The Donut Man Turns 40

Forty years ago today, Jim Nakano, a.k.a. , opened a small doughnut shop on Route 66 in Glendora.

It was May 23, 1972, and Nakano had no idea then that the tiny business would become , a place where foodies come from afar to experience its famous strawberry-filled doughnuts.

Now, at 40 years old, the Donut Man is still eager to fulfill their sweet cravings 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The doughnut shop first opened its doors as Foster’s Donuts, but when customers started calling Nakano “The Donut Man,” the name stuck.

Most famous for its fresh fruit-filled doughnuts, Nakano will only serve strawberry doughnuts when strawberries are in season. Afterwards, he will switch to peach-filled doughnuts.

Nakano says he scouts out the freshest fruits in Los Angeles markets, but there was a time he recalls when strawberries were growing all around the doughnut shop.

“I used to get all my berries locally, but all the homes have been built up here so now I have to go down to a wholesale produce market,” Nakano told Patch in September 2011.

But The Donut Man remains a local classic, almost part of regular day of any local resident.

“We probably come here once a week,” said Linda Ulery, a loyal Donut Man customer for 15 years.