I grew up just outside of Salt Lake City, UT. All my family still lives there. I came to Texas for school in 2008, loved it, and decided to make it my home. I’ve got 2 kids, Max (8) and Vivian (6). They love donuts nearly as much as I do. I started taking them to donut shops when they were infants. At that time, when they would wake up at 5 am, there weren’t many places open besides donut shops, so we’d go and start our mornings there. Now my kids would never let me skip a Donut Saturday.

I attribute my donut love to my mom. I remember her taking us kids to the local grocery store every Friday night. They would discount their donuts to $1 a dozen, simply because they were throwing them out anyways if they didn’t sell. We thought that was magical. We ate until we were sick, but it instilled in me an undying loved for fried dough.

Gotta start with the basic glazed donut. Perfect softness and chew, with the right amount of oil and sugar. Great donuts are often the least complex.

I started food writing about 8 years ago. I got a lucky break with D Magazine. The restaurant critic and editor at the time saw an article I wrote on my dinky little personal blog (I called it Deep in the Gut of Texas…I got like 5 hits a year). I guess she liked it and contacted me and asked me if I’d be interested in doing some freelance work. Ever since then, I’ve been writing about food in all sorts of publications.

I’m a dermatologist in my non-foodie life. It’s funny, the people I know through food are generally surprised to hear I’m a doctor as well. And the people I meet through my practice or medicine are surprised to hear I’m also a food writer.

• Daily sunscreen in the morning (I like Neutrogena Healthy Defense)
• Glytone Brightening Complex nightly if you’re looking for an exfoliant
• A mild retinoid like Adapalene nightly for wrinkle repair
• A good moisturizer nightly like Cerave PM

Mostly the usual restaurant openings, menu previews, etc. I make a little with my writing gigs. But what’s most meaningful to me are the friends I’ve made through all of this. My best friends in the world are chefs and food writers. And I genuinely love helping small businesses, if only in some small way, get the attention from the public they deserve.

I’m truly a novice with photography. I’ve learned a few tricks along the way, but I just use a Canon Rebel and do most my editing on my Mac or simply with Instagram. I’m too impatient to dive much deeper into all that.

I published a big list for D Magazine of the Five Best Doughnuts in Dallas. It’s something I’ve done for about 3 years now and I love writing that article.

Dallas-Fort Worth:

Earnest Donuts in Lewisville is still consistently my favorite. Newcomer, Detour Donuts in Frisco is doing some really fantastic things, too. They’re now in my top 3. And Hypnotic does things right. I’ve been a fan of theirs since the days the owner (James St. Peter) was selling wacky donuts out of the back of a van in random parking lots across the city.

Assortment from Hypnotic Donuts (Dallas, TX)

Stack of croissant donuts from Earnest Donuts (Lewisville, TX)

Tray of fresh donuts from Dough Boy Donuts (Fort Worth, TX)

Best ever?

Greetings from the Windy City! Absolutely love this city. The donut scene is top notch here. First stop is @doritedonuts for their stellar apple fritter, old fashioned, pistachio Meyer lemon, and raisin yeast raised. Shout out to @poweredbydoughnuts for his Chicago donut expertise.

128 Likes, 11 Comments – Daniel Walker (@daniel_eating_dallas) on Instagram: “Greetings from the Windy City! Absolutely love this city. The donut scene is top notch here. First…”

V excited to be in Portland, OR for the weekend with my bro and sis. We’ve got a full food schedule, but of course, @bluestardonuts was first on the agenda. Simply fantastic donuts. Personal favs include passionfruit/cocoa nibs, pear lavender fritter (swoon!), and blueberry/basil. Dudes, I’m in heaven. #donuts

150 Likes, 17 Comments – Daniel Walker (@daniel_eating_dallas) on Instagram: “V excited to be in Portland, OR for the weekend with my bro and sis. We’ve got a full food…”

*Editor’s Note: Check out the top donut shops across the country according to people’s choice.

Really it’s just all of LA/Southern California. I haven’t really done much donut exploring there, and I know I’ve done myself a huge disservice.

*Editor’s note: Check out the donut expert interview with @thedukeofdonuts for all things LA.

People ask me all the time, “Dan, what’s the most underrated bbq joint in Dallas?” All the time. Like every day. Well here’s your answer people: @theslowbone. And I’ll tell you why. Their meats are top notch, but their sides really seal the deal. The brussel-flower casserole is a must. Also, get the fried chicken and sprinkle some chicken skin on the mac and cheese…because CLEAN EATING!

218 Likes, 17 Comments – Daniel Walker (@daniel_eating_dallas) on Instagram: “People ask me all the time, “Dan, what’s the most underrated bbq joint in Dallas?” All the time….”

When the first Saturday of the month rolls around, my mind automatically thinks @cattleackbbq. Lines are long, but it’s worth every second. Saturdays are whole hog on special, but their pork ribs truly may be the best I’ve had in Texas. And that’s no exaggeration. #txmonthlytop50

119 Likes, 8 Comments – Daniel Walker (@daniel_eating_dallas) on Instagram: “When the first Saturday of the month rolls around, my mind automatically thinks @cattleackbbq….”

Thom Yorke of Radiohead. He may hate donuts. I wouldn’t care. I’m hanging out with Thom Yorke. Life = made.

• Yeast vs. Cake
• Coffee vs. Tea: I’m going with milk!
• Vanilla vs. Chocolate
• Ranch on Anything? No.
• Thin Crust vs. Deep Dish
• Favorite City to Visit: There’s really no place on earth like NYC. 
• Favorite Movie: Tough one. I’d have to say The Godfather.
• Instagram account you’re loving right now: The people at Zoli’s (@zolisnypizza) are killing it. Best Insta in town.

This year I’m squeezing in a Disneyland/LA trip and SLC trip.

Grateful for my siblings. It sounds cheesy, but this whole food thing has made us closer. We meet up in various cities and do food tours. It’s an insane amount of fun and makes us better siblings. In the next 6 months I’m looking forward to traveling to some new places…New Orleans for the first time, Portland, ME, and Asheville, NC.

I wish more people in this world made crullers. Is it a lost art? If more people knew the greatness of @dailyprov crullers (maple, cinnamon sugar, and strawberry pictured here), the world would be a better place. One of the best bites so far. #newyorkcity

127 Likes, 9 Comments – Daniel Walker (@daniel_eating_dallas) on Instagram: “I wish more people in this world made crullers. Is it a lost art? If more people knew the greatness…”