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
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.
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).
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!
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.
Spend time with my family, play golf and watch sports.
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.
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.
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!
- Doughnut Time in Australia. My friend went and took pictures for me.
- Momo’s Donuts in Sherman, TX
- Gourdough’s in Austin, TX
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!
