Can’t seem to start your day without a sweet treat first thing in the morning? Then this is the event you’ve been waiting for: Donut Fest Chicago takes place January 28th at 1st Ward Chop Shop.
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So what exactly is a Donut Fest you may be wondering? As the folks on the website describe it, “Donut Fest is a celebration of the love of fried sugary dough with a competition of yeast, batter-y, deep-fried treats. The best restaurants and bakeries in each city submit their best cruller, ring or long-john and compete against each other with only one walking away with the coveted title of “Best Donut.””
While a “full cast of extremely qualified judges” will handle voting on the Best Donut, there will be votes totaled for a crowd favorite as well.
Tickets for the Fest, now in its fifth year, go on sale today at noon. There are two tiers to the ticketing system. VIP tickets cost $50 and offer early admission (8AM – 10 AM), tickets to taste from every vendor, three coffee tickets, a limited edition coffee mug and a take home goodie bag.
General Admission is in two sessions, from 10AM – noon and noon – 2PM. This also includes tickets for every donut vendor, three coffee tickets, and a goodie bag.
Participating bakeries announced so far are:
- Firecakes
- Stan’s Donuts
- Glazed and Infused
- Gurnee Donuts
- West Town Bakery
- Ipsento
- Deettas Bakery
- Doughnut Vault
- Roesen’s Bakery
- GBD
- Longman & Eagle
- D & D’s Place
And there may still be more added to the list. Each bakery will be offering servings of about one fourth of a donut. Coffee and other beverages will be provided by Dark Matter, Big Shoulders, Ipsento, Metropolis, and Metric Coffee.
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While you may be thinking this is a ridiculously unhealthy event that promotes mass consumption of deep-fried goods, the Donut Fest Q&A has your query covered: “This is a fun fest to celebrate our love of fried dough that happens one day out of the year. We believe in healthy eating and moderation. Treat yo’ self.”