakes at Johnson’s Bakery until she was 86 years old. Her tenure allowed her to decorate a wedding cake for a bride and groom and, years later, create the wedding cake for one of that couple’s children.
Now run by Bill and Lillian’s son, Scott Johnson, Johnson’s Bakery is located in the original 1916 building in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. With a tin ceiling and an old-fashioned vibe, Johnson’s Bakery serves donuts and pastries made from scratch with recipes that have stood the test of time. Cake donuts come in plain, chocolate, glazed, and white sprinkle, and the old-fashioned donut holes come in plain, chocolate, glazed, and blueberry. Johnson’s Bakery also serves raised donuts in all your favorite flavors, and you can order letter donuts to spell out well-wishes to your friends and family.
Johnson’s Bakery also serves a variety of pastries. They make bars—like lemon squares, turtle, and peanut butter cereal—as well as muffins, cinnamon rolls, and Danishes. Johnson’s Bakery sells cookies and a variety of cakes and cupcakes that can be special ordered and custom decorated for whatever event you have planned, even if that’s just Tuesday dinner. In addition to their sweets, Johnson’s Bakery offers a variety of delicious homemade breads, including cranberry wild rice, sourdough, and English muffins.
If you, yourself, are a maker, Johnson’s Bakery periodically offers take-home kits for decorating your own sugar cookies. These kits come complete with cookies, icing for piping, buttercream for spreading, and sprinkles.
Both World’s Best Donuts and Johnson’s Bakery have strong ties in their communities that bind both the families they employ and those they serve. Generations of travelers have passed through Grand Marais and Duluth with their parents—who now stop with their own children. Generations of locals have made World’s Best Donuts and Johnson’s Bakery a part of their routines and the special events in their lives.
I don’t know whether Merieta Altrichter or Bill, Lillian, and Mary Johnson could have predicted that their stories would continue so many years after they dreamed their big dreams, built their businesses, and invested in their communities—but I bet they’d be excited to learn about the sweet, sweet legacies they left behind.
