5 Fun Facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!
Louisville’s favorite doughnut shop provides great business lessons and even better doughnuts!
It's National Doughnut Day, an observance dating back to the 1930s, which honors the Salvation Army "Lassies" who served doughnuts and other treats to U.S. Troops during World War I. Here in Kentucky, we take our doughnuts pretty seriously. In fact, the New York Times once traced a doughnut trail across our great Commonwealth. One of the state's most beloved doughnut stops is in a gas station! That's the great thing about doughnuts: they're inexpensive, accessible, and enjoyed by almost everybody! My favorite doughnut spot is Hi-Five Doughnuts, which serves amazing creations with a Kentucky flair. You absolutely MUST try the bourbon caramel glaze, and if you're really brave, you can try the Kentucky Fried Buttermilk Chicken Doughnut.
Hi-Five Doughnuts is one of my favorite Kentucky businesses, combining local ingredients, awesome female entrepreneurs, incredible marketing, and a fabulous product. Let's celebrate National Doughnut Day with five fun facts about Hi-Five Doughnuts!!!
1. Hi-Five is woman-owned and operated. Leslie Wilson and Annie Harlow began their business running a food truck, affectionately named Shelby, then opened a storefront in Louisville's Butchertown neighborhood.
The bacon-glazed doughnut is amazing, y'all.
2. The business name pays tribute to the legend that the custom of giving a high-five was invented in a U of L basketball practice in the 1970s.
3. Hi-Five has trademarked their hashtag! When you talk about the #ladiesofthemorning, then according to to the US Patent and Trademark office you're referencing Hi-Five Doughnuts!
4. The Hi-Five business model is so cool, a book has been written about it! Dr. Lyle Sussman of U of L's College of Business wrote "Breaking the Glaze Ceiling: Sweet Lessons for Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Wannabes", which establishes 12 business principles based on Leslie and Annie's success. In interviewing the Doughnut Ladies for a prior article, I was so impressed that they built the entire enterprise on a no-debt model, opting instead to purchase only what they could afford at any given time.
That's cinnamon glaze + Cinnamon Toast Crunch. You need it in your life.
5. Everybody loves Hi-Five! The Travel Channel has visited them, they're a staple at local events like the Forecastle Festival, and they're often served as a finishing touch at local galas and weddings.
HerKentucky's Top 10 Posts of 2015
HerKentucky's 10 most popular posts of 2015
What a year 2015 has been for Kentucky! The Wildcats just barely missed the mark on a perfect season, Jennifer Lawrence continued her reign as the Queen of the Box Office, George Clooney got married, and Kentucky politics ruled national headlines for something other than the long reign of our Senior Senator. As we look back at 2015, I thought it would be fun to revisit the most popular posts here on HerKentucky.com.
1. I Am Not Kim Davis. Oh boy. This one was a doozy. People read it. A lot of people hated it; a lot loved it. I never expected it to go around Facebook as much as it did. I guess it's fitting that, since The Rowan County Clerk who refused to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples was the Commonwealth's top news story, an opinion piece about Mrs. Davis was HerKentucky's most-read post of the year.
2. The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky. Kentucky has a Doughnut Trail. There were popular "Donutucky" tee shirts this summer. And y'all had strong opinions about the best doughnuts in the Bluegrass State. I stand by my opinion that the girls from Hi-Five make the very best doughnut in Kentucky, but am happy to do some more taste-testing at Nord's and Spalding's to confirm...
3. The Five Best Hamburgers in Kentucky. It seems there's two camps in this world: gourmet burger enthusiasts and diner burger purists. You can't please 'em all.
4. Maker's Mark Bourbon Balls. My great-aunt's recipe has been in my family for as long as I can remember. They're fabulous every year.
5. The Five Best BBQ Joints in Kentucky. I'm happy to log as many research hours to this project as are needed. I don't know that there is such a thing as an exhaustive effort.
6. Miss America Heather French. In this post from HerKentucky's early days, Bluegrass Redhead Sarah Stewart Holland recalls her proudest moment as a Kentuckian, bonding with her new college friends and cheering on Miss Kentucky in the Miss America pageant. This lovely piece is always popular around pageant time!
