Profile Story
Fine Dining & Donuts
From an early age, Marina Lukens, a 22-year-old from the small town of Shepherd, Michigan, dreamed of a life beyond the borders of her home state. With a passion for English, art, and connecting with people through customer service, she sought a place where her aspirations could flourish. This led her to Denton, Texas, where she now balances the demands of being a full-time student at the University of North Texas with her job at a high-end steakhouse while running a weekend back-door donut shop.
01_PROFILE_BRADLEY_2622 Marina is currently a senior majoring in English at the Univeristy of North Texas. When she is not hard at work studying, she spends her free time practicing her artwork on her iPad inside her apartment above the Denton Recycled Book Store. Denton, TX 10/31/24
02_PROFILE_BRADLEY_2665 An old weathered hat rests on the end of Marina's bedroom desk. The hat reminds her of her hometown in Michigan where she left to pursue a life in Texas. Denton, TX 10/31/2024
03_PROFILE_BRADLEY_2802 A big part of Marina's life lies within the fine dining industry. Marina begins her opening shift duties at Queenie's Steakhouse by preparing the front of the house for a large business dinner meeting. Queenie's Steakhouse, Denton TX 11/16/24
04_PROFILE_BRADLEY_2858 Plates stacked, napkins folded, and utinsils ready to be layed out, Marina preps the business meeting table set in the corner of the dining room. She delicately assigns each seat with its respective dining necessities. Queenie's Steakhouse, Denton, TX 11/16/2024
05_PROFILE_BRADLEY_1601 Queenie's front-of-house is not the only part of the restaurant that Marina helps prepare. She also helps by using her art skills to design the evenings menu for late night donuts that will be served out the back door after hours. Queenie's Steakhouse, Denton, TX 7/4/2024
06_PROFILE_BRADLEY_1623 "The Back Dough" is a staple feature of Queenie's Steakhouse, serving fresh made donuts to hungry customers in the late hours of the weekend. The neon sign rests dormantly as the sun begins to set. The Back Dough, Denton TX 11/4/24
07_PROFILE_BRADLEY_2769. Chef Zack pours the final caramel touches on the remaining batch of donuts that will be served that night. The Back Dough, Denton TX 11/16/24
10_PROFILE_BRADLEY_2988 As Marina opens up The Back Dough for business, customers wrap around the street corner to stand in line for tonights menu. The Back Dough, Denton TX 11/16/24
10_PROFILE_BRADLEY_3070 With donuts selling out fast, Marina attempts to keep up with the line of customers outside the door. She dishes up another order of the sweet potato donuts. The Back Dough, Denton TX 11/16/24
12_PROFILE_BRADLEY_1793 Wrapped in paper and served in a basket, Marina hands out the last order of donuts before closing up shop. The warm aroma of the Back Dough still lingers in the air as it wafts out the window. The Back Dough, Denton TX 11/16/2024
13_PROFILE_BRADLEY_1798 As two friends try The Back Dough for the very first time, Marina smiles with anticipation before they take their first bite. "It's always the best feeling when I see people try this for the first time," Marina states. The Back Dough, Denton TX 10/25/24