On Friday morning, 84-year-old Burritt Bulloch was doing what he's done for the last five decades: making the donuts at his beloved Old Fashioned Donuts.
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"I make my own glaze from my own recipe, so it works," Bulloch said. "People love it."
The legendary Black-owned business at 112th and Michigan Avenue in the city's Roseland neighborhood has been feeding the community for years and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this week.
Affectionately known as Mr. B, the octogenarian starts at 6 a.m., working 12 hours days, six days a week.
"People from the community for a long time wanted me to open on a Sunday, but I said we've got to have one day off," Bulloch said.
Bulloch's perfected just how long to proof his dough to get the right texture before frying it to a golden color. Customers say he also makes a mean apple fritter.
At $1.23 plus tax, the glazed donuts are definitely the most popular. But that did not stop Mr. B from inventing this Texas-sized donut that is about four times the size of a regular donut.
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"You might find it in other places, but they copied off of me," Bulloch said.
A native of Mississippi, Bulloch moved to Chicago when he was 22 and learned the business working for others before opening his own shop. He said the secret to his success is simple: hard work. The shop sells around 300 dozen donuts a day.
"It's an item that everybody loves," he said.
In recent years, the business has become a family affair with Bulloch's brother, daughters and granddaughter joining in - with no signs that he's slowing down.
"I'm a workaholic, been working all my life, so when you find something you love doing, you just keep doing it," Bulloch said.