Donna Siafakas (left) and her family have run Peter Pan for decades. Photo via peterpandonuts.com
BY GEOFFREY COBB
Author, “Greenpoint Brooklyn’s Forgotten Past”
gcobb91839@Aol.com
Like countless other Greenpointers, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the passing of Donna Siafakas, the matriarch of Peter Pan Donut & Pastry Shop, one of the neighborhood’s most beloved institutions.
Both Donna and Peter Pan belonged to an earlier, less pretentious Greenpoint. Donna and her Greek American husband, Christos Siafakas, took over Peter Pan in 1993 and changed almost nothing from when it first opened in the 1950s. The lunch counter, simple décor, and even the iconic green uniforms worn by the women behind the counter remained unchanged, preserving the bakery’s nostalgic charm.
In a world of soaring restaurant prices, Donna kept Peter Pan affordable, ensuring that everyone could enjoy a cup of coffee and a donut.
Donna ran the bakery alongside her sister and her sons, Dimitry and Spyros, creating an atmosphere where employees felt less like staff than members of an extended family. “She wasn’t just my employer,” Svitlana Geras told me. “She was like a second mother.”
Peter Pan was far more than a bakery. It was Greenpoint’s informal town square, where neighbors gathered over coffee and conversation. Donna had spent her entire life in the neighborhood. She seemed to know everyone, and everyone knew and loved her.
Donna embodied Greenpoint’s community spirit. She quietly supported Little League, the Girl Scouts, Toys for Tots, and many other local causes. She discounted meals and donuts for police officers and helped organize Manhattan Avenue’s annual Christmas lights display.
When my wife and I raised money for Ukrainians displaced by the war, Donna donated one thousand dollars without hesitation.
Few people ever worked harder than Donna. She rose at four every morning and arrived before sunrise six days a week.
From her seat at the counter, she greeted customers while keeping a watchful eye on every detail of the shop. Under her leadership, the bakery ran so smoothly that it effortlessly handled the weekend crowds stretching out the door and down the block.
Peter Pan eventually achieved national fame, even making a cameo appearance in Marvel’s Spider-Man: No Way Home. Jennifer Lopez, Tina Fey, and numerous other celebrities praised its donuts, but the attention never changed Donna.
She remained warm, humble, and firmly rooted in the neighborhood she loved.
After learning of Donna’s passing on June 30, I walked to Peter Pan and sat beside her usual place at the counter, struggling to accept that the woman who had been such a constant presence was gone.
