Paradise Valley teen, Gilbert woman win Bashas’ 10th annual Donut Flavor Craze Contest

PHOENIX — Bashas’ announced a Paradise Valley teen and a Gilbert woman as the winners of its 10th annual Donut Flavor Craze Contest on Friday, just in time for National Donut Day.

The donuts are now available for a limited time in the grocer’s bakery cases across the state.

The theme for this year’s contest was “Blast from the Past” and allowed contestants to submit donuts inspired by the contest’s nine years of previous themes. Those themes include pop culture, wacky donut flavors, sweet and savory, Arizona, guilty pleasure, carnival flavors, global flavors and retro vs. future.

The winners were selected by a panel of local celebrity judges.

Miele K. is the 13-year-old from Paradise Valley who won the youth category with her Desert Campfire Smore donut, a Long John donut covered in chocolate frosting, drizzled with marshmallow crème and topped with graham cracker crumbs and mini marshmallows. 

For the adult category, it was Elizabeth Bouck who reigned supreme with her Donoli donut, a vanilla frosted donut filled with cream cheese icing, sprinkled with crushed cannoli chips and chocolate chips and drizzled with chocolate icing. Bouck was also the winner of last year’s youth category.

What do the winners of the Donut Flavor Craze Contest get?

The two winners will be named Bashas’ Official Donut Ambassadors for 2025. They’ll receive one dozen donuts from Bashas’ baker every month for a year as well as $500 worth of prizes, including a Bashas’ gift card.

The grocer also recognized the runner-ups and honorable mentions.

The runner-up in the youth category is 13-year-old Audrey S. from Tucson and her A Latte Sugar donut, a buttercream-filled donut with chocolate-coffee frosting, drizzled with caramel and a ganache of espresso beans.

The adult category’s runner-up is Sheryl Keeme from Tempe. She created a Salty White Turtle donut, a vanilla donut dipped in white ganache, drizzled with caramel and topped with broken pecans and sea salt.

They will both receive a $50 Bashas’ gift card.

The three honorable mentions from the youth category are 9-year-old Credence M. from Buckeye and her Island Kiss Donut, 13-year-old Charlee Y. from Scottsdale for The “Wicked” Donut of Bashas’ and 16-year-old Braxton B. from Queen Creek for his Chocolate-Covered Pretzel donut.

As for the adult’s category, the honorable mentions are Shaunna Serfin from Glendale for her Peach Cobbler Crunch donut, Flagstaff’s Janet Gunderson for her Cookies and Milk for Santa donut and Maya Gordon from Chandler for her Coco Mocha Monkey Banana donut.

All six contestants will receive $20 Bashas’ gift cards.

For National Donut Day, Bashas’ will be donating 10% of its donut sales from today to The Salvation Army, which created National Donut Day in 1938 to honor the “Donut Lassies” would bring donuts to soldiers on the frontlines in World War 1.

In addition, anyone who purchases two Don Francisco’s coffee pods or bags will receive 18 donuts.

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