A hole has been left in the middle of Footscray since Nick Tsiligiris took ill and his family decided to pack up his little jam doughnut stall, and jam-dispensing dolphin, for good.
But a local cafe owner will open a new stall at the original site, supplying commuters with hot, sticky jam doughnuts and fresh coffee.
![Olympic icon: Footscray's much-loved doughnut kiosk is set to rise again, with a twist.](/web/20170202105727im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/q/i/3/7/n/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gu3qjb.png/1486000038020.jpg)
Russell Karim, owner of Dad & Dave's cafe in Yarraville, spent a decade eating Olympic doughnuts. Now he wants to create his own.
"I was one of Nick's regular customers, I used to buy doughnuts from there when I was at university," Mr Karim said.
"Nick was not only a good doughnut-maker, but also a nice man. I would pay for two doughnuts, get on the train, open the packet up and see there were four.
"It's a bit sad that he's not there, but we wish him and his family good luck and hope he recovers."
In 2016 the shop closed temporarily, after 81-year-old Nick became ill. Last month, after 40 years serving hot doughnuts outside Footscray train station, Maribyrnong Council announced the shop wouldn't be reopening.
On January 17, Nick's daughter Georgia took to the Olympic Doughnuts Facebook page and thanked the community for the "love and support" the family had received since news spread they were closing up shop.
![Nick Tsiligiris at the old Olympic Doughnuts stall in Footscray.](/web/20170202105727im_/http://www.theage.com.au/content/dam/images/g/t/s/k/x/f/image.related.articleLeadNarrow.300x0.gu3qjb.png/1486000038020.jpg)
"We have been overwhelmed and at the same time so grateful and humbled by it all," she wrote.
"The decision not to reopen Olympic Doughnuts was not one we made lightly. Nick as we all know is now 81 and it was only a matter of time before he retired. It was either going to be age or illness that stopped him. And that is exactly what happened."
She said the family had decided not to carry on Nick's legacy, and they would not sell the business name, or "the dolphin" Nick used to pump jam into the doughnuts.
The leasehold was sold and she said another business would "soon operate out of the kiosk".
Mr Karim said when he approached the family about taking over the shop he got a sweet response.
"They were really happy to give it to us because they knew about our cafe," he said.
"I didn't think I would own it, but the opportunity came up and now my dream is coming true to make doughnuts and coffee," he said.
"The family knows we're going to do jam doughnuts, but under our own name."
And although he doesn't have access to the Olympic Doughnuts secret recipe, he hopes people will enjoy his recipe, along with a coffee.
"I'm a pastry chef by trade, so I have basic knowledge of pastry. I've made doughnuts and I've been eating doughnuts for 10 years," he said.
As for the name of the new business, Mr Karim said "it''s going to be related but I can't say much more".
The new shop will open in coming weeks.