What's Your Deal?: Rachael Cholak

I must admit, I didn't use the nominations sheet when deciding who to interview this week. I've wanted to interview Rachael Cholak '18 for some time now.Earlier in the semester, Winnie Fan told me about someone known around campus as "The Donut Queen." Rachael created the Brown Donut Club, has a donut tattoo, wears donut-inspired clothing (and accessories, including a sparkly donut backpack), and according to Winnie, is "probably concentrating in donut science."Unfortunately, that last bit is just rumor. But let me tell you, this girl LOVES donuts.When I walked into the SciLi lobby for our interview, she was easy to spot, all smiles and bubblegum pink hair. Before we began, she gave me a KNEAD donut. The chocolate confection was the perfect bite on a blustery Providence day.This girl isn't messing around. She really does live and breathe donut.Editor's note: We chose to use the "donut" spelling instead of "doughnut." Rachael's blog opts for this spelling, and after scouring the interwebs, we have decided to follow suit! Would love to see some arguments in the comments here, though. So, I have to know, how did you fall into this donut hole? I always really liked donuts growing up. But my real obsession started four years ago, when my dad opened a new restaurant called Mike’s Donuts and Chicken in Wisconsin. It’s the coolest place ever. I call it my heaven on earth. I was constantly surrounded by donuts there, and thus, my obsession was born.Is there a big donut culture in Wisconsin?100%. The cyclops was created there.The cyclops?Yes! The cyclops is a yeast ring with the hole kept in it. You push the hole down, and in that little crevice is a dollop of buttercream.Wow, that sounds delicious. So, Rachael, Blog heard that you're concentrating in donuts. Is that true?Oh my gosh, I wish! I wish that was an Independent Study. I’m actually doing Theater Arts and Performance Studies, on the Writing for Performance track. I’ve definitely involved donuts in all my studies, though. Like, I’ve done a capstone on donuts. I've written sketches about donuts, too.Wow, a donut capstone. Can you tell me about that?Yes! It was called the Donut Queen Podcast. I talked to people who have struggled with their relationship with food, people who use food, like me, as a creative outlet, people who love to cook, and people who just love to go out and find new places to eat.I really love writing for social media and engaging customers and viewers. This year, I consistently write for my donut blog. I get inspiration because I’m in Mike’s Donuts all the time. If I can’t sleep, I’ll go in at 2:00 a.m. and create new donuts.So cool that you make your own donuts. Can you tell us the craziest one you've made? Or one of your favorites?My first "famous" donut that Thrillist reposted was the Nacho Donut. Thrillist also came in and did a viral video on our Girl Scout cookie donut, which I created.I think I've seen that Thrillist video!Awesome. Buzzfeed also wrote a little thing on us, NowThis did a viral video of our Chicken and Donut appetizer, and Spoon University came in and did a viral video on our donut pizza, which my friend and I created.Can you tell me about the Brown Donut Club?Yes! I am the founder and Presidonut. (lol)Brown officially recognized us the fall of my junior year, and the whole idea behind the club is to connect with people on campus you wouldn't usually meet, through donuts.We also work with local donut shops, and we're currently working with RI Food Fights. We have a discount code for a Donut Passport that allows you to get one donut at nineteen different places. Basically, you can eat your way through Rhode Island! We created a map that helps you find all the local places.Is it true you have a donut tattoo?It’s true. I have two donuts tattooed on me. I got them two years ago. There’s a long story that goes with it.Okay, we have to know at least the condensed version.So basically, the tattoo artist messed up and did the tattoo upside down. After, my dad said, "Give it to me messed up," so he got it put on messed up, too. We kept looking at it and said, "We should probably fix this," so we got a mirror image. So now it’s donut illuminati hands! Wait, so you’re saying your dad has that, too?Yes, we have matching ones! To make meaning out of it, we painted the nails on the bottom purple, so those are like my hands and those on the top are his, because I’m like his little protégé.I love that. A bit of a turn here, but what is your very favorite donut?Ever? Or in Providence?Ever.Okay, my favorite donut EVER would have to be the apple crisp donut at Mike’s Donuts and Chicken. It's a cream cheese based buttercream donut with homemade apple crisp and caramel. It’s so good but we don’t have it all that often because it’s seasonal. So my favorite often one would be the cinnamon toast crunch cyclops, which is amazing.Wow. That sounds delish. What's the best place for donuts in Providence?PVDonuts is my favorite for brioche. Their brioche is so good. And then KNEAD donuts is my favorite for old fashioned. It definitely depends on what I’m feeling that day – dense or light. I have moods.I definitely get that. Okay, in your opinion, what's the most underrated thing about donuts? Why should we care about them?You should care about them because you can eat them for a meal. Everyone says donuts are going to die eventually like cupcakes did, but I really don’t think so. You can justify eating it as your breakfast. There are so many things you can do with it. You can even make it into a sandwich or something.It seems like you have a really good eye for food trends. Can you tell me about an early memory you have that involves food?When I was little, my dad would travel so he could do research for his restaurants. I would tag along because while my brother would always want McDonald’s for every meal, I actually wanted to check out new places and new food. We would go to different cites and check out what was hot there, what was happening. My dad is so good at looking at a city and seeing what they’re doing, what’s trending, what’s gonna be the next big thing. So I learned from him.Do you think you’ll be into this donut lifestyle and remain a Donut Queen going into your career? And during life after Brown?I hope that my job next year involves food. That’s the goal. And down the line, I want to open my own shop called the Donut Queen, hopefully in LA. That’s the real dream. This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. Images via Rachael Cholak '18 and Allison Gordon '19.