His passion, palate and pink shorts are pitch perfect.
Brendon Bigcas, 28, is built like a man who spends his mornings braving the glacial waters of the Pacific, not staring down a pastry case. The Laguna Beach resident maintains the calibrated frame of a triathlete, of someone who willingly endured the Ironman 70.3 in Oceanside to, in part, conquer a fear of open water.
“I was terrified of swimming, you know, 100 feet away from the shore,” said Bigcas. “Now I’m a much better swimmer.”
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But these days his most grueling endurance event isn’t a swim-bike-run. It’s his personal odyssey of Orange County’s 200-plus doughnut shops. Bigcas is the founder and face of Maple Bar Co., a social media project where he reviews maple bars with the seriousness of a Michelin inspector and the rigor of, well, an Ironman.
On Instagram, TikTok and YouTube (@maplebarco), where his videos have racked up hundreds of thousands of views, Bigcas can be found donning his signature pink shorts (a sartorial nod to iconic bubblegum pink doughnut boxes, a tradition rooted in Southern California) dissecting the nuances of fried dough. He averages about one shop and posting per day.
His project started out as a lark. Following a layoff from an executive role at a local startup, Bigcas found himself at a crossroads. He dived into training, but needed a more creative outlet than huffing and puffing. A videographer pal suggested a riff on Dave Portnoy’s “One Bite” pizza reviews.
Brendon Bigcas’ pink shorts are an ode to iconic doughnut boxes. He is attempting to rate every maple bar sold at shops in Orange County via Maple Bar Co. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“He was like, ‘You know what? Why don’t you take this angle, but with maple bars,’” he recalled. “I thought, ‘This is pretty easy to repeat, and honestly, this gives me a fair excuse to eat maple bars.’”
And why not maple bars? Maple, with a profile of smoky caramel and slight nuttiness, has always seemed like a more “adult” flavor in the doughnut pantheon compared to, say, iced chocolate, jelly-filled or sprinkles.
Bigcas’ first review was posted on Oct. 10 at Costa Mesa’s Famous Donuts, whose maple bar currently holds a 6.0 rating (32rd place) on Maple Bar Co. “Consistency is key,” he said of his first video. “You need some type of template for people to follow.”
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That template has since evolved into a rigorous format. Bigcas and his team now conduct reviews before 8 a.m. to ensure peak doughnut freshness. His scoring system is twofold: a “dough” rating for texture and flavor, and a “maple” rating for the glaze’s volume and taste. Half points can be awarded or removed due to myriad concerns, like the dough overshadowing the maple taste, or overly cloying doughnuts.
“Most doughnut shops actually make their own maple glaze,” he explained. “When you see the shine on a doughnut, that’s because they put a little bit of corn syrup in there. It gives that nice shine, which is what people like.”
But what started as content and a personal outlet for creativity has morphed into something of a community service. Bigcas highlights the mom-and-pop shops that help form the backbone of Southern California’s doughnut culture, a scene largely built by Cambodian immigrants and the legendary “Donut King,” Ted Ngoy.
The effect has been a boon for some spots. The “Bigcas Bump” is real. After he posted a glowing review of Royal Donuts and Burgers in Mission Viejo, the owners reached out.
Brendon Bigcas taste tests a long John maple bar at Dani Maxwell’s donut store, Niguel Bakery & Donuts in Laguna Niguel on Monday November 24, 2025. He is attempting to rate every maple bar in Orange County. (Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
“The’re saying their doughnuts are sold out now,” said Bigcas. “People messaging me, saying, ‘Hey, I went into the doughnut shop and I showed the owner your video and it almost brought tears to their eyes.”
He added, “It really sparks an emotion in people. I get that almost every day now, ‘Hey, you’re doing God’s work.’”
Currently, the leaderboard is an exciting point of contention. The highest score belongs to Oliboli Donuts in Tustin for its “maple round.” Geometric pastry purists argue it’s not a true bar.
“Technically, Oliboi is still No. 1,” he said, acknowledging the “shade” he’s received for the circular doughnut’s inclusion. For those demanding a traditional rectangular form factor, the crown could be passed to Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee in Costa Mesa (with a score of 9.0).
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A recent top-five entrant is Presidents Donuts in Yorba Linda, which received an 8.5. And at a cost of $1.82, that’s hard to beat. And my personal favorite maple bar, found at Niguel Bakery and Donuts in Laguna Niguel, is ranked at No. 5 with an overall score of 8.0. Bigcas has become friends with the owners and employees at Niguel Bakery and Donuts (truly one of Orange County’s most slept-on doughnuts), and at other shops across the region.
His top five currently stands at Oliboli Donuts in Tustin, Sidecar Doughnuts & Coffee in Costa Mesa, Scott’s Donuts and Cafe in Mission Viejo, President Donuts in Yorba Linda and Niguel Bakery & Donuts in Laguna Niguel, respectively. Again, his list will keep growing and changing; fret not, North County denizens as Bigcas has primarily started in South County, moving his way up north. On average, he tries to post a review a day, with other video content (reply videos, et cetera) sprinkled in on occasion.
Bigcas admits he still has a long way to go. He estimates there are more than 200 shops in Orange County, and he’s only hit around 45 thus far, with loads of dreamy, maple-topped carbohydrates in his future. He’s also playing the long game, saying that he hopes to build tech solutions to help these old-school shops better understand their own economics.
Until then, look for Bigcas and his maple bar reviews coming to your nearest and dearest doughnut shop.