PHILLIPS — “This is great. It is really fun stopping by,” said Dawn Towey of Rangeley as she looked over the offerings at Clifford’s Donut Stop on Friday, April 18.

It is hard to miss the bright pink and teal roadside donut stand located on Route 4, less than a half mile south of the Madrid Township line. Based on customers stopping by that same Friday, just one stop is all it takes to be a repeat customer.

Towey said she has stopped by several times to pick up her favorite double glazed or maple frosted doughnuts. Her husband, she said, likes the blueberry muffins.

“What they have going is a really good thing,” said Dylan Verney of Stratton. “I stop by anytime I am passing by for work or heading to Rangeley with my family.”

Verney owns Brighter Builds, a construction company. After a stop in Kingfield for supplies, he opted to take Route 4 rather than Route 16 to his job site in Rangeley. The decision, he said, was based partly on the condition of Route 16. Mostly, it was because the alternate route offered an excuse for him and his crew to stop for doughnuts.

James McBride of Norridgewock works with Verney. He said he also makes a point in stopping by for a batch of fresh doughnuts whenever he is in the area.

Chris Otteng, his wife Tiffany, and his mother in law Rosemarie Jenau operate the popular stand.

The Otteng’s dog, Clifford, is the namesake of the business.

So, what is with these rural roadside stand doughnuts that customers flock to again and again? The tasty doughnuts are handmade from scratch fresh using a recipe developed by Chis.

“I love doughnuts,” he said. “I wanted a donut and realized there was nowhere nearby to get a one. The closest place was in Farmington.”

The only option, it seemed, was to learn how to make doughnuts.

Chris began to do just that in February 2024. He started with a base yeast donut recipe. Along the way, he tried a few more recipes, before eventually developing his own.

Tiffany said during the development process, Chris realized even a milliliter of milk makes a difference in the final product.

“It was a long process of figuring things out and perfecting the recipe,” he said.

By June of last year, they felt confident with the recipe and began stocking the roadside stand.

On donut days, the couple starts working at 3 a.m. He makes the doughnuts. She glazes and decorates them. Tiffany also makes muffins and hand pies. In the summer, her mom’s pies are added to the menu.

It takes about two and a half hours to make three batches of the double rise yeast doughnuts. After mixing the dough and letting it rise, Chris rolls out the dough and hand cuts the doughnuts. After a second rise, the dough is fried.

“It is fun the watch him do something he enjoys,” Tiffany said. “He really does love doughnuts.”

The finished doughnuts are packaged two to a box, which include a mix and match of flavors including double glazed, maple glazed, chocolate frosted and strawberry frosted. In addition to their usual flavors, seasonal limited editions are available. Last fall, the apple cider cake doughnuts were a hit, Tiffany said. The s’mores donut they offered last summer was also a favorite.

Chris, a former accountant, has no background in baking or cooking.

“I just love doughnuts,” he said.

The couple grew up in neighboring Florida towns. They lived in Chicago and Atlanta as Tiffany was completing her education and developing her career. Three years ago, they decided it was time to move closer to her family. They now split their time between Portland, where she works as an attorney, and Phillips, where they make the doughnuts every Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Tiffany said often customers will stop by, make their selections and leave a note or send a message raving about the tasty treats. Recently, one of their TikTok post went viral.

“This wouldn’t have worked anywhere else we have lived,” Chris said. “You don’t make connections there like you do here.”

The roadside stand, located at 2427 Rangeley Rd., is open Thursday through Saturday starting at 7:30 a.m. It is run on the honor system, by cash or electronic payment.

For questions or to place an order for a half or whole dozen, send Clifford’s Donut Stop a message on Facebook, Instagram or TikTok.