There’s always talk about the sophomore slump, but it looks like Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee isn’t worried. One of the best doughnut shops in L.A. is about to launch the second year of its chefs series of special dessert creations, and this time around, the lineup looks—dare we say it—even better than 2018’s. Starting in March, some of the city’s best celebrity chefs and notable food figures will team up with the doughnut shop for monthly, limited-time-only flavors—and it’s all for a good cause.
Here’s how it works: On the first day of every month, March through December, Sidecar will announce the month’s collaborative flavor, a secret-until-it’s-announced variety from the likes of Sqirl’s Jessica Koslow, LASA’s Chad Valencia and Otium’s Timothy Hollingsworth, to name a few. The guest chefs join forces with Sidecar’s executive chef, Erika Viramontes, and create one-off collabs; last year’s series included varieties like the banana-split doughnut from Crack Shack’s Richard Blais and the matcha flavor from Playa Provisions’ Brooke Williamson.
The given flavor will be available at all locations—that’s Santa Monica, Torrance, the roving truck, and even Del Mar and Costa Mesa—and once the month is over, the flavors are gone for good. And while each doughnut collab will eventually come to a close, their perks live on: A portion of the doughnuts’ sales from the month will benefit a charity of the guest chef’s choosing. Here’s a glimpse of what to expect in 2019:
March: Elizabeth Belkind of Cake Monkey Bakery
April: Brandi Milloy-Simon of Food Network’s Let’s Eat!
May: Claudette Zepeda-Wilkins of San Diego’s El Jardin
June: Melissa King of Top Chef-finalist fame
July: Scott Afters of Afters Ice Cream
August: Jessica Koslow of Sqirl
September: Timothy Hollingsworth of Otium and Free Play
October: Chad Valencia of LASA
November: Avery Ruzicka of Los Gatos’ Manresa Bread
December: Zac Young of the national Craveable Hospitality Group
“It’s incredible to see these amazing chefs sharing their passion for what they do with our team, and giving our team the opportunity to do the same in return,” Sidecar co-founder Sumter Pendergrast says in a release. “I can’t wait to see what this year’s chefs come up with.”