BENSON, Ariz — Every community has staples that help define each town and city from restaurants to parks.
John Mellencamp once sang about 'little pink houses' as an icon of Americana. Surely he meant a pink house or business like this one.
Just off I-10 in the town of Benson you'll find a little pink donut shop that offers a pretty sweet experience that has a lot more to do with the woman behind the counter than the pastries within.
"It's looks like chocolate glazed? Oh yea, look how great they are. Look," said Brenda, a Benson Donuts regular.
Muy Chav serves up a smile and a side of love while she patiently waits for the loyal customers to make the impossible choice. One customer tried in vain to decide, allowing Muy to decide for him.
"Let's go with um... the uhh... yeah. You knew it!" he said.
I asked Muy how many donuts she makes every day.
"I don't know," she laughed, agreeing that it might be in the hundreds.
Multiply that times, well, every day of the week for the last two decades.
2025 marks 20 years for Benson Donuts.
So how did she and her husband pick this spot in the Sonoran Desert?
"We were just tired of California and just came out here and picked Benson," Muy said.
It was Muy's dad, a Cambodian immigrant who brought his family to the states 45 years ago, who made the decision on donuts.
Now the recipes live on with each daily batch.
"It's just friends teaching friends. It started with - they learned from each other," Muy said.
You have customers who wander in off the interstate like this group from Canada; determined to find the best local flavors. Clint, Lori, Jeff and Jason liked what they found.
"Here's the apple fritter moment of truth... here we go... here we go... mmmmm," Clint said enjoying his first bite of the fan favorite.
"So sweet... so delicious," said Lori.
"It's so fresh. Delicious... just delicious," Jeff said.
"We like to, you know, support local businesses and what not and figured we'd try it out," Clint told me.
"They seem to work really hard and you don't quite know what you're going to get. You know it's going to be good because they put their heart and soul into it," Lori said.
And of course you have the longtime locals stopping by.
"Bob, what's your last name?" I asked as the tall gentleman entered the shop.
"Benson," he said.
"But this is not your donut shop?" I asked?
"No. It's not my donut shop. Benson Donuts," Bob Benson said with a smile.
Although not his namesake, Bob could be its spokesperson.
"It's just good donuts and she's a good person. She really is... If she wasn't here we'd go through withdrawals," Bob said.
Muy has had every reason to close up shop. In 2021 she was robbed and threatened with a knife. Two years later she suffered a stroke. The people of Benson started a Go Fund Me and raised more than $10,000 to help keep the doors of what is so much more than a donut shop, open.
"Even after I had a stroke one week later I just wanted to come back," Muy said with a smile and a signature laugh.
There's no doubt that Muy's absence would leave a hold in the hearts of many who need that daily pick-me-up.
And she told me that service fills her life as well.
"I love the people here. I love to see people," Muy said.
"If somebody said where are the best donuts in the world what would you say?" I asked Bob Benson.
"Right here. Benson Donuts. Benson Donuts. Bob Benson says so."
Benson Donuts
690 N Ocotillo Rd
Benson, AZ
Open 5am - 5pm
7 days a week
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