Like Santa Claus, The Donut Man's fresh peach doughnuts come but once a year. So, if you've been good, you have every right to go over the river and through the woods to that outpost of civilization called Glendora.

The Donut Man, a.k.a. Jim Nakano, has been making doughnuts since 1972 to satisfy his wife Miyoko's craving for fresh, hot doughnuts. His most famous concoction is his fresh strawberry-stuffed doughnut, generally available February through June. But for just a few weeks each summer — meaning now till mid-September — the strawberry filling is replaced with fresh peaches in a light sugar syrup. Stuffed into a thin glazed donut shell, crispy on the outside and plushy on the inside, the sliced peaches burst with fragrant, oozy flavor. These doughnuts ($3.25) are served with a fork, but Nakano recommends they be eaten “like a hamburger.” Which works just fine as long as you grab a huge stack of napkins.

Massive maple bars; Credit: S. Bonar

Massive maple bars; Credit: S. Bonar

Some professional tips: Stop by your favorite coffeehouse on the way for a latte, because the coffee served at Donut Man is your typical doughnut shop dreck. If you are a serious foodie dickhead, you might want to call ahead so that you can time your arrival for when they are making a fresh batch so that the doughnut is still warm. The place is open 24/7.

And, you might want to grab another flavor of doughnut as a chaser (most run around $1). Nakano has really mastered the art of doughnutry and it's worth trying some of his other offerings, which include nearly foot-long maple bars, Bavarian creams, jelly-filled (lemon or raspberry), chocolate glazed, and crumb. The sugar-and-dough rush is sure to put a sticky smile on your face.

Nakano himself has eaten two of his own doughnuts a day for the last 40 years, and he is as jolly as ol' St. Nick.

Empty peach boxes stacked behind the store; Credit: S. Bonar

Empty peach boxes stacked behind the store; Credit: S. Bonar

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