7. Mary Breckinridge and Lilly Pulitzer. Who knew that there was a direct link between preppy fashion guru Lilly Pulitzer and Southeastern Kentucky? I loved finding out that young socialite Lillian McKim served the Frontier Nursing Service as a horseback messenger in the 1940s.
Mary Breckinridge's Nurses on Horseback
8. Lilly For Target. The sale that broke the preppy internet, and swept through every Target store in the country in less than an hour. The servers were wonky, and the quality varied, but there were a few really cute pieces in the Lilly Pulitzer x Target capsule collection. HerKentucky was on the scene with favorites from the Lilly lookbook and a guide to every Target in or adjacent to the Bluegrass State. A friend of mine actually heard some sorority girls talking about this post at a Southern Indiana Target as they shopped the insanity.
Before she made dresses, socialite Lilly Pulitzer volunteered in Southeastern KY.
9. How Barre Class Changed My Life. A year ago, I had two herniated discs, couldn't feel the fingers in my left hand, and was terrified that I'd never walk properly again. Barre classes at B.You changed my life in more ways than I could imagine. I've made dear friends, taken charge of my health, and have logged more workouts than in the previous decade.
10 College Basketball is Broken. I love college basketball more than just about anything else. I truly hate that it's become more a game of cover-ups, skirted regulations, agents, and shoe contracts than one of Xs and Os. I kind of went off about that one day.
HerKentucky's top posts of 2015 were as unique and diverse as the Kentuckians we write for and about. As always, thanks to all y'all for reading, and I can't wait to see what 2016 brings for Kentucky!
The Five Best Doughnuts in Kentucky
Kentucky's favorite doughnuts
Happy National Doughnut Day, y'all! Whether you spell it Donut or Doughnut, the Bluegrass State makes some of the finest rings of fried dough you'll ever taste. In fact, a few years ago, the New York Times even charted out a Doughnut Trail right here in the Commonwealth. We consulted family, friends, and acquaintances. We tested a lot of donuts. And we ranked our five favorites. (Nord's Bakery in Louisville's Germantown/Schnitzelburg neighborhood gets an honorable mention for those insane bacon donuts. This was a really hard list to narrow down, y'all.)
5. Burke's Bakery, Danville. When I lived in Lexington, I'd come up with every excuse I could think of to visit this old-school bakery and pick up a hot, glazed donut (or two). My Boyle County friends started to wonder why I wanted to go visit their parents so often, but it was so worth it...
4. North Lime Coffee & Donuts, Lexington. This Lexington shop has some of the most creative pairings I've ever seen. They even make a brisket donut! Even if you steer clear of the savories, they offer fresh, unique, amazing flavors!
North Lime Donuts, photo courtesy Ashley Sanders.
3. Doughdaddy's, Versailles. When we were house-hunting in Nashville, a homeowner inquired where we were from. When we said Kentucky, he immediately asked, in broken English, "Have you been to Doughdaddy's?" That anecdote doesn't quite prove that they're world-famous, but word certainly gets around about these light, fluffy donuts!
Hi-Five Doughnuts at Younger Woman's Club 2015 Gala. Photo courtesy Liz Bornwasser.
2. Hi-Five Doughnuts, Louisville. Louisville's high-end catering and food truck donuts. Amazing flavor combinations every. single. time.
Hi-Five Doughnuts at Younger Woman's Club 2015 Gala. Photo courtesy Sarah Doran Mudd.
1. Red's Donuts, Paducah: As Sarah Stewart Holland told us in the earliest days of HerKentucky, Paducah natives can attest that Red's donuts are the best anywhere.
Red's Donuts, Paducah. Photo courtesy Sarah Stewart Holland.
So, did I get it right, or do you have a favorite Bluegrass State donut spot that I missed? I'm happy to do more research if y'all think it's necessary!
If you're traveling the KY Donut Trail, don't forget a Donutucky shirt from Shop Local KY.
In case you missed it:
The Five Best Burgers in Kentucky