Reprinted from BAKING BUYER MAGAZINE

To Live and Dunk in L.A. 

Who can resist the siren call of a giant donut? Ralph and Celia Primo's three-year-old son couldn't, and it changed their lives forever.

One spring day back in 1956, the family was driving down Los Angeles' Sawtelle Boulevard when junior spied a giant plywood donut sitting atop a nondescript strip-mall storefront. "Donut, Donut!" the boy cried. The Primos were on their way home after a disappointing day of house hunting. An offer they had made fell through, their hopes of fulfilling the American dream dampened. But a hungry three-year-old could care less about building a life. "Donut, Donut!" he insisted. His father pulled over.

At the time, Ralph Primo was a night student and would soon want to take on a second job for the summer. So he asked the shop's owner about part-time work. The store keeper, Paul Hodges, said he didn't need any help. He said that after six months in the business he was giving up and selling the donut shop.

"For how much?" Primo remembers asking. "Two thousand dollars," the owner said.

Without hesitation, Ralph reached into his pocket for the $500 cashier's check he had drawn for the house deal and asked, "Will you take this as a down payment and I'll bring you the other $1,500?" Hodges said no, but assured Primo that he would hold the business for two days. "Okay, but the business is sold," said Primo.

When he returned to the car with the bag of donuts, Primo told Celia they had just bought the shop. "WHAT?!!!" exclaimed a rather shocked wife. "Look honey," Primo said, "we'll run the business for a year - build it up - then sell it and we'll get a better house."

Now, more than fifty years since that fateful day, Primo's Westdale Donuts remains one of Los Angeles' few remaining old-time, independent donut shops. Celia and Ralph still run Primo's, greeting each customer with a warm smile and some of the best donuts on the Los Angeles circuit. A neighborhood anchor, the Primo's shop is decorated with photos of the children of longtime guests and a window that lets the curious watch the donut making process.

Throughout our visit, devoted donut connoisseurs were arriving from all parts of Los Angeles, looking for their favorite varieties, which included buttermilks, cinnamon butterflies, and chocolate-covered raised and hand-rolled glazed twists.

Ask him the secret of his success and Ralph doesn't hesitate to sing the praises of his wife's business savvy and effervescent personality. "We buy the top of the line and everything is always fresh, but she is really the one that makes it all work."