Kiama local Ash Camilleri is someone who takes an opportunity when she sees one.

“I realised there wasn't a donut shop around here at all and thought ‘why not, let’s bring a one to Kiama’,” she says.

With her love for baking backed by hospitality and business skills, the 24 year old has opened Moist N Glazed as Kiama’s new foodie attraction.

The café and bakehouse opened last Saturday to a line out the door, and has sold out of donuts every day since then.

Not only did Ash tap into her local knowledge of what type of business was needed in Kiama, but she also opened when COVID restrictions were easing.

“I knew the opening was going to be good but I didn’t know it would be this good,” says Ash.

“We’d been hyping it up for a little while and we reached about 1000 Instagram followers before we were even open.

“We’ve had such positive feedback from everybody - not just about the donuts but about the coffee, milkshakes and the service which is really important and one of the big things I wanted to focus on here.

“I’m not just selling people donuts, I’m selling people the experience. I want people to come in and have fun, feel like a kid again and be treated like royalty.”

Ash in the Bakehouse

She already has plans to transform the café into something even bigger and better.

“I want to open as a dessert bar for after hours and get a liquor licence to do dessert cocktails and things like that, so I can make it a destination throughout the day and after dinner,” says Ash.

In the meantime, she expects to be busy.

“The way that it has taken off, I think business won’t slow down until February or March next year as we now head into Christmas time,” she says.

“I’m working on getting more bakers in so that we can make more donuts to last throughout the whole day.”

The business is only open for takeaways until the further easing of restrictions on 1 December.

It is located at 28 Bong Bong Street, in the Bathers building, and is open Wednesdays-Mondays, 5.30-4pm