About Me
Hi, I'm Colin Paris, and on September 15th, 2025, my life changed in an instant. I went from being a normal college student at the University of Pittsburgh to a scared 19-year-old wondering what was wrong with his heart. A diagnosis of chronic atypical pericarditis is one I'd wish on no one, especially in their college years. But I'd like to believe everything happens for a reason, and mdrn is my reason.
The months following my return home from Pitt were some of the hardest, mentally and physically, I'd ever endured. While all my friends and classmates were away at colleges across the country, I was sheltered in my house, scared and searching for answers. The answers still haven't fully come, but my heart is healthy and structurally sound. The "atypical" part of the pericarditis means it's unlike most cases, and refers to the chest pain and breathing issues I experience on a daily basis. These issues took all my normal sources of joy, golfing, playing soccer, and weightlifting, away from me.
It wasn't until a morning in January 2026, when I decided I wanted to recreate a fresh donut close to one I'd had at the wonderful Hole Doughnuts in Asheville, NC (if you ever visit Asheville, you must go). It took me about five hours to make the donuts, but immediately I was hooked. Soft, chewy, and perfectly glazed. The taste was amazing, but it was the process I truly enjoyed the most. Seeing the smiles on my parents' faces, and most importantly my grandpa's, as they indulged in their donuts brought me joy.
Baking donuts gave me the joy I was missing, the joy I found on the soccer field or the golf course. Then my mom said, "You should sell these," and I thought, you know what, I should. And so here we are.
About mdrn
At the time, mdrn is a pop-up cottage bakery, so what exactly does that mean, you may ask? All the donuts are prepared ahead of time at my home kitchen, then sold at the pop-up shop at The Chocolate Canopy. Our brioche donuts are made from scratch daily and sold just hours later. Unfortunately, due to SC cottage food laws, all of our fillings have to be commercially prepared, but don't worry, they'll still be the most unique and flavorful you've ever tasted. We use a base pastry cream, then season each flavor with different locally produced jams and fillings to produce each mdrn flavor.
At the moment, we are open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 9am to 1pm, with Friday being preorder only and Saturday and Sunday being full pop-ups.
We hope to see you soon!