Saskatoon’s Nutana Bakery rings in 75 years with free doughnuts

The year 1951 brought Grace Kelly to the silver screen for the first time, saw the publication of The Catcher in the Rye, and, for those in Saskatoon, marked the opening of Nutana Bakery.

On Tuesday, the Broadway Avenue institution officially celebrates its 75th anniversary.

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Even though ownership has changed hands over the years, the recipes have stayed the same, according to co-owner Carlos Melara, who has been running Nutana Bakery alongside Alysa Noseworthy since May 2025.

“We’ve been trying to keep the same legacy as all the previous owners and the previous generations that have been part of Nutana Bakery,” Melara said.

For Melara and Noseworthy, that means using the same ingredients and making their popular doughnuts by hand, as previous owners did decades ago.

“We get there at 4 a.m., we start frying, and then at 6 a.m. we start decorating everything,” Melara said.

“We don’t have those fancy new machines that do everything for you. So, every doughnut that you get, it’s been made by a staff member,” he added.

The bakery sells roughly 200 to 300 doughnuts on an average day, with the most popular being chocolate-glazed and Long Johns.

Anyone who’s tried the bakery’s doughnuts in the past 75 years will know there’s something different about the way Nutana does it. According to Melara, it’s because those working in the bakery go the extra mile.

The doughnuts are “just made with a lot of love, a lot of effort,” he said. “All of our staff is fully trained, and we definitely take our time. Every day we’re making fresh doughnuts, so you’ll never have a day-old doughnut.”

To celebrate the bakery’s major milestone, the first 100 customers at Nutana Bakery on Tuesday will score themselves one of the iconic doughnuts for free.

There will also be giveaways during the day, giving patrons a chance to win tote bags, gift cards, merchandise or a six-pack of doughnuts.

Doors open at 8:30 a.m. and Melara said he expects it’ll be busy.

For those who don’t manage to come in time for the free fried pastry, though, don’t worry — it just might take a little patience before you can get one on the house.

According to Melara, Nutana Bakery offers a free doughnut on your birthday.

–with files from 650 CKOM’s Mark Loshack