Donuts have been on a certain trajectory for the last two decades: bigger, more toppings, more creativity—an arms race of candy, cookies, and fried pork.
After several years working with semi-traditionalists Jason Becton and Patrick Evans at MarieBette Café & Bakery, Melissa Sbrocco went in a different direction when she opened her namesake donut shop in September 2024 with a rotating lineup of classics: glazed, jelly-filled, chocolate iced, plain cake, chocolate-iced cake.
“Jason is from New Jersey, and I grew up going to the Jersey Shore,” Sbrocco says. “We’re used to strip mall donut shops where you grab and go, kind of similar to a Dunkin’. That’s the concept.”
Sbrocco’s relationship with Becton and Evans began in 2020, when her temporary move to Charlottesville stretched long-term. A real estate agent before the move, Sbrocco’s plan was to stay until the pandemic ended, then go back to her life. But she and her husband fell in love with the town, and she found her way into baking, a passion project she’d always wanted to cultivate, via a job at MarieBette.
After four years together, Sbrocco, Becton, and Evans partnered up for Sbrocco’s Donuts & Espresso. Sbrocco leans on her former bosses for consulting, she says, as well as for the brioche recipe they’ve developed at MarieBette. “We sometimes take the basic brioche dough scraps and fry them up,” Sbrocco says. “You can call any fried dough in a circle a donut.”
As the three partners prepared the Sbrocco’s space on Maury Avenue in the former Anna’s Pizza spot, they were also heavily involved in recipe development. One favorite is another traditional offering, the apple fritter. For that crispy hunk of nooks and crannies, Sbrocco uses a sturdier dough than the standard brioche base—kind of like a milk bread, she says.
A baker at heart, Sbrocco typically favors cake over yeast donuts; she says her 1,500-square-foot, eight- to 10-seat breakfast counter always has non-leavened crullers on hand. She and her partners have also experimented with a potato donut, a nod to Charlottesville’s spuddy pastry past.
As for the coffee, the shop uses La Colombe beans, and offers espresso drinks, but, says Sbrocco, “The classic is you have a donut and you have your drip.”
More to chew on
Sunday 1/26
Lunar New Year Hot Pot. Celebrate the Lunar New Year with an evening of hot-pot delights. Vegetarian and gluten-free options available. $45, 5:30–8pm. Ethos Wine & Tea, 817 W. Main St. ethoswineandtea.com
The Local Plate & Virginia Grape: Wine Dinner with Eastwood Farm and Winery. A specially curated four-course menu of fresh ingredients from The Local Catering. $90, 5–8 pm. The Opal Lounge at Mockingbird, 421 Monticello Rd. catering.thelocal-cville.com
Charcuterie Board-making Class. Make charcuterie boards with the owner of Sweets and Treats by Nancy. Advance reservations required. $75, 1pm. DuCard Vineyards, 40 Gibson Hollow Ln., Etlan. ducard vineyards.com
Monday 1/27
Industry Night with Virginia Women In Wine. Join Virginia Women in Wine for a night of networking, celebrating, and inspiration. Free, 5pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com
Saturday 2/1
Jake Busching Cab Franc Release. Winemaker extraordinaire Jake Busching will debut his 2022 cabernet franc and we’ll celebrate his birthday. Free, 5–8pm. Ethos Wine & Tea, 817 W. Main St. ethoswineandtea.com
Wednesday 2/12
Galentines Cake-ball Making Class. Master the art of cake-ball making—a perfect blend of fun, creativity, and wine. $45, 5pm. Hardware Hills Vineyard, 5199 W. River Rd., Scottsville. hardwarehills.com
Ongoing Events
Downtown C-ville Food Tour + Wine Tasting. A culinary tasting adventure through the heart of Charlottesville’s historic Downtown Mall. Fridays and Saturdays through February 8. $30–115, 3:50pm. c-villebites.com
Shrimp Boil and Live Music. Bringing the best of Southern tradition to your plate in a relaxed, fun atmosphere with live music. Fridays through February. À la carte pricing, 4pm. Eastwood Farm and Winery, 2531 Scottsville Rd. eastwoodfarmandwinery.com
Submit food and drink events to this calendar at events.c-ville.com.
