I did have dreams of playing in the NFL. I tried out with the Vikings, who I’ve always been a huge fan of, a few years back but unfortunately didn’t make it on the squad. Definitely fun while it lasted though.

Thank you! She enjoys it, but the donuts can be overwhelming at times. She just loves the free food when it comes around. And, of course, there will be donuts.

I’ve always loved them, but it started as an “obsession” when I moved closer to the city a couple years ago and was fascinated by the amount of shops there were near me.

Just like I mentioned, my Instagram page grew into a food account when I moved closer to the city and I was trying out all the new donut shops and restaurants around. Donuts are a comfort food to me; I love all the simple and even crazy flavor combinations out there.

#TheDonutWalk started a while back when I would take Instagram stories of me (my feet) walking into a donut shop. Since I went to so many, I wanted it to be suspenseful so my viewers never knew where I was going at that time. I started using the hashtag and now I’ve gained a bit of a following which is awesome to see!

Such a difficult question depending on the donut, but it’s got to have the right texture, first off. Light and fluffy for raised donuts, moist for cake donuts, crispy edges with tender insides for Old Fashioneds. From there it needs to have the right balance of sweet and savory. A good texture always is a plus for me as well. 

I celebrated National Donut by going to about 5 different shops and eating a lot more donuts than I thought. 

Top donuts:

3. Mojo Monkey Donuts’ “PB Banana Nutella Buttercream” — PB & Banana Filling, Nutella Buttercream Topping, Toasted House-made Marshmallow

2. Cardigan Donuts’ “Almond Mounded Joy” — Coconut Old Fashioned, Coconut Glaze, Chocolate Icing, Roasted Almonds

1. Angel Food Bakery’s “Fireside” — Pumpkin Whipped Cream Filling, Pumpkin Spice Glaze, Toasted Maple Meringue and Candied Pecans

St. Paul:

• Mojo Monkey Donuts
• Mucci’s Italian

Minihaha/Lake Nokomis:

• Mel-O-Glaze Bakery
• A Baker’s Wife Pastry Shop

Downtown MPLS:

• Cardigan Donuts
• Angel Food Bakery 

Northeast MPLS:

• Sleepy V’s
• Sarah Jane’s Bakery

Uptown:

• Glam Doll Donuts
• Bogarts Doughnuts

Chicago donuts are great and I always love trying them when I’m around. My favorite place that always deserves a visit is Do-Rite Donuts. They offer a good variety and are executed flawlessly. My favorites are the Red Velvet Coconut Cake, Cinnamon Old Fashioned, Blueberry Crumb Cake, and Cream Cheese Danish. I could probably just list the entire menu!

Number 1 is definitely PVDonuts (Rhode Island). I’ve heard so many amazing things about their place that I would book a flight just to go there. Also on my list is Sidecar Doughnuts (Santa Monica), Doughnut Plant (NYC), The Doughnut Project (NYC), The Salty Donut (Miami). The list goes on but I’ll stop there.

*Editor’s Note: Check out all submissions for top donut shops across the country in this “Best Of” list.

I am a Sales Engineer in the factory automation industry. Lots of traveling around the state with high technology products.

I’ve made friends, met chefs, bakers and restaurant owners, been invited to try new menu items, big events, openings, pre-openings and so much more. I don’t make any money with what I’m doing besides the free food from time-to-time, but I do plan on creating my own website where I can post my donut and food reviews. 

Nothing fancy, just an iPhone 7 Plus. Believe it or not, I usually only use the Instagram filtering software and rely more on natural light and Portrait mode to get the best shots possible.

Since I’ve grown up a sports fanatic, I’d say my childhood sports hero, Michael Jordan. We could talk sports, business (Air Jordan) and even food.

• Yeast vs. Cake (Yeast)
• Coffee vs. Tea (Coffee)
• Vanilla vs. Chocolate (Vanilla ice cream, but for everything else…chocolate)
• Ranch on Anything (No!)
• Thin Crust vs. Deep Dish (Thin Crust)
• Favorite City to Visit (Austin, TX or Chicago IL)
• Favorite Movie (Lord of the Rings)

I’m grateful for how motivated I am to go on runs and workout at the gym for the amount of donuts I review.

One thing I’m looking forward to is my wedding day in February when I get to marry the woman of my dreams.

Go Bison! (It’s an NDSU thing)

*Editor’s Note: A few days after our interview, Zach announced that he’ll be co-hosting the 1st-annual Twin Cities Donut Brawl along with @alexlodner and @secondharvestheartland. I’m plugging the event for him!

The Brawl will take place on September 30 from 11-2 at @parallel.mn in Minneapolis, featuring local donut shops and bakeries competing to become Donut Champs. Sample donuts and vote for your favorites while enjoying unlimited coffee from Parallel. Learn more at @tcdonutbrawl’s page.