Doughnut Corporation of America.

Early in World War II I worked for the Doughnut Corporation of America. I wanted to have a job that was vital to the war efforts of the US. What is more vital than doughnuts?

I was living with my Aunt Margery in Berkeley, California. I went to a State Office of Employment and was sent to Emeryville to interview with the Doughnut Corporation of America. I had to join the Warehousemen Union and then went to work. I walked from my Aunt's house up to Ashby Avenue and caught a bus to Emeryville.

There was some interesting jobs in the plant which made prepared baking mixes. It did a lot of work for the Armed Forces. The plant mixed and shipped barrels and gunny sacks of cake, doughnut, etc mixes. Even pie crust mix.

One job was emptying boxcars full of flour. Also boxcars full of barrels and lids and other supplies. The man in charge of mixing would put shovels full of ingredients into a mixing machine. I helped fill barrels with the resulting mix. I learned how to install a barrel lid into a barrel. There was a trick to it. They were all old fashioned wooden barrels.

A morning chore was filling bins with dried egg yolks, egg white, flour, salt, sugar, etc. It is odd to run your hands through dried egg whites.  I had to run my hands through all of the ingredients.

A mean job was cleaning out the machine that mixed pie crust. It was all gummed up with shortening. I am glad no ever started the mixer while I was in it!