Vernon Rudolph bought a secret yeast-raised doughnut recipe from a French chef from New Orleans, rented a building in what is now called historic Old Salem in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and began selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts on July 13, 1937 to local grocery stores. People soon began stopping by to ask if they coould buy hot doughnuts, so he cut a hole in the wall and started selling Hot Original Glazed doughnuts directly to customers.