MEET KATIE

Katie represents the New England donut scene. Born in Long Island and currently living in Boston, Katie covers all things donuts under the Instagram handle @eatsbykatie. You can also call her the unofficial brand ambassador for Blackbird Doughnuts.

Check out our fun Q&A session below, and stay tuned for future interviews each Wednesday.

I’m originally from Long Island, New York. I went to the University of Pittsburgh and majored in Non-Fictional Writing and Communications, a Journalism-esque major. I started writing about food in college and became the Editor in Chief for Her Campus, an online magazine for female college students, my junior year. After graduating in 2016, I moved to Boston where my older sister lives.

I worked for Her Campus headquarters for a year and a half after college. After that, I helped run social media for a restaurant group that owned nine restaurants. Just recently, I got a LinkedIn message from a local social media agency. They actually reached out for a job offer because of my Instagram account. I ended up taking a leap of faith to join the agency and I love it! I mostly manage clients in the hospitality industry.

My love of food really grew in college, and continued to grow when I started working for Her Campus after graduation.

My love of donuts started in Pittsburgh with Peace, Love & Little Donuts. I discovered it with my roommate during orientation week of my freshmen year. I loved it so much that I would take visitors there. My Dad even ordered six or seven dozen mini donuts every year for my birthday, and I kind of became known for donuts through that.

When I moved to Boston, my sister introduced me to Blackbird Doughnuts, and the rest is history!

I started in December when I moved to Boston. I feel like NYC is too big of a food city to conquer. Boston is just right.

Such a hard question to answer! It definitely has to be soft, not crumbly or dry. I prefer sweet dough, and the icing needs to taste fresh.

I truly think there’s room for all the donut shops in Boston because each one caters to a different audience.

There’s Blackbird Doughnuts, of course, which has a denser dough. I prefer their cake donuts and Boston Creme. The owner is so sweet too! She made me a donut cake when I reached 1,500 followers, totally unsolicited.

Union Square Donuts: They’ve got a great Maple Bacon and Sea Salt Caramel donut.

Kane’s Donuts: I would describe them as gourmet, basically Dunkin’ Donuts on steroids! I just tried Kane’s for the first time and loved their honey dip signature.

Other cities:

  1. NYC: Doughnut Plant’s PB&J is amazing!
  2. Colorado: Voodoo Doughnuts
  3. Atlanta: Revolution Doughnuts
  4. Philly: Federal Donuts, which I tried last summer.

*Editor’s Note: Vote for your favorite donut shop across the country here.

Five Daughter’s Bakery in Nashville!

I celebrated at Blackbird before work. I’m usually a chocolate girl, but I celebrated with their Lemon Poppy donut. Perfect for my 20 minute walk to the office.

Apart from my new job, I’ve met a few other Boston food bloggers. I haven’t been invited to a ton of media events yet, but I just started emailing a few local restaurants for collabs and giveaways. Many have been receptive to working together.

I have a DSLR, but I only use my iPhone 8+ for Instagram pics. I prefer natural light. For editing, I use VSCO, Snapseed, and even Facetune! @bostonfoodjournal actually recommended I use it to remove straws and other random objects.

I’d say Chrissy Teigen because she’s hysterical.

I’m an outdoorsy girl so I like to explore the city, walk everywhere, check out flea markets, and go hiking. I also love to read and have gotten into poetry lately. If you’re looking for a good poetry read, try Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur.

  • Yeast vs. Cake
  • Coffee vs. Tea
  • Vanilla vs. Chocolate
  • Ranch on Anything: If I’m drunk, I’ll put ranch on pizza.
  • Thin Crust vs. Deep Dish: Neither! I prefer NY-style pizza.
  • Favorite City to Visit: Denver because I have a bunch of friends who live there.
  • Favorite Movie: Harry Potter
  • Instagram account you’re loving right now: @stillcutedough for her quality pics and witty captions. I also turn to @bostonfoodies for restaurant recs.

I’m grateful for my family. My grandparents passed away recently and they would be happy to see all of the opportunities that have come from my Instagram account.

I’m looking forward to the new routine with my new job. I mostly work from home, but I may look into a co-working space like We Work. Now I have more creative freedom for my own blog too.

 

So I’m about to get personal, but I don’t usually open up like this and am really trying to feel and express myself rather than closing off so quick. Bear with me! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ The past few months have been tough. My grandma Mammy passed away in October, and my Poppy followed unexpectedly just three months later. While I know they are meant to be together, I miss my personal cheerleaders, the two people who always supported and encouraged me. Since they passed I started this account and a new career in the food industry… I wish every day that they were here to share these exciting ventures with me, as they loved my love for food more than anyone. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Mammy and Poppy always said “you’re so delicious” as a form of endearment. When I did something funny, when they’d kiss me goodbye, it always came with a you’re so delicious. Today, and every day, I plan to live my life as if it’s one big delicious meal. Every moment with friends, family, at restaurants, eating donuts, traveling – it should all be savored. Never stop appreciating those moments and people, ever. 🖤

A post shared by Katie Piscopio | Boston (@eatsbykatie) on

 

I love getting recommendations from other people on where to eat. Don’t be afraid to message me on Instagram!

Katie with Kane's Donuts in Boston
Katie at Kane's Donuts (Boston, MA)