In 1933, eighteen-year-old Vernon Rudolph began working for his uncle, Ishmael Armstrong, who owned a small general store in Paducah, Kentucky that sold a wide variety of goods, including its very popular doughnuts.[7] While the exact origin of the doughnut recipe remains partially a mystery, it is believed that Ishmael Armstrong was inspired by an Ohio River barge cook named Joseph LeBeouf who was famous for his light and fluffy doughnuts.