VALLEY BREAKFAST: Shipley Do-Nuts in McAllen

David Duff is almost as popular as the hot glazed donuts he’s been serving for more than 30 years.

"Nice hat you got there, playboy," he says to a burly Winter Texan man, one of six customers enjoying a short but sweet breakfast inside Shipley Do-Nuts in central McAllen on this recent Friday. Duff knows every one of them by name.

At the next table over is Doug Smith of Edinburg.

Duff became acquainted with Smith in 1974, when Smith was just 3 years old. In the decades since, Smith has had a chance to sample the competition — including Dunkin’ Donuts (which had a location in North McAllen during the ‘90s) and Krispy Kreme — but he remains loyal.

"They don’t compare," he says.

Duff also got an early start with Shipley — he was still a student at McAllen High School when his family opened the pastry shop in 1978, and he took a job behind the counter.

The teenage Duff would start his shift at 1 a.m. and wrap up after 10 a.m., when baking for the day draws to a close.

He’s spent the decades since making Shipley one of the sweetest spots in the Valley.

"Shipley was built not by advertising, but by word of mouth," he says.

He says hello to Marianne Lampkin, a one-time Winter Texan who’s been living in McAllen for the past 12 years. They’re both originally from Illinois.

"My customers know where I was born," he says. "It’s the quintessential American dream."