In June 2013, a croissant-doughnut hybrid that had set New York queuing before dawn reached Singapore. The Italian deli chain Da Paolo Gastronomia sold its own version, the Crodo, at S$4.90 each. Within a week, the chain said, they were selling out daily.
More than thirteen years on, the Cronut is still made in New York and the Crodo story reads as a snapshot of a very specific summer. Here is who was involved and where they are now.
The chef behind the original
Dominique Ansel, a French pastry chef, launched the Cronut at his SoHo bakery on 10 May 2013. By late June, according to reports at the time, fans were queuing from about 3.30am for an 8am opening. Some 250 to 300 pastries a day sold out quickly, and resellers were asking up to US$100 (about S$125) for a pastry that cost US$5. The bakery limited sales to two per person.
Ansel’s own line was that the Cronut is not simply fried croissant dough. Time magazine later named it one of the best inventions of 2013, and Ansel won the James Beard Award for outstanding pastry chef in 2014.
Da Paolo’s trial and error
Da Paolo’s pastry team went through several rounds before the Crodo was ready. A product manager at the group recalled in June 2013 that the first, baked version tasted like a drier croissant. A fried version followed, but it flaked apart like crisps. The version that went on sale was deep-fried, rolled in sugar, filled with cream and glazed. Early customers found it too sweet, so the team settled on two styles: a chocolate-glazed Crodo and a pastry-cream-filled one sprinkled with sugar.
Each pastry had to be turned by hand at the fryer, which kept volumes small. The chief executive, Guillaume Pichoir, had supplied the background research on the original.
The Crodos were available at all Da Paolo Gastronomia outlets at the time, including Great World City, Paragon, PasarBella, Holland Village and I12 Katong.
Students and a patisserie join in
Students on Temasek Polytechnic’s Culinary and Catering Management diploma had been following the craze and asked to try their own. Their Sugarloaf Cafe, at the polytechnic’s Culinary Academy, planned to sell a square, cinnamon-sugar doughnut with a round hole, filled with vanilla bean pastry cream. It was called the Really Good Donut and cost S$2, sold only on Thursdays and Fridays from 10.30am to 2pm.
A visiting instructor who is also an associate dean of baking and pastry arts at the Culinary Institute of America said the students used a classic French croissant dough. The key, he said, was butter at the right temperature and layered properly, with frying in canola oil at 180 deg C. He doubted the fad would last long, though he praised Ansel’s marketing.
At Millenia Walk, the owner of Patisserie G was also developing a version after friends described the New York frenzy. She had not set a price and said she would not sell it until it tasted right.
Where they are now
The Cronut itself has outlasted the doubts. The Dominique Ansel Bakery says the flavour changes every month and never repeats. October 2026’s is Pumpkin and Dulce de Leche, a pumpkin-spice ganache paired with dulce de leche ganache, and November’s is Tiramisu. The bakery takes pre-orders for SoHo pick-up and ships nationwide within the United States. Ansel has also opened Papa d’Amour in Manhattan, a concept built around Asian bread culture.
Da Paolo has changed shape. In a 2026 business feature, Pichoir said the group once ran 14 restaurants and Gastronomia outlets and now has nine, with another due later this year. CNA Luxury profiled its more selective approach in August 2026. The group’s website lists Gastronomia branches at Bukit Timah, Raffles City, Holland Village, Orchard and Great World. It also lists Tutto, a casual pasta and pizza concept, at Holland Village and Jewel Changi.
No current Da Paolo listing for Crodos is confirmed, so the S$4.90 pastry is best treated as a 2013 item.
FAQ
Who invented the Cronut?
Dominique Ansel, at his SoHo bakery in New York. The bakery describes it as laminated dough, similar to a croissant, made with its own method and not simply fried croissant dough.
Can you buy a Cronut in Singapore today?
Ansel’s own site describes SoHo pick-up and shipping across the United States. A Singapore seller of the genuine Cronut is not confirmed. The name is a registered trademark of the New York bakery, which is why 2013’s local versions had names of their own, such as Crodo.
Did the fad last?
The craze for queuing and reselling faded, but the pastry did not. The bakery still releases a new flavour each month and marks the anniversary each May.