Hanna and Mike Lombardi are chefs and owners of the Donut Stand Cafe, which opened earlier this year at 22 South Street in Hopkinton. The eatery offers made-from-scratch doughnuts, pastries, sandwiches and pre-ordered dinners using locally sourced ingredients.

Although it is named the Donut Stand Cafe, the eatery at 22 South Street in Hopkinton is so much more. Not only does the Donut Stand serve handcrafted brioche-based yeast and old-fashioned buttermilk doughnuts in flavors like praline cream and the black and white, it also offers breakfast sandwiches all day long, homemade cookies, French pastries, cafe sandwiches and roasted chicken dinners, all from locally sourced ingredients.

“We wanted to open up an eatery that serves quality doughnuts made from good ingredients,” said Mike Lombardi, who with his wife, Hanna, started the Donut Stand in 2018 as a pop-up in the Marlborough and Southborough Vin Bin stores owned by his father, Richard. “We started brainstorming about opening up a storefront location, and when the space next to the Hopkinton Vin Bin became available, we took it.” The cafe opened in April 2024.

He noted, “We have spent our whole lives surrounded by food and family, and cooking for others.”

A graduate of Johnson & Wales University in Rhode Island, Mike began his career at Fenway Park before cooking for Ana Sortun and Maura Kilpatrick at Sofra Bakery and Oleana in Cambridge. He also worked with Jody Adams and Alice Waters.

Earning her culinary degree at Southern New Hampshire University, Hanna began cooking at Icarus for Chris Douglas, a Boston farm-to-table pioneer. She moved onto Oleana, where the couple met, spent time in Turkey learning eastern Mediterranean cooking techniques, and helped open Sarma Restaurant working under James Beard-nominated chef Cassie Piuma.

“Our intent in opening our own cafe was to turn the very best local products into something delicious here in the Metrowest,” said Mike. “We want our customers to have a good feeling for themselves and their families after eating our handcrafted, comfort food.”

The creative chefs enjoy introducing customers to new flavors and menu items as the seasons change. Sandwich specials like the Humble Italian, an overstuffed Italian grinder filled with locally sourced meats, are offered daily along with new pastries like the the cruffin, made from twisted homemade croissant dough filled with pastry cream or curd. They also offer gluten sensitive and vegan items.

Among the Donut Stand’s newest offerings is the warm-from-the-oven roast chicken dinner for four. The dinner can be ordered Monday through Wednesday by calling 508-625-1083 for pickup on Thursday from 4-6 p.m. Each dinner features a whole roast chicken, sides and brioche rolls. The hot meal varies from week to week, including the recent preserved lemon and Moroccan spiced chicken and the whole roast chicken penny pot pie.

“We are a family business cooking for other families in Hopkinton,” said Mike. Part of the community, the eatery supports Project Just Because and recently was voted the top doughnut stand and the No. 2 bakery in MyFM’s Quest for the Best.

The Donut Stand Cafe is open Wednesday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Online orders can be placed at TheDonutStand.com.

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