By Crissy Pascual

Go ahead, treat yourself to a donut this Friday, June 5, in honor of National Donut Day. But if you want that treat to be something special, consider a custom-made donut from Donut Den in east Petaluma, where the donuts are almost too beautiful to eat.

Somanea Ou (pronounced you-ee) is the artist behind these creative specialty donuts. The wife of shop owner Long Pen, she started to decorate donuts a year ago when a customer ordered Hello Kitty designs on donuts. They turned out great and, she said, “It went viral!”

Ou said she had always wanted to draw on donuts because she loves art and drawing. In Cambodia, she trained as an aesthetician. She loves the beauty in little things and thought, if nail designing can be beautiful, why not donuts?

Her custom donuts can be ordered for special occasions. "Every time a customer orders a special request, I'm so excited because it's what I want to do," said Ou, laughing and clapping her hands together. "I love it – the reaction to my donuts."

Before she started creating artsy donuts, Ou was busy caring for her sons, especially her youngest, Logan, now 7. In 2022, Logan was diagnosed with brain cancer. He went through treatment in San Diego where she stayed with him for a few months. He is better now, Ou said.

It was after they returned from San Diego that Ou began drawing on donuts. She looked at pictures and envisioned the possibilities. Now, she has a catalog with different designs. Some donuts that she calls "fancy" she likes to place alone in a special box. She pictures the recipient opening it like a jewelry box from Tiffany's.