OMG! Decadent Donuts wins swag of titles at national awards

Brace yourself – this is officially the best donut in Australia.

David Moore and partner Andrew Clarke with ribbons from the Baking Association of Australia’s Excellence in Baking Awards.

Success is sweet for a Brisbane-based doughnut business that grew out of a flood disaster.

OMG! Decadent Donuts has just won a swag of national awards, including gold, silver and bronze in the best gourmet donut category of the Baking Association of Australia’s Excellence in Baking Awards in Melbourne.

The donuts – which are vegan, free from most allergens and made from only natural ingredients – rolled the competition in the coveted category.

We can’t reveal the big names the Brisbane outfit beat – because entries had to be submitted without identification – but it’s a coup for its four founders and the more than 70 licensees Australia wide.

And to think, it started humbly and after considerable heartache.

The winning flavours were Spicy Ranga, Dusty Queen and Coffee Coffee Yum Yum.

Former chef and restaurateur David Moore – who famously lost his floating Milton restaurant Drift in the 2011 floods – worked with a food technologist to develop a doughnut mix that was free from gluten, dairy, egg, wheat, yeast, nuts and sulphites and completely natural.

Mr Moore and his partner Andrew Clarke then set up a stall at the farmers markets and in 2018 marketing consultant Di O’Reilly and her husband lawyer Steven Morris came on board.

Now the team has licensed their product across Australia and expanded into New Zealand.

While OMG! has won other awards, the latest are particularly satisfying as their products were up against regular donuts.

“Gluten free and vegan bakery products often get a bad rap with the assumption that the taste and texture is inferior to regular bakery items,” Mr Moore said.

“Winning these awards is a clear demonstration that this is not the case.”

The winning flavours were Spicy Ranga (ginger, cinnamon, black pepper, cardamom, cloves), Dusty Queen (orange and cinnamon) and Coffee Coffee Yum Yum.

OMG! also claimed silver in the best cinnamon donut category at the awards, held in June.