Beloved Donuts is a book of photographs celebrating America’s favorite round pastry in its natural habitat.

Theo Stroomer began photographing donut shops in Los Angeles, the undisputed donut capital of the United States, in 2018. With one of the highest concentrations of donut shops anywhere in the world, donuts there tell stories of the American dream. Cambodian refugees built up the donut industry during the 1980s after fleeing the Khmer Rouge. Cambodians still own approximately three quarters of L.A.-area donut shops. The pink donut box, and the donut’s association with the color pink, came from Cambodian entrepreneurs: savvy owners started buying pink boxes, which were cheaper than white, and the trend caught on.

California gave rise to American cars and commuter culture. One of the nation's first drive-thrus served donuts. Enormous donut statues greeted passing motorists from the highway. Donut shops, often run by immigrants, followed the expansion of Greater Los Angeles.

Today, donuts reflect growth and change in the city. Old shopowners are retiring as neighborhoods gentrify. After decades of being rebuffed, chains like Dunkin' and Winchell's are expanding in California. Trendy newcomers are reinventing the donut business, snapping up real estate while crafting Instagram-worthy visual masterpieces. Donuts, once old-fashioned, are evolving alongside their communities.