Glazed and Amused maps 2,051 independent donut shops across the U.S.

Glazed and Amused says it has cataloged 2,051 independently owned donut shops in all 50 states and Washington, DC, less than two weeks after launch. The ad-free directory is adding cultural “trails” that trace donuts from Cambodian Los Angeles to Dutch, German, Japanese, Mexican-American and other traditions.

Why it matters: - Glazed and Amused is trying to fill a gap left by chain store locators and generic lists by spotlighting independently owned donut shops. - The directory frames donuts as a multicultural American food with roots in immigrant communities and regional traditions. - Shop owners can claim their listings for free, which could help independents control how they appear online.

What happened: - Glazed and Amused says it now maps 2,051 independent donut shops across 2,592 locations in all 50 states and Washington, DC. - The site launched less than two weeks ago and has expanded its collection of donut trails to 23. - Craig Bowman, a Washington, DC consultant and Ohio native, built the site. - The directory lists only independent shops and excludes franchises, chains and private-equity-owned businesses.

The details: - Before a listing goes live, the team cross-checks it against published sources and the shop’s own website. - Owners can claim and verify their own pages. - Five new trails went live this week. - The new trails are The Mochi Wave, Donas, Zeppole and St. Joseph’s Day, Oliebollen and The Fastnacht Line. - The Mochi Wave follows Japanese pon de ring doughnuts from Honolulu to Portland and Phoenix, with an Iowa cluster of three shops. - Donas focuses on Mexican-American donut shops where conchas sit beside glazed doughnuts and cold brew is horchata. - Zeppole and St. Joseph’s Day tracks Italian bakeries in Rhode Island and Philadelphia that make the pastry once a year. - Oliebollen highlights the Dutch New Year’s doughnut and Dutch-American towns that kept the tradition alive. - The Fastnacht Line traces German immigrant bakeries from Philadelphia through Maryland, West Virginia and Ohio to Louisville. - Earlier trails cover Cambodian refugee families and the pink box, Pączki Day, Malasada Day, Hanukkah sufganiyot, Texas kolaches, Louisiana beignets, Amish bake days, Native frybread and Pennsylvania Dutch fastnachts. - The site also includes drivable routes such as the Butler County Donut Trail in Ohio and the surviving giant rooftop donuts of Los Angeles. - By the numbers, California has 320 listed shops, Texas 172, Florida 78, Ohio 77 and Washington 73. - The directory lists 11 shops that have been open since before 1927. - The oldest shop dates to 1908. - The site is ad-free and free to use.

Between the lines: - The project is part directory and part food history archive, turning donut shops into markers of migration, ethnicity and local identity. - The trail format gives readers a reason to browse by story, not just by location, which can make the database more useful than a standard map. - The emphasis on independent ownership also positions the site as a counterweight to corporate food platforms.

What’s next: - Shop owners can claim their listings at glazedandamused.food. - Readers can suggest shops, rate places they have visited and report closures. - The site’s mascot, Doughie, will keep changing costumes with the calendar, starting with Halloween this month. - Glazed and Amused says it will continue adding trails as it expands.