MEET EMILY
Meet Emily, better known as @stillcutedough on Instagram. Emily’s got sassy captions and even better looking donut pics. She’s also not afraid to put donuts on a public bench and eat them afterwards.
Check out our fun Q&A session below, and stay tuned for future interviews each Wednesday.
Expert: Emily Wanerka
@stillcutedough | Boston, MA
More Donut Expert Interviews
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I’m from Upstate NY but went to college in Providence, RI with the world’s creepiest mascot (Friars). I’ve been in Boston for about 6 years and have been a Physical Therapist for almost 3 years.
When did your donut obsession start?
I think my food obsession in general started when I was super young, but I specifically remember pounding donuts at age 2-3, in horrible outfits and hairstyles (thanks for nothing mom and dad!)
When and why did you start Instagramming about donuts?
I started at the end of last September. I had injured my back during CrossFit and didn’t know what to do with the 3 hours of extra time a day I had, so I needed a new hobby. My friend from home was also on me about how many donut pics I’d put on my regular account so I created a new one and came up with the handle randomly when walking with my sister and brother-in-law in NYC.
Do you usually go on these donut ventures yourself or do you bring a buddy?
It depends on the weekend. If it’s a Friday afternoon when people are normally in work or something on the weekend I have to get up super early for I’ll go alone, but I can typically convince someone to come with me with the promise of free donuts. They get the best pictures of the contortionist poses and double chins required to nail a donut shot.
Describe what makes the perfect donut, in your opinion.
Yeast donuts, period. Anything that isn’t dry AF and has some semblance of flavor and ideally is not cake because typically those are like eating sand. I’m not a donut purist, I can get down with some DD or Krispy Kreme so I don’t discriminate generally!
What are the top donut shops in New England?
Union Square was probably the first “fancy” donut place I’ve ever tried so it has a special place in my heart. BUT I also love PVDonuts obviously, Donut Crazy, Mrs. Murphy’s in Western MA, Knead, Confectionery Designs. The list goes on….
An assortment of goodies from PVDonuts (Providence, RI)
What donut shops are on your bucket list?
I think I just generally need to hit every donut shop in Chicago because they seem to have a lot of good ones. I have more of donut town bucket lists versus actual shops because some areas just have so many good ones. Minneapolis, Orlando, NYC, Canada. I don’t know, give me any place that has colorful donuts!
*Editor’s Note: Since our interview, Emily got to try one of Orlandough’s artistic creations (below). Check out the interview with Orlandough’s owner, Liz Doerr:
How did you celebrate National Donut Day in June?
There weren’t really any cool donut things going on around here sadly. I had high expectations for the shops but they did more of discounts for a certain number of donuts versus cool flavors. I think I went to Union Square then Lincoln for their Brunch Test Kitchen. NOTE: GUYS THIS IS YOUR HOLIDAY, IT HAPPENS 2x A YEAR, STEP UP YOUR GAME!
Tell me about the Butler County Ohio Trail!
The idea was really fun. I went with a friend who lives in Ohio. We printed the map online, but ended up using their professionally printed version. You get a stamp each time you visit a donut shop, and a t-shirt if you go to all of them. Only 10 out of 12 were open when we went though.
What do you do when you’re not eating donuts?
Mostly work honestly. But you know: normal people things, eat other foods, travel, hike, anything outdoors pretty much. I’m not exciting.
What opportunities have come from your Instagram page?
I think the biggest opportunity has been meeting new people. My roommate always laughs when she asks what I’m doing and I’m like “eh going to brunch with this person from Instagram.” Luckily no one has been a serial killer yet and only one creepy encounter. I’ve been invited to more events recently but I don’t really expect that to pick up because donuts are kind of specific and a restaurant opening doesn’t really fit with the donut theme. I highly doubt this will be something that leads to money, again because donuts are pretty specific, but I’d be down with some extra cash.
Let’s talk gear: Camera, lenses, editing software, phone apps?
No fancy gear yet, just my iPhone and the generic iPhone picture editing app.
Dead or alive, famous or not: who would you most want to share a donut with?
I think Jonathan VanNess from the new Queer Eye because he is so positive and hysterical that his general overall reaction to eating a donut would be entertaining to watch. All of the yasssss hunnies and hype girl support.
**Editor’s Note: I definitely did NOT binge-watch “the best of Jonathan Queer Eye” videos like this after our interview:
Rapid fire questions:
- Yeast vs. Cake: I despise cake donuts.
- Coffee vs. Tea: Neither! I live on seltzer. I’ll go for tea sometimes, but I’ve never had coffee in my life.
- Vanilla vs. Chocolate
- Thin Crust vs. Deep Dish: I’ve actually never tried deep dish before…
- Ranch on Anything: Yes to ranch on pizza! I hate mayo though.
- Favorite City: Sedona or Boston
- Favorite Movie: The Proposal
- Favorite Person to Follow on Instagram: Jonathan from Queer Eye or Chrissy Teigen. I appreciate how @poweredbydoughnuts gives no f!#k*s and tells it like it is. I also enjoy following @familyfooddude.
What’s one thing you’re grateful for in the past 6 months and one thing you’re looking forward to in the next 6 months?
I’m grateful for the people I’ve met over the past year and the fun trips I’ve been on. I’m looking forward to getting a vacation, I need some time off haha.
Anything else you’d like to add?
I think if you’re starting an Instagram account don’t be afraid to reach out to people and ask general questions or questions about something from their page that you’ve noticed you’ve liked. The best people I’ve met from Instagram are the people I’ve annoyed the most, and most people are super willing to help. And I’ll plug Laurel Greenfield’s awesome food art, because come on, those artichokes she paints are everything!
