Much like the name implies, Black Sheep Donuts are not your ordinary doughnut. The new Iola business boasts a different take on the fried confectionary — they’re miniature.
Cailynn Kennedy started the food truck business six months ago and has already booked several events, including Iola’s Farm City Days and Christmas Block Party.
“I’ve enjoyed getting to meet and visit with people,” said Kennedy.
The business has been a homecoming of sorts for Kennedy. The 32-year-old Chanute native moved to Kansas City where she met her husband Marvin, also from Chanute. The couple lived in Kansas City for 12 years.
Home was calling their name, however, and the couple returned to southeast Kansas about two years ago.
Now living in Iola, Kennedy’s motivation for creating Black Sheep Donuts was simple.
“It looked fun and cute,” she said. She noted the venture has been a welcome change from her 10 years as a Registered Nurse. “It’s less stressful,” she said.
To Kennedy, being a nurse has always been about helping people, but, she said, the nature of today’s medical industry
“is not for me,” adding she feels it’s become more industrialized.
The Kennedys are the parents to five children ranging in age from 1 to 21 years old.
The change to founding Black Sheep Donuts has been a breath of fresh air for Kennedy. Instead of seeing people during their times of medical struggles, she gets to see them walk away with a smile from her doughnut trailer.
“It’s been a good change of pace,” she said. “Everyone is loving the doughnuts.”
THE DOUGHNUTS are fresh, made-to-order with customers getting to customize them with their choice of toppings.
“It takes about 90 seconds to complete an order from when the machine drops the doughnuts to when they come out on the other end,” said Kennedy. “Some events are really busy and we run just as fast as the machine can kick them out. And then some events are a lot slower, but it’s still fun because we have the time to visit and get to know people.”
Outside of their three classic flavors — powdered, cinnamon and sugar, and glaze — they also offer specialty flavors.
“We do around nine gourmet flavors,” Kennedy said. “We change them for the seasons.”
