CANOGA KRISPY KREME TO OPEN.

Byline: Brent Hopkins Staff Writer

CANOGA PARK - Doughnut fans in the West Valley can rest easy. Krispy Kreme's on the way.

After seeing phenomenal success following the September 1999 opening of the San Fernando Valley's first shop in Van Nuys, the doughnut impresarios will crank up the assembly line at 6841 Topanga Canyon Blvd. on Tuesday. It is part of an explosive growth strategy for Great Circle Family Foods, Southern California's exclusive franchisee. According to president Roger Glickman, Southern Californians will be feasting on the sugary concoctions at up to 30 new locations within the next five years.

The light, airy doughnuts have sailed out of local stores since Krispy Kreme debuted in Southern California in January 1999 - largely owing to an overall trend toward culinary decadence, analysts reported.

``Indulgence came back in style,'' said Richard Martin, managing editor for the Nation's Restaurant News, a New York-based weekly trade publication. ``The doughnut came on the scene in this renaissance, and the embodiment was Krispy Kreme.''

Capitalizing on consumers' urge to binge, the North Carolina-based doughnut-crafters have rapidly expanded. While a local favorite in the South since its founding in 1937, claiming Elvis Presley and Bill Clinton among its fans, the sweet treats have consistently won praise as they've crossed the nation. Locally, Great Circle has ambitious plans to spread the exposure even further.

``There's a bunch of untapped markets in Southern California that we are targeting,'' said Amy Sloan, marketing manager for Great Circle. ``We have plans to go to the Inland Empire and farther north, and closer to the Mexican border as well.''

In recent weeks, a City of Industry location has opened, and Oxnard, Riverside, San Diego and Los Angeles can expect stores soon. Great Circle is betting that this rapid growth will pay off, Glickman said.

``There's a great deal of doughnut demand, that's a certainty,'' he said. ``There are more doughnut shops per capita in Southern California than anywhere else in the country.''

Doughnut cravers won't be the only ones warmly welcoming Krispy Kreme, analysts predicted. The doughnut maker brings with it a history of charitable contributions, and its success is expected to bolster local businesses, as well.

``I think it's great that they're coming here,'' said Roberto Barragan, president of the Valley Economic Development Center. ``Krispy Kreme has been a really good influence on Van Nuys Boulevard. If they have the same effect in Topanga Canyon, this will help all the local businesses in that corridor.''

The local economy will also benefit in a different way, said Lennie Ciufo, job training director for Los Angeles Valley College. When the Canoga Park location opens its doors, 56 newly employed workers will be there to serve customers. The crew, selected from local one-stop employment centers, was trained at Valley College in a comprehensive program designed to enhance workplace productivity.

For these workers, many of whom are getting off welfare, along with an additional 22 hired for the Van Nuys location, their new vocation is a welcome shot in the arm, Ciufo said.

``The people are so excited to be a working part of the community, he said. ``Krispy Kreme makes them feel that way.''

Community benefits aside, the proof of the doughnut is in the eating, so to speak. For a true indicator of Krispy Kreme's success, one need look no further than the local drive-through, Martin said.

``If you see six cars stacked up in a drive-through at all hours of the day,'' he said, ``you know they're doing something right.''

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2 photos

Photo:

(1 -- color) The countdown's begun for fans of hot-from-the-fryer Krispy Creme doughnuts at the Topanga Canyon Boulevard location.

(2) Workers put the finishing touches on the new Canoga Park doughnut store preparing for the Tuesday opening.

Phil McCarten/Staff Photographer