Not since Jack Dawson have we seen Rose pine for something like the way she described eating Honey Doughnuts.
Rose, a.k.a. Oscar-winner Kate Winslet, was being interviewed on the red carpet Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, when she started gushing about Vancouver and how sad she was to leave after filming The Mountain Between Us here.
“I pine for it – I pine for Honey’s Doughnuts in Deep Cove. Pine for Honey’s Doughnuts in Deep Cove,” Winslet said emphatically, looking directly at the camera.
Well, that celebrity endorsement for the famous doughnuts set off a social media frenzy in Vancouver and the quiet community of Deep Cove.
“You know, that’s awesome, an endorsement like that,” Honey’s co-owner Ashak Saferali told the North Shore News Wednesday morning.
Saferali’s staff remember Winslet stopping in at Honey’s – multiple times over the summer, in fact.
“She was really nice, very sweet. Just like a normal person, you know,” he said.
No selfies were snapped though – as is Honey’s informal policy.
“That’s the one thing we don’t do. When people come in here we respect their privacy,” said Saferali.
For Saferali and his wife, who have been selling their doughnuts like hot cakes for 22 years in Deep Cove, the attention doesn’t faze them anymore.
“We get people all the time – movie stars and musicians,” said Saferali, naming Ben Affleck, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Garner and Tim Allen among his past customers.
What doughnut Winslet ordered is unknown. Business, especially in the summer, is all a blur to Saferali who serves a frenzy of people on a daily basis, with lineups out the door.
Saferali estimates the staff make about 1,000 doughnuts a day. Often described as a deep-fried mini cake, the doughnuts are coated in an assortment of cinnamon and sugar, coconut, chocolate, maple – and even maple bacon.
There was no chatter about Winslet’s review of Honey’s around the small coffee shop on Wednesday – granted it was still early in the morning when the News called.
Saferali said he might see a small spike in sales, but it’s not like Honey’s isn’t on Vancouverites’ radar already.
That said, people have made the trek from far and wide to get a taste of Honey’s. It’s no secret Honey’s reputation precedes itself.
Saferali has talked to customers from L.A., Australia and Japan who put Honey’s on their itinerary before the plane left the tarmac. He once observed Japanese tourists who had directions to Honey’s scribbled on their notepads.
A cross-section of comments from online travel and dining review sites add to Honey’s hype:
“Honey delivers a serious donut that has no rival.”
“HOLY COW THE DOUGHNUTS.”
“Came here from Southern Hemisphere on recommendation of local friend.”
“Honey Doughnuts: Worth The Calories.”
And people can get desperate for their Honey’s fix.
Saferali once shipped doughnuts to a woman in Winnipeg.
“She was having a baby and she was craving our doughnuts,” said Saferali with a laugh.
