{"id":1366,"date":"2015-08-05T10:02:57","date_gmt":"2015-08-05T15:02:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/?p=1366"},"modified":"2017-02-15T12:15:17","modified_gmt":"2017-02-15T18:15:17","slug":"vincent-marsden-alumni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.maryville.edu\/mpress\/vincent-marsden-alumni\/","title":{"rendered":"Vincent Marsden, ’91: Determination & Dough"},"content":{"rendered":"

Reading time: 2 minutes<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

Vincent Marsden, \u201999, earned degrees from Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPP in psychology and sociology, but his doughnut-making career path has roots in an unlikely elective class: metalsmithing. That\u2019s where he learned the intricacies of following a set pattern, the bedrock of his successful Vincent Van Doughnut food truck and Clayton, Mo., store.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we make doughnuts, we take calculated steps to get a consistent product. That was something taught in that class,\u201d Marsden says.<\/p>\n

His love of doughnuts goes back to a childhood addiction to the cakey, powdery deliciousness. But as an adult, managing the dining establishments of Chase Park Plaza and owning Mirasol Latin tapas restaurant, Marsden had no idea he\u2019d one day earn a living making dough.<\/p>\n

A trip to Germany exposed him to a new world of baked goods. Marsden came home with visions of creating the perfect doughnut.<\/p>\n

\u201cI became obsessed. I couldn\u2019t even sleep,\u201d he remembers.<\/p>\n

Countless hours in the kitchen eventually yielded a tasty square (even the shape of his doughnuts is unique) deemed ready for the public, so he bought a food truck. When the Cooking Channel\u2019s \u201cDoughnut Showdown\u201d invited Marsden to compete, he won. The $10,000 prize was enough to open his brick-and-mortar location last March.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no single ingredient in his success \u2014 or his dough. \u201cJust sugar, butter, milk, water, yeast, bread flour, salt and nutmeg, for the yeast variety,\u201d he says. \u201cThe secret is basically the ratios.\u201d<\/p>\n

Another essential component is family involvement. \u201cMy wife did the store design and my brother-in-law is a business partner. My 7-year-old son, \u2018Mini Vinny,\u2019 is the official taste-tester,\u201d Marsden says. His father, Bill Marsden \u2014 a Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPalumnus \u2014 helped with PR.<\/p>\n

Vincent Van Doughnut features creations such as vanilla mascarpone rosettes atop a cream cheese glaze, finished with raspberries. Taste is the bottom line, Marsden says, but presentation is important because \u201cyou taste with your eyes first.\u201d<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This story\u00a0was first published in the Fall 2015 edition of<\/em> Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵAPPMagazine.<\/p>\n

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