Hooray for Beignets

BY KAREN HENDRICKS

PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARLO GESNER

Iconic flavors, linked to their cities or regions, are on many travelers’ to-do lists: bagels in the Big Apple, lobster in Maine, soft pretzels and cheesesteaks in Philly, Key Lime pie in south Florida, and beignets in New Orleans.

But now, thanks to Lancaster Beignet Company, you can bite into a pillowy soft beignet, close your eyes—and even though you’re in downtown Lancaster—the taste transports you straight to Louisiana.

Beignet Backstory

“Beignets have always been part of my life,” says Collin Dawkins, 28, of Lancaster. Collin and his wife Annie are high school sweethearts who grew up in nearby Chester County, then attended Millersville University together. But Collin basically has beignets in his bloodlines.

“My great-grandparents, and now grandparents, live in southern Mississippi, so we would pack up the entire family and drive down, every summer of my life,” Collin explains. “During our visits, we’d always go to New Orleans and visit Café Du Monde for beignets.”

The family replicated the recipe, putting that French Quarter flair right into their home kitchens. And it’s that time-tested, traditional family recipe that’s now the star of the menu at Lancaster Beignet Company. Collin and Annie opened the doors to the Prince Street shop last fall, and they’ve been blown away by the response.

“There are way more people than we thought with connections to New Orleans— transplants, or people who have visited and can’t find beignets anywhere else,” says Collin.

For the uninitiated, how would Collin describe a beignet?

First, it’s pronounced “ben-YAY.”

“It’s a really fluffy piece of fried dough—light and pillowy,” Collin describes. “People might know about fastnachts around here—it’s the same concept, but a little lighter, covered with powdered sugar sifted on top.”

And a little confectioner’s sugar goes a long way. The shop regularly uses 50 pounds of the sweet stuff weekly. On the busiest days, like Saturdays, Lancaster Beignet Company serves up 800 of the warm tasty treats.

The menu—coffees and beignets—is short and sweet with a spin.

“We make a beignet breakfast sandwich with a funny combination of sauces—mayo, mustard and sriracha,” says Collin. “It’s this weird combination that turns out to be really good with the beignets, bacon, egg, and cheese.”

There’s also a BBLT—beignet, bacon, lettuce, and tomato— sandwich option for lunch.

Beignets and Brew

Visitors can even pair their beignets with the most classic New Orleans brew—Café Du Monde’s Coffee and Chicory, served in the traditional way—au lait, mixed half and half with hot milk. That makes it easy to experience the Big Easy’s traditional duo.

“Dunking a beignet is the tradition,” says Collin.

But there are local, fairtrade options too. Lancaster Coffee Roasters’ drip coffee is also on the menu, along with espresso hailing from a small Coatesville-based company.

And to mix things up, there’s one more beverage—actually a mix— available at Lancaster Beignet Company. And like beignets, it’s associated with mornings. Sunday’s Bloody Mary Mix, available by the jar, was actually the entrepreneurial couple’s first foodie foray.

“Annie and I perfected the recipe right before 2020, and we launched it in 2020—in Lancaster and online—which turned out to be a good time for e-commerce [amid the pandemic],” Collin says.

Not only is Sunday’s Bloody Mary Mix available at numerous Lancaster hot spots including Tellus 360, but it’s now award-winning—having earned recognition in national bloody Mary mix competitions over the past three years.

Sweet Small Business Success

The Dawkins’ small business success, as in their marriage, builds upon each other’s strengths. He focuses on marketing, events, partnerships, efficiency, and big picture planning while she concentrates on leading, hiring, and building their Lancaster Beignet Company team—all while she also works as a massage therapist.

“Knowing each other really well is a huge factor. The most important thing is knowing we’re on the same team,” says Collin.

He sees big opportunities for their beignets—an additional location, online ordering, or even a dry beignet mix. They’re all ingredients in the Dawkins’ recipe for future success, which builds on Collin’s family history.

“Growing up, Café Du Monde beignets were the best thing in the world, so it’s hard to compete with that memory,” says Collin, “but we were just at Café Du Monde a little less than a year ago. We tried them and some other beignet spots—and obviously I’m biased—but I think ours holds up.”

So that begs the question: Is there ever too much of the good thing? Does he ever get tired of beignets?

“I wouldn’t say I’m tired of them—they’re still great,” says Collin, “but I try to hold off, so they’re still a treat.”