Rolling in dough! BAKER'S RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

The Smits family has created a new craze with a cheesy twist on a classic - and a whopping 700 fly out the door each day

- Kasia Jillings

For Motueka parents Josiah and Rachel Smits, food is a family affair. In peak summer, every morning they make 700 gourmet doughnuts from scratch and everyone does their part helping run the family restaurant, The Smoking Barrel.

Vienna Rose, 10, covers promotions, roller-skating in a chicken suit to drum up attention.

Roman, eight, is always eager to lend a hand waiting tables, can cook better than most adults and is desperate to follow his dad into the hospitality game.

Rachel, 39, pitches in wherever needed and keeps things running behind the scenes while caring for baby Aubrey, one, while Josiah, 34, is king of the kitchen.

His smoked meats and American BBQ lunches have a dedicated local fan base, but it’s the delicious and unexpected doughnut creations that have people queueing around the corner, and even planning their entire holidays around trying one.

Year-round from their “tiny shoe box” bake room, with the help of just one other baker, Josiah makes hundreds of doughnuts – and at the height of summer, they only just keep up with demand.

The busy baker has always loved pushing the boundaries with food and one of his most popular flavours is cheeseburger, where every component – patty, sauce, cheese, pickle and all – are cooked inside the doughnut.