A new donut shop opened in West Palm Beach on National Donut Day. Dixie Highway Donuts held its grand opening on Friday, and co-owner Sarah Callis said the business means more to her than pastries.
Callis said she was homeless and living in a car as a teen after her mother was arrested and sent to prison. She took a job at Dixie Cream Donuts in Fort Pierce to keep custody of her younger brother. She worked her way from the cash register to the baking station at the nearly 100-year-old shop.
“Basically, donuts saved my life and my family,” Callis said. She said she now cares for six children without financial help from their fathers.
Jack Viteritti, who co-owns the shop with his wife, said the couple met Callis in Okeechobee, tried her donuts and asked whether she would open a brick-and-mortar store. She agreed, and the partners moved quickly. Callis makes the donuts, and the Viteritti couple runs the customer side of the business.
Viteritti said he hopes to franchise the business eventually. Dixie Highway Donuts is open daily from 5:30 a.m. until the donuts sell out.
