MIAMI – Taking home the coveted Golden Donut for the second year in a row, Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken hasn't lost its mojo.
The Miami-based doughnut shop was once again a fan favorite Thursday night at the second annual Donuts! Festival in Miami's Wynwood neighborhood.
Recommended Videos
From the minute the gates opened, hundreds of doughnut lovers anxiously lined up to sample the shop's fresh, hand-rolled and hand-dipped treats.
But Mojo Donuts and Fried Chicken wasn't the only shop that had revelers drooling. Among the participants at this year's festival were YoNutz Gourmet Donuts and Ice Cream of Sunrise, Circus Eats of Miami, Crave Clean of Coconut Grove, Jupiter Donuts of Jupiter, Helen and Meyer's of Miami, One Donut Shop (location pending), Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme. Brews were offered by Wynwood's Concrete Beach Brewery to help wash down the indulgences.
Nikki Deas, creator of Donuts! Festival, saw this event as a perfect way to embrace the doughnut craze that's hit South Florida in recent years.
"It's South Florida's first and only doughnut festival," she said. "This was a great way to get everyone together for one special night."
For one Miami couple, this year's Donuts! Festival was a sweet trip down memory lane.
Michael Mendez, 26, and his fiancée, Alyssa Nieves, 25, had their first date at last year's festival. The pair fell in love and Mendez proposed at the site of the inaugural Donuts! Festival.
"He put up a sign and flowers and it said, 'I DO NUT want to live another day without you,'" Nieves gushed.
The couple was determined to return to the scene of the crime this year and will even be incorporating doughnuts as wedding favors when they tie the knot.
The happy couple joined nearly 1,000 guests, who purchased tickets for unlimited sampling, ranging from $35-$65.
A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to the United Way of Miami-Dade.
"The competition is all fun and games," said Jimmy Piedrahita, owner of Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken. "But at the end of the day, it's all about raising money for charity and helping a good cause."