Wicho’s Donuts, a family business in Oaxaca, has gained fame as the ‘presidential donuts’ favored by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador. The Morales brothers, the founders, learned the art of donuts in the United States and fused it with local ingredients. Located next to a gas station on the Oaxaca-Istmo highway, the spot draws travelers and has earned praise from influencers for its quality.
Wicho’s Donuts emerged from the experience of the Morales brothers, children of a construction worker and a farmer in Tlacolula, Oaxaca. After working in California to support their parents, they got jobs at Winchell’s Donut House in Los Angeles, where they learned to make donuts. ‘We didn’t know anything, but we were daring and eager to work’, Miguel Morales explained to Culinary Backstreets. Upon returning to Mexico months before the COVID-19 pandemic, they opened the business next to a family gas station on the Oaxaca-Istmo Highway, near the Tlacolula market.
Former president López Obrador visited on March 21, 2020, and praised their story. ‘Look, they go to the United States to work, to struggle, they succeed, come back and set up businesses with the family… The important thing is that they go to work there but don’t forget the land, the affection… They don’t forget the people. This is what’s important about Mexico, this is Mexico’s greatness: its people, the creativity and culture of our communities’, he said during the visit. A worker shared: ‘We are a family business, we are brothers, and from father to mother and children, everyone participates. The gas station is part of the family, and we’ve achieved it with a lot of sacrifice’.
The donuts blend American technique with Oaxacan flavors: flour imported from Los Angeles and local ingredients like sugar, fruits, and grains. ‘A well-fried donut is slightly crunchy on the outside, but soft and not greasy’, detailed Miguel Morales. Key rules include controlling frying time and minimizing oil absorption. Popular flavors are glazed, vanilla, chocolate, maple, and sugar; they also offer the pink ‘Homero’ with sprinkles and the Break Club with apple.
Influencers like Ricardo Pérez from La Cotorrisa and Arturo Lemmen, ‘El Arturito’, have praised them. ‘Who would believe that a donut shop at a gas station on the Oaxaca highway could have the best donuts in Mexico?’, Lemmen questioned. ‘Gringo technique, Oaxacan ingredient: winning combination’, he added. The business operates 24 hours, sells pizzas, ice cream, and breakfasts, and keeps fair prices: a box of 10 donuts costs 299 pesos, about 30 pesos each. Its yellow facade with red letters and photos of López Obrador’s visits make it recognizable to travelers.