Monika Celly, owner of Polka Dots and Curry culinary classes, brought the delicious and dazzling Indian Food Festival to Lewis Palmer High School on the afternoon of Aug. 2. The parking lot was filled with food trucks feeding crowds of guests who not only enjoyed all the good eats, but also live music, the stunning Saree Walk, cultural dancing, henna artists, a curry contest, Indian clothing and jewelry boutiques.

I joined fellow judges Dev Mehta, executive chef at Urban Tandoor Indian Restaurant and Mausam Indian Flavors, and Monika’s son, Arindam. There were five spicy, fragrant curries for us to sample and it was a very close score for each dish, hoping to win bragging rights.

The winners were:

• Shikha Gupta, Most Traditional Curry, for her Shaam Savera Kofta Curry.

• Bindu Jackwin, Most Creative Curry, for her Kerala Chicken Curry Stew.

• King Browne, People’s Choice, with his Butternut Squash Curry.

Doughnut shop a sweet success

Dad’s Donuts has hit the sweet spot for doughnut fans. With the growing base of customers demanding more of the 109-layer cronuts, owner Mitch Yellen is making big plans in response to those requests.

“We will be opening our third location of Dad’s the first week of September in front of the Scheels store (1254 Interquest Parkway),” Yellen said. “And we have signed a lease agreement for a space in Denver on West 32nd Avenue inside a bookstore where we will have a Dad’s Donut and Red Leaf Coffee.”

Additionally, Yellen is also pursuing franchise opportunities for Dad’s Donuts. And recently he has introduced a new shape for the tasty treat. Instead of the traditional round-shape doughnut, the doughnuts will be produced in a square shape.

“We’ve moved to a square shape,” Yellen said with a grin, “because Dad’s doesn’t cut corners.”

The new shape is good looking and is easier to eat. Plus, with the growing number of mail orders the company gets for the doughnuts, the square configuration is easier for packing to ship.

A couple of the masterminds behind the square shape doughnuts are Mary Oreskovich, general manager, and Trista Heilman, bakery manager.

“We had been discussing the idea of changing the shape of the doughnuts and finally decided it made sense,” Oreskovich said.

“The square shape is easier to cook and we have less leftover dough,” Heilman said.

Plus, you can eat the doughnuts guilt-free knowing they are made with no preservatives, additives, dyes or hydrogenated oils.

“Everything must meet those requirements,” Oreskovich said. “Even the frostings and sprinkles.”

“And we only use pure European-style butter,” Heilman added.