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It’s finally time for one roving sweets shop to settle down. After serving up extremely popular yeasted doughnuts over the Seattle area as a pop-up for the past two years, The Flour Box — by self-taught baker Pamela Vuong — will open a permanent spot in Hillman City. The new dessert restaurant will take the place of the departed Big Chickie at 5520 Rainier Ave S, and Vuong tells Eater Seattle that she hopes to open by spring.
Vuong has earned a loyal following with plush brioche doughnuts, but also whips up gorgeous cakes and other pastries as well. She says the new place will likewise include a variety of desserts. In addition to filled donuts, Vuong plans to offer fried-to-order beignets, pavlova, sweet and savory toasts on house-made brioche, and more. Many of the items will be inspired by her childhood, travels, and favorite memories, which will include Asian-influenced flavors and ingredients, especially. There will also be a full menu of espresso drinks on offer, with coffee provided by local roaster Anchorhead Coffee.
The Flour Box came close to securing a permanent outpost last year, with Vuong even making an announcement on Instagram that she had found a location. But when that fell through, she had to go back to the drawing board. This particular spot seems like a good match, since Vuong grew up in South Seattle and is leasing from a family-owned property that appears to support small businesses (Big Chickie provided a smooth transition after it closed last Friday). Things are also much further along that they’ve ever been, with the baker already signing a lease to the space and beginning the process of moving in, which fans can track on Instagram.
A large amount of money has already been spent up-front, but Vuong says she also plans to launch a Kickstarter in January to cover some final costs. In the meantime, she’ll put a pause on the pop-ups for now. “Much of the work will be done on our own to save money wherever we can,” says Vuong. “I will be offering donuts as part of the pledge rewards, so I hope this makes up for the lack of pop-ups.”
