If hip hop were a donut, Jordan Cash would be the man to make it.
Acting on a vision from 2002, Cash created Cartems the newest and decidedly different donuterie in Vancouver.
While living in South Korea 10 years ago, Cash pictured donuts in a dream, plated and served knife-and-fork style. He even envisioned the unusual name.
Years later, while in the process of completing his MBA at UBC, a number of strange occurrences aligned to root his vagary in reality.
I loved donuts as a kid. Thats how my dad and I bonded, shared Cash. Always post dinner hed say, Come on Jordan, lets go get some Ds.
But Tim Hortons was no longer making donuts fresh and, around that time, Cash learned that gourmet American establishments such as Top Pot and Voodoo had cropped up to roaring success.
Then he serendipitously met a pastry chef named Rajesh Rags Narine over a shared love of basketball, hip hop and their hometowns of Toronto. They joined forces with recipe expert Mark Tagulao and the experiments began in earnest.
A year and a half later, theyre operating out of a new storefront in Gastown complete with hand-drawn signs and 5am wake ups, selling boutique citrus-dust glaze and maple Bourbon bacon donuts. Nearby restaurants have made a point to welcome the new foodies to the block.
It all has a certain swagger to it. In a city that puts on clinics in health and hype, Cartems carves out its niche with confidence. Sourcing organic and local ingredients at every opportunity, using coconut oil exclusively, and offering gluten-free and vegan baked doughnuts are only some of the things theyve done to ensure a temporary storefront becomes a city-wide trend.
They have also tasted and tested all 11 flavours to perfection.
We should be doing squats while were making them just to stay even. The number of donuts Ive eaten in the last four to five months is ridiculous!
A wholesome breakfast donut boasting whole wheat flour, figs, organic flax seed and quinoa puffs sits sardonically next to the caramel-glazed, candied carrot cake rings in the glass display case. Meanwhile a darkly decadent vegan donut looks on righteously as the favourite child.
Im really proud of the vegan donut thats baked ... Its so good! Vegan people are really under-served in this city.
Hoping to find a permanent home in Gastown, Cartems is currently in the Pennsylvania Hotel at 408 Carrall. Looking down the line from opening day to the end of their six-month term, Cash has hopes to grow his dream.
The three things I care about are smiles, conversation and donuts.
Today, opening day, we made 120 donuts. I want to get to 1,000. If we do 1,000 a day were doing fine.
Not to mention he really did promise WE a conceptual hip hop-themed donut.
Ive never thought about it like that! I don't know why but I immediately went to the East Coast, New York. A grimy, grimy donut. Ill have to talk to Rags.
Cartems is open daily until sell out. Head to cartems.com for more info.
