I had the Orlandough name reserved as a blog. Originally, it was meant as a lifestyle blog, but I don’t like enough things for that!

I’ve always loved baking. Growing up, I tried to make all the recipes from the Mrs. Fields cookbook. More recently, I found the best donut shops across the country through donut cookbooks. 

I used to work at Pop Parlour making handcrafted popsicles. The owner really encouraged me to experiment and come up with new flavors.

I like to use Pinterest for ideas. I’ll also base my donuts off of coffee flavors or from other items at my pop-up events.

My mom had me baking at young age. I remember baking chocolate chip cookies and watching the Food Network during my childhood.

I studied business and just graduated with my MBA. I used to be a bookkeeper, quit my full-time job in March, and interned at PVDonuts in Providence for a month. I learned how to make the BEST brioche donuts there.

So yes, Orlandough is a full-time venture now! Currently, I run pop-up’s all over the city. I’m actually trying to find a retail space these days.

S’mores or the Italian toasted meringue. Anything with Oreos or Nutella are popular too.

My business partner makes amazing vanilla cakes topped with my donuts, but those are more for custom orders. The floral flavor donuts are popular too with all the pastel colors.

The monthly beer pairing events are always fun. I usually make around 400 mini donuts, and that’s a ton to decorate! It’s a lot of work, but I get to meet and interact with customers — and get free beer! I actually got the idea from Glazed Donut Works in Dallas.

Oh man, there have been times where I’ve completely forgotten an order…one time, my mom had to help set-up a pop-up while I finished an order. She’s the sweetest.

There was another time I made jam-filled donuts. I make them by hand with a pastry bag because the machines are expensive. Needless to say, I had a little mishap and ended up with jam all over my apartment floor.

Bad donuts are made by a machine where no one handles the dough. I look for a thinner glaze, made from scratch, and one that’s not overly sugary.

I prefer brioche-style for the dough itself. Brioche has a much higher consistency of butter, and it has to sit more to form a donut shape. In my regular donuts I use a little water for a lighter texture with a nice crumb.

• Blackbird Doughnuts — The owner is really cool.
• Union Square Donuts

• Do-Rite Donuts
• Doughnut Vault

Donut Crazy CT, although they’ve definitely been inspired by PVDonuts’ flavors.

• Doughnut Project — I just love their flavors.
• Doughnut Plant
• Dough
• Underwest Donuts

• District Donut & Coffee Bar in New Orleans (@districtdonuts)
• A few in Houston, like Lee’s Fried Chicken & Donuts
• So many in California
• Top Dup Donuts in Australia

I was a featured vendor at the Orlando Museum of Art’s Florida Prize of Contemporary Art Preview Party.

I created a donut hole tower and coconut donut to pair with a Cuban artist’s work.

I like to stay active. I have a dog, so I take him to the park all the time. I like to cook recipes from Smitten Kitchen and watch the Handmaid’s Tale.

Funny story there…I first found Steven through the Instagram Explorer section and started following him. I posted about going to Chicago specifically to get this attention, and he offered to show me around the city. I hadn’t met anyone on Instagram before, so this was kind of a big deal for me.

The first night I was there with my mom, we walked past Firecakes on the way to dinner and saw him. I asked my mom if I should say hi even though we didn’t have plans to meet up until the next day. I ended up awkwardly saying hi and he didn’t recognize me at all!

If you watch Steven’s Instagram stories, you would think he’d be sarcastic and outgoing in person. He was quieter than I expected, but he does open up once you get him talking. We ended up having a great time in Chicago. Two or three months later, Steven came to Orlando and I took him on a donut tour. Then we met up in Boston and Providence. It’s been a fun friendship, even though he loves to troll me online.

I used to take photos with older iPhones, and Steven loves to make fun of me for that! I have a DSLR, but I don’t have a good idea of how to use it.

I did hire a photographer to capture pictures from a recent event, but otherwise I just use the new iPhone.

I would love to be in Cardi B’s presence. She’s got that no f’s given attitude. I also want a neon sign that says OKURRR in my future shop.

• Yeast vs. Cake
• Coffee vs. Tea
• Vanilla vs. Chocolate
• Thin Crust vs. Deep Dish
• Ranch on Anything: I used to think I hated ranch and mayo until someone gave me an aioli. I don’t like ketchup though.
• Favorite City to Visit: NYC
• Favorite Movie: Love Actually; The Holiday; Lord of the Rings

I’m grateful for my mom. She lives an hour away from me and drives to every single event for support. She even stays after my pop-up events to clean my kitchen!

I’m also grateful for finishing school and quitting my “regular” job this year. 

I’m very much looking forward to opening my shop in the near future.

If anyone knows of a good retail space open in Orlando, let me know!