MEET BRYAN
We’re back in Florida for the next donut expert! Meet Bryan from @donutbragger. He’s a family man who’s eaten a lot of donuts across the country. Whenever he travels for work, he’s sure to sample the local donut scene (and treat his clients too). Back in Miami, you can find him at Chef Max Santiago’s pop-up’s and events.
Sad to say, but this is the last Q&A in the series! Who should I interview next?
Expert: Bryan Weinstein
@donutbragger | South Florida
More Donut Expert Interviews
Tell me a little bit about yourself.
I have been married to my wife Alana (a.k.a Mrs Donutbragger) for 13 years and have two crazy kids, a boy and a girl. Myles is 4 and he is more savory then sweet, but will never say no to a trip to the donut shop. Colbi is 8 and loves sweets just like me, but she has Celiac’s so I am always on the hunt for gluten-free donuts.
I am the VP and Chief Compliance Officer for Call 4 Health, a healthcare call center that works with healthcare organizations. We focus on assisting them with processing their inbound and outbound phone calls so they can focus on taking care of their patients. I travel around the world visiting clients and I always bring donuts from a local donut shop in their area. This has been happening for as long as I can remember, about 20 years. I didn’t start taking pictures and posting about them until about 4-5 years ago.
When did your love of donuts start? Any nostalgic donut memories?
My love for donuts has been for a long time now. I have always had a sweet tooth dating back to my early childhood. When Dunkin’ Donuts actually made donuts in the store and Michael Vale was on TV saying “time to make the donuts” in their commercials. I no longer eat donuts from Dunkin’.
When did you start blogging about donuts? Why @donutbragger?
I started Instagramming and posting about donuts on social media four years ago when my wife said, “Okay, I think it’s time to separate the donuts from your personal account.” It was right after I attended the first annual Donuts! Fest in Miami. We started looking at names and she came up with Donutbragger. I tend to gravitate towards Instagram, but I know how important it is to post on all social media outlets including my own blog (which I need to get back to).
Do you prefer filming videos or taking photos of donuts?
I prefer taking photos and short videos. However, I have been getting into video editing. I manage my daughter’s YouTube channel (ColbSTAR Life) and all of her content. She can also be found on all social media outlets. Sorry for the shameless plug, she is a rockstar!
Describe what makes the perfect donut, in your opinion.
This question is always asked of me and it’s a difficult one: there are several categories and factors that go into the perfect donut, but I am going to go with what makes the perfect old fashioned glazed donut. It has to have a golden crisp and not too oily. It has to have the perfect crunch that you can break off each of the ends, leaving the crunchy center for last (which I may or may not dunk into my iced coffee). The glaze has to be light, not sticky, just enough to satisfy my sweet craving. Locally, Jupiter Donuts does it just right and if you’re lucky they will have a chocolate old fashioned. Nationally, Greenbush Bakery in Madison, Wisconsin has the best old fashioneds out there. They even have cherry which is hands down the most delicious.
What do you do when you’re not eating donuts?
Spend time with my family, play golf and watch sports.
What opportunities have come from your Instagram account?
I do have plans to monetize, but not yet. I’m still building my following. I have a nice following on Instagram, but my other platforms aren’t nearly as popular. I get a lot of opportunities to go to events for free, free apparel, and free donuts, of course, which is always nice. I have made so many foodie friends through Donutbragger, which is great.
My friend and fellow donut aficionado, The Duke of Donuts, is one of my favorite pages. Also, one of my great friends, Chef Michael Saperstein, has a few restaurants like Rebel House in Boca Raton. I got to promote his savory ricotta donut on the brunch menu. He is also always on the lookout for new donut spots and I usually bring back a donut from when I travel.
Let’s talk gear: Camera, lenses, editing software, phone apps?
My gear consists of my iPhone X and my Osmo mobile that I use mostly when recording video. It comes with an awesome app that creates content using the pictures and videos taken.
I use my MacBook Pro to edit my videos as well. One thing I very rarely do is filter my photos. Everything is real and genuine.
Tell me about the donut eating contest you hosted on National Donut Day. How did you first get in touch with Chef Max Santiago to collaborate?
Chef Max and I have been communicating for awhile now since he was at The Salty Donut. I have always followed his journey because his donuts are so delicious and no one can ever top his brioche. He invites me to all his events and he is a standup dude.
For National Donut Day, I reached out to Max and Burger Beast for a donut eating contest at the grand opening of his burger museum. They were all for it as long as it was tasteful and high-class.
Photo credit: @baconarts
Max made a special bacon twice-fried donut creation (never been done before) that was insane! There were 6 decadent donuts that had to be consumed in under 5 minutes. There were 5 contenders, including myself, and I was the only one to finish. I finished in 4 min and 40 seconds.
It was tough and I took a break from donuts for 36 hours after. I was tempted by Jupiter Donuts when I went to their grand opening and they had a donut eating contest as well. I had to decline, but I ended up judging instead.
Tell me about the South Beach Mango Fest, also with Chef Max.
The Mango Festival was very cool. Max brought his A game and made some insane mango donut creations:
What are the top donut shops in your experience?
South Florida:
- Nani’s Dough (Delray Beach, FL)
- Mojo Donuts & Fried Chicken (Miami, FL)
- Parlour Vegan Bakery (Plantation & East Boca, FL)
- The Salty Donut (Miami, FL)
Other Cities:
- Donut Bar (San Diego, CA)
- The Doughnut Project (NYC)
- Dominique Ansel Bakery, creator of the Cronut™ (NYC & LA)
- Firecakes (Chicago, IL)
- The Glass Knife (Winter Park, FL)
- Diablo Doughnuts: I have my own donut there called the BDubs Toasted (Baltimore, MD)
September 2018: For National Bourbon Heritage Month, The Doughnut Project teamed up with Kentucky’s Four Roses Bourbon for a limited-time doughnut. Photo courtesy of The Doughnut Project.
The infamous Cronut from Dominique Ansel Bakery.
*Editor’s Note: Check out the top donut shops across the country according to the people!
What donut shops are on your bucket list?
- Doughnut Time in Australia. My friend went and took pictures for me.
- Momo’s Donuts in Sherman, TX
- Gourdough’s in Austin, TX
Dead or alive, famous or not: who would you most want to share a donut with?
This one is easy: Anthony Bourdain. He actually followed me on Twitter early on, which was a major highlight for me.
- Yeast vs. Cake
- Vanilla vs. Chocolate
- Ranch on Anything? I love ranch dressing on most things. One of my favorite shops, Diablo Doughnuts, created an everything donut using ranch seasonings for the glaze. It was amazing!
- Thin Crust vs. Deep Dish
- Favorite City to Visit: NYC. So many donut shops.
- Favorite Movie: Outside Providence or Goodfellas.
- Instagram account you’re loving right now: Besides @donutdigest, @foodbabyny is someone that I love to follow right now.
I’m grateful for my loving family that puts up with me needing to go to at least one donut shop whenever we travel. I am looking forward to going to the grand opening of Max’s donut shop next year.
*Editor’s Note: Here’s a sneak peek of the menu from Mad Max Doughnuts. Photography credit: Anthony Nader from 52Chefs.com.
Read more from the Miami New Times.
Are you sad the Donut Expert series is over? Should I interview pastry chefs and donut shop owners next? Let me know below!
