![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/30121048\/0429-Donuts-7-1110x755.jpg\")
\u201cWe don\u2019t advertise big on being vegan because a lot of the time when non-vegans hear \u2018vegan\u2019 or \u2018plant-based\u2019 it automatically just shuts them down and they\u2019re like ‘nah,\u2019\u201d Tom said.<\/p>\n
But plenty of people are saying \u201cyes,\u201d especially now that Devi\u2019s is open six days a week instead of one.<\/p>\n
The 270-square-foot location is almost three times larger than the tent they made doughnuts out of every Sunday at the farmers market at the Long Beach marina.<\/p>\n
When the pandemic hit, they used a friend\u2019s commercial kitchen to prepare doughnuts for sale every Sunday. Tom says he misses the experience it provided for customers.<\/p>\n
\u201cBefore COVID we were cooking on site at the farmers market and that was the coolest thing in the world,\u201d he said. \u201cThe experience of seeing a doughnut cooked in front of you, smelling the melted hot sugar \u2026 it\u2019s an experience in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple still plans to sell their sweets at the marina on Sundays and will close the storefront on Mondays.<\/p>\n
How the flavors are selected is a family affair. Some come from other desserts they\u2019ve tried and figured out the science to turn them into doughnut flavors. Others, like the PB&J doughnut, are inspired by things their kids are \u201cfiends\u201d for, or individual flavors they\u2019re fond of.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy daughter likes dragonfruit and she also likes lavender so we have a lavender-rose doughnut and the color is dragonfruit,\u201d Eva said.<\/p>\n
Tom says Eva is the mastermind behind the doughnuts and lovingly refers to her as the \u201cAfrican Doughnut Queen.\u201d In her native Ghana, the closest thing there is to doughnuts are \u201cBall floats\u201d which resemble doughnut holes.<\/p>\n
They took their first steps into the doughnut business about 15 years ago when Eva acquired a simple doughnut recipe from a friend and they started making doughnuts for small family parties and events. After some encouragement, the couple, who were both raised vegetarian and are now vegan, decided to go full steam into the boutique doughnut business.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were like \u2018Hey, these things are actually pretty damn good, why don\u2019t you guys try to take it to the next level?’\u201d Tom said.<\/p>\n They started at the Bixby Park farmers market where their doughnuts quickly sold out. Six years later they\u2019ve become a staple of the regional vegan cuisine scene, making appearances at Vegan Depot<\/a>.<\/p>\n Now that the business is open six days a week instead of just on Sundays for people who could make it to the marina farmers market, the couple said the product is both more accessible for their regulars, but has also exposed Devi\u2019s to a whole new audience on the Anaheim Corridor.<\/p>\n Eva\u2019s reservations that their new location was too tucked away was quickly put to rest. They sold out of doughnuts on their first day.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ve been pouring in and coming in to support us,\u201d Eva said. \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing and uplifting feeling that we are going to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n But, for the Ognibene\u2019s, doughnuts are just the start of what they hope to do in Long Beach. Tom said he wants to create some kind of fund or program that helps the youth.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/img.lbpost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/30121052\/0429-Donuts-9-1110x762.jpg\")