Today, his shop, Uncle Dood's Donuts on Robbins Street, just off Water Street, sells "a few more than a hundred" hot, hand-dipped doughnuts — with toppings like bacon, peanut butter and jelly, or even Fruity Pebbles cereal — on any given day.

"I wrote that down somewhere," he said, talking about the business plans he drew up several years ago, when he was still dreaming of starting the business.

And he's feeling even more blessed because the website The Daily Meal named Uncle Dood's as the best doughnuts in the state of New Jersey.

"I've been very blessed," Livolsi said by phone Monday.

The Daily Meal, which named the best doughnut shops in every state, said it ranked the doughnuts solely on taste.

"Really?" he said when informed of the selection. "That's awesome."

"To set a level playing field for all the competitors ... price, location, and adherence to tradition were not taken into account," the editor, Hannah Hoskins, wrote. "The tastiest doughnuts will obviously need to be fresh, soft, gooey, well balanced, well proportioned, and totally addictive."

"It's the enjoyment of actually eating the doughnut that matters; and that's what we used to compare the doughnuts across America," she wrote. (Sweet heavens. Tough work if you can get it.)

Livolsi, who owns the shop with his wife, Jennifer, says he was inspired to start a doughnut shop when the couple were on vacation several years ago.

Uncle Dood's was chosen because the doughnuts are "fun, fancy, and delicious," the Daily Meal said.

"We're walking through this little town, and there's nothing going on," he said, noting that he and Jennifer were still dating at the time. "Then we come across this line, and it's a line for a doughnut shop."



Surprised that people were waiting in line for 45 minutes for doughnuts, Livolsi got in line to see what the fuss was about. The doughnuts were delicious, he said. And they sparked his interest.

" 'I want to make donuts people want to wait in line for,' " he said he told his family. At first, "I started out burning them in my kitchen," but over time he learned how to cook them just right.

He opened the shop "three years, nine months and 10 days ago," he said, after "I sold off everything," including his motorcycles, to fund the startup.

He took care of important business first.

"I bought the engagement ring," he said, and Jennifer willingly jumped on board, both with the marriage and with the doughnut shop dream, he said. Livolsi said he also had strong support from family, including his father-in-law.

And soon, business just took off, spreading through word of mouth.

The shop's offerings include its standards: French Toast; Vermont Pig, which is a doughnut covered in bacon and maple syrup icing; the Bed Rockin', with icing dipped in Fruity Pebbles; Samoas, which are just like the Girl Scout cookies, with fudge icing, coconut and caramel; and PB&J — yes, a peanut butter and jelly doughnut.

In addition to the standard offerings — "If we didn't have those there'd be pitchforks and torches," he said — there is a monthly menu of special offerings. This month, one of the specials is the apple crumb doughnut, with apple pie filing and a streusel topping.

Customers vote every three months on Facebook on their favorite, and the People's Choice doughnut gets brought back.

"It's interactive that way," he said.

Livolsi's personal favorite is a roasted garlic caramel doughnut ("The garlic gets sweet when it's roasted, and it's got this salty crunch") that makes an appearance from time to time.

And he does specialty donuts for various occasions, including a pumpkin cannoli doughnut, and he even did a Star Wars-themed menu for the release of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" last December.

The most unusual combination he's been asked for?

"A high school kid asked for bacon, mint icing and grape jelly," he said.

"There are no judgments here," Livolsi said with a laugh.

The Daily Meal selection isn't the first time Uncle Dood's has received national recognition; it also was named the best in the state by Pure Wow and Only In Your State.

"I'm sitting here a little humbled," Livolsi said. But he said he and Jennifer, who have a 2-year-old daughter, Isabella, and their tight-knit group of employees are enjoying what they do.

"We're having fun, which is the most important thing," he said.

The shop is open most days from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Read more about the Daily Meal's selections by state by clicking here.

Donut photos used with permission of Dominic Livolsi