Sweet Sweet Donuts brings unusual treats to Onset

It’s 8:30 a.m. on a January Saturday morning, and the village of Onset is quiet, but Trevor’s Gallery and Wine Bar, located at 144 Onset Avenue, is humming with laughter. 

In a front sunroom, an electric fire is flickering. Through the doors, paintings of ocean scenes line the walls and plush gray couches take up the center of the room. At the far end, a group of people sit along a bar beside a glass case displaying a rainbow of donuts. Three-year-old Avaeh Richman-O’Connor stands in front of the display case, eyes wide, trying to make a difficult decision: strawberry or chocolate.

Trevor’s Gallery and Wine Bar is the new home of “Sweet Sweet Donuts,” the creation of Chelsie Donnellan and Micaela Pope. The shop is located through the glass door on the left side of the porch, and is open only on Saturday mornings, beginning at 8 a.m. 

The duo serves up a varying selection of gourmet brioche donut creations each week, from classic chocolate to unique offerings like “The Earl Gray,” an earl gray tea-based donut with fresh raspberries and mandarin orange pieces, covered in a glaze. Customers should arrive early; Donnellan and Pope bring in their “donuts” sign when they sell out and close up shop.

Mornings like this, filled with laughter and young visitors, are what it’s all about for Donnellan and Pope. 

“It’s just a family atmosphere,” said Donnellan of their business. 

“We really want a place where the community can come and hang out and even if you don’t know each other, we want to bring back that conversation,” explained Pope. 

Sweet Sweet Donuts is a passion project for the two entrepreneurs. Both work elsewhere during the week, along with raising their children: Pope has an 8-year-old son, Owen Pope, and 3 step-daughters: Aubrey, age 7; Keira, age 11; and Reese Phinney, age 13. Donnellan is mother to 6-month-old Charlotte Donnellan. 

Pope recalls baking in her kitchen after school with her “Yiayia,” (Greek for “grandmother”) as a child, but her first foray into donuts was for a charitable cause. She created donuts for dogs in order to raise money for Cape Cod Canine Relief Fund. 

Now that she has shifted to human customers, she and Donnellan are continuing to give back, offering a 20% discount to police, fire, military and nurses. They also frequently create donuts for charitable causes. It was 8-year-old Owen’s idea to have the “Aussie Donut” for sale on January 11 to raise money for WIRES, a charity that supports the animals harmed in the Australian bushfires. They raised about $130.

Donnelly and Pope said that many business owners in the community, including gallery owner Trevor Watson, have showed them support. 

This Saturday, January 18, they look forward to collaborating with Mumma Mary’s Italian Cafe on a pizza donut.  

Those wishing to sample a Sweet Sweet Donut can park around the building or across from St. Mary’s Church. While the building isn’t wheelchair-accessible, Donnelly and Pope can deliver donuts to customers’ cars. 

Each week’s menu is posted on Facebook, and customers can call 774-269-5493 at least 24 hours in advance to reserve favorite flavors. 

Custom orders are also available for pick up on Sunday mornings with 24 hour notice, and many have selected creations for holidays, birthday parties and weddings. 

As for the future, exciting things are coming: the return of donuts for dogs, and perhaps ice cream?  “We have some big plans,” says Pope with a smile.