We chat with Brandy Bell-Truskey, pictured with her husband Tom Truskey, and their kids Dawson and Colson, at the family’s newly opened Fractured Prune Doughnuts.
Photo by: Dan Balmer
Interview by: Dan Mathers
How did you get into the doughnut business? It was a strange choice for us, honestly, and those who know us thought it surprising. I’m really into health and fitness. Still, we wanted to have something we could enjoy as a family, and I believe most things are good in moderation.
What attracted you to Fractured Prune? Doughnuts are fun and family-friendly — it was something we could do with the kids on the weekend. Doughnuts make people happy, they bring people joy. And Fractured Prune has a lot of recognition around here. People remember it from going down to the shore. There were so many people with positive memories of the shop that we thought it would be great to bring it home to West Chester.
What was your first experience with the brand? My husband and I were in Ocean City, NJ with family friends for a few days, and we saw this line out the door of a business, and we said, “What is that?” People told us they were the best doughnuts ever. We thought it was crazy that they’d wait in line for doughnuts, but we were curious and joined the line, and then we went back several more times that trip.
Are you originally from West Chester? My husband was born and raised here, and I came out here… good golly… we’ve been married nine years, so I’ve been here 11.
So love brought you here? Yes. When we met, I was living and working in Philly, and I thought West Chester was the end of the earth. I started visiting infrequently, then every weekend, and now here I am eleven years later. I can’t think of a better place to raise a family, and own a business.
What was it about West Chester that kept you? We are such a part of the community. You worry if anybody is going to show up when you open a business, but when we opened, we had hundreds of people here. When I went outside to greet them, there were so many familiar faces, friends and family and people from my kid’s schools, and people from the gym. We’re so happy to have them in our lives. They showed their support and excitement for us, and that’s the kind of community you want to be part of.
Why do you think that is? Sometimes people just see a brand, but they all knew we’re locally owned and operated; we’re part of this community. I know they aren’t going to eat doughnuts every day, but I hope that when they do, they come see us.
Final Question: What’re your favorite flavors? I love OC Sand: honey glaze with cinnamon and sugar. Dawson likes chocolate, usually Death by Chocolate, but really anything with chocolate chips. Colson prefers the strawberry glaze with marshmallows, and my husband, Tom, will eat any donut you put in front of him. His favorite flavor is all of them.
