BY ALYSSA QUACKENBUSH

Superheroes come in all shapes and sizes; we’ve seen the likes of Peter Parker, Clark Kent, and Diana Prince grace pop culture for decades. It turns out, we even have our own version of a superhero here in Marshfield, though his super alter ego isn’t so much of a secret--James Kukstis, who works full-time as a senior media journalist for Wicked Local, spends his free time baking all kinds of goodies under the alias “Mr. Butterscotch.” James has been with Wicked Local since 2016 and reporting for Marshfield since 2017, and over the past three years, this job has allowed him to become really involved in the community through meeting all kinds of people around town, having interesting and engaging conversations about their stories and endeavors.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY INSTAGRAM @MRBUTTERSCOTCH

It was through his work with the Mariner that Mr. Butterscotch met Zac and Fletcher, the owners of Slacktide Coffee Roasters. The shop needed some assistance when the quarantining began, so with the help of Zac’s mom, Pam, Mr. Butterscotch began making donuts Thursday-Sunday for Slacktide.

Hand-cut and made with love, they’ve been able to pull off some really fun flavor combos in their donuts.

Drawing inspiration from all over the place, including the robust West Coast donut scene, which James keeps tabs on through Instagram, and the fun and unusual extracts they find, the team will hold experimental test kitchens that result in donut flavors such as pina colada, which is adorned with a little cocktail parasol, cotton candy (James’ admitted favorite), Samoa for girl scout cookie season, and more.

The story of the origin of the nickname Mr. Butterscotch ironically has nothing to do with James’ baking roots. During his time living in New York City, when his baking had taken a bit of a backseat due to the inadequate kitchen space, one of his friends had asked to dye his brown hair blonde for him, but somewhere along the way things didn’t go quite as planned, and James ended up with a head of copper hair.

Ever since, his friends have deemed him “Mr. Butterscotch,” and it’s carried over into his baking.

To James, baking is not only a side-business but a lifelong hobby that helps as both a stress reliever and a creative outlet for him. He recalls being a kid and taking classes at Lorraine’s Cake & Candy Supply in Hanover, where he still gets a lot of his baking supplies. He doesn’t just do fun donuts, either; with sugar cookies being his most popular treat, when I asked about his craziest creations, he told me that he’s managed to make dim-sum themed sugar cookies for his dim-sum enthusiast friend, and even managed to combine themes of fly fishing, arrowhead hunting, and yoga for a batch of cookies he made for a couple’s baby shower.

Turning his baking hobby into the business that it is today happened quite naturally. Initially, James would just get some requests from people in his life asking for cookies, and it has since developed into much more. This past Christmas, Mr. Butterscotch even made gingerbread versions of the Slacktide and Levitate storefronts. He says that his work with the Mariner has helped get the baking business off the ground since a lot of people around town already know who he is, and the flexible hours of the journalism gig result in his having enough free time during the right hours to get to baking.

It’s obvious that James loves what he does, and that translates right into his creations. Deserts are one of the most universal ways to spread joy, and as Mr. Butterscotch, the way that James spreads joy through his baking is an undeniable superpower.

Behind the line with Mr. ButterScotch

Hand-cut and made with love, they’ve been able to pull off some really fun flavor combos in their donuts.

Ever since, his friends have deemed him “Mr. Butterscotch,” and it’s carried over into his baking.

The best way to reach Mr. Butterscotch for orders would be through his email address, MrButterscotchBakes@gmail.com, or through Instagram DMs.

You can find his Instagram account @MrButterscotch.

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