Ralph Primo

Two Ethnic Classics to Sweeten Valentine’s Day

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(Gerry Furth-Sides) Primo Donuts and Gourmet Gift Baskets have come to symbolize the best of holiday traditions.

We don’t have to even say, “be still my beating heart, because here are the sweet, serene hearts. And they are all plump and formally dressed with red roses especially and only for Valentine’s Day. And ready to gift and eat any day of the year!

Primo Donuts in LA serves up the most vibrant, gorgeous heart donuts for Valentine’s day

Primo’s Donuts, Original Location:  2918 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (parking in back lot).

Westwood:10948 Weyburn AvenueLos Angeles, CA 90024 

Irresistible Primo Donuts in LA tops its vibrant, gorgeous heart donuts for Valentine’s day


Read the story of the shop at:

//localfoodeater.com/tag/primo-donuts/ and //localfoodeater.com/celebrate-the-world-series-and-more-with-historic-primos-donuts-la-baseballs/

Adding another heart to the holiday, Celia Primo, “Mrs. Primo” celebrates her 90th birthday this month. Ralph Primo Sr.  celebrated his 90th birthday during the 2020 World Series when his favorite team, the  Dodgers won.

Celia and Ralph Primo, founder-owners of historic Primo Donuts LA celebrate Celia’s 90th birthday this Valentine Day week

Founded in 1956 by this husband and wife team, Los Angeles beloved Primo’s Donuts is consistently ranked as one of the top donut shops in the city. The family run business spans three generations and 63 years in business.  “Regulars” and destination customers fill the no-nonsense little place for a traditional donut shop experience of daily fresh-baked donuts including the renowned Buttermilk Bar.  www.primosdonuts.com


Read about //localfoodeater.com/tag/primo-donuts/ and //localfoodeater.com/celebrate-the-world-series-and-more-with-historic-primos-donuts-la-baseballs/

Primo Donuts in LA open up at 7 am for Valentine’s day

For all of those foodies looking for last-minute Valentine’s Gifts, GourmetGiftBaskets.com always has several offerings that should delight nearly everyone.

//www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com offers Valentine’s Day gifts boxed in every size and shape
//www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com offers Valentine’s Day blondies and brownies in a snazzy box

Here are just a few of the most-popular gifts this season. To see the entire Valentine’s Day collection, go here.

We served these special treats at a life celebration party and it was perfect //www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com offers Valentine’s Day

Traditions, many of them centuries old, are high on the list of magical things about holiday. One of our favorites is the Valentine cookie gift box.  Here it is represented here by Gourmet Gift Basket, complete with a thoughtful gift card. It shows how American entrepreneurial creativity evolved a British Christmas tradition into a year-long custom for all occasions. //www.gourmetgiftbaskets.com

Celebrate the World Series and More with Historic Primo’s Donuts “LA Baseballs”

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Celia & Ralph’s celebration  2020 World Series “Dodger Donuts” at Primo’s Donuts

Henry is smiling behind that mask for Celia & Ralph’s 2020 World Series “Dodger Donuts” celebration  at Primo’s Donuts

(Gerry Furth-Sides) Acclaimed Primo’s Donuts, a family-owned LA favorite since 1956, is currently serving “Dodger Donuts” to celebrate the 2020 World Series.  Owners Ralph and Celia Primo, avid Dodgers fans, invite everyone to share their excitement about the Dodgers being in the World Series, which they hope will help the Dodgers being home a  Series victory to Los Angeles.

Ralph Primo Sr. also celebrates his 90th birthday during the World Series, and a Dodgers win would be the perfect gift.

Celia & Ralph’s celebration  2020 World Series “Dodger Donuts” at Primo’s Donuts at home

“We really love the Dodgers, they are our Dodgers,”  say Celia and Ralph.  “We watch every game, and we are there rooting for them like we do every year.  They are going to make it this year, go all the way, and make us very happy.”

Founded in 1956 by husband and wife, Ralph & Celia Primo, Los Angeles staple Primo’s Donuts is consistently ranked as one of the top donut shops in the city since its opening. The family run business spans three generations and 63 years in business.  “Regulars” and destination customers fill the no-nonsense little place for a traditional donut shop experience of daily fresh-baked donuts including the renowned Buttermilk Bar.  www.primosdonuts.com

The famous buttermilk bar and jelly cake donuts at Primo’s Donuts

Primo’s Donuts cake doughnuts come in plain, maple-iced and glazed in chocolate and cherry.  The donut texture has been described as  magnificent—sensationally moist and hardly bogged down by oil, definitely one of the very best cake doughnuts that we’ve ever encountered in our fair city.

A cake donut is made with a sweetened dough that’s leavened with the help of baking powder, and is extruded into oil to cook. It’s firm, often with a slightly crunchy exterior and a soft, cake-like interior.  The jelly donut below is what the best cake donut looks like.  (A yeast donut made with a yeast dough is cut out into a shape before being fried. They’re light and airy, but have a chew and slight yeast flavor.)

The Primo’s Donuts jelly (cake) donut inside

This celebration follows more good news from the summer. Primo’s Donuts recently announced they have a planned opening of a new shop in the former Stan’s Donuts location in the heart of Westwood Village this fall.  According to Ralph and Celia Primo, “We were so upset when we heard that Stan’s had decided to close its doors early due to COVID-19. There aren’t many family-owned mom and pops like us left that bake donuts fresh every morning, and we have always felt that we shared the same type of customers and vision for our businesses. The location in the heart of Westwood Village is so iconic, and we are honored to have a chance to open our doors here. We wish Stan the best in his retirement.”

Celia & Ralph’s 2020 celebration includes opening a Primo’s Donuts location on the site of the shuttered Westwood favorite, Stan’s (photo courtesy Primo Donuts)

The Primo’s own story is just as sentimental.  Celia and Ralph Primo “happened to” purchase the failing doughnut shop on a whim back in 1956. The story is that one spring day, the family was driving down Los Angeles’ Sawtelle Boulevard when their toddler spotted a  giant plywood donut sitting atop a nondescript strip-mall storefront. He insisted on having a donut.  So Ralph Primo went in to buy donuts for their son, and came out an owner.

Celia & Ralph Primo on their wedding day over seven decades ago.  (photo courtesy Primo Donuts)

The Primos had been on their way home after a disappointing day of house hunting, one of their first steps in  “fulfilling their American dream”.  At the time, Ralph Primo was a night student, looking to take on a second job for the summer.  When he asked the shop’s owner about being hired part-time, owner, Paul Hodges, told him the help he needed after failing for six months in the business, was a new owner. Primo remembers asking the price, which Hodges told him was $2000.

When he returned to the car with the bag of donuts, Primo told Celia they had just bought the shop. The plan at the the time was to “run the business for a year – build it up – then sell it and we’ll get a better house, ” according to Ralph.  And the rest, as they say, is history.

Primo’s Donuts, 2918 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90064 (parking in back lot).

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