Meet Donna Chan, the owner of Puffy Pandy in the White Center neighborhood of Seattle. Donna found her pastry beginnings at Macadons, a macaron-centered café that started as a pop-up. Donna then opened Puffy Pandy, her own panda-themed dessert café in the heart of White Center. Puffy Pandy serves adorable cream puffs, macarons, and puddings offered in a variety of flavors ranging from strawberry and cookies ‘n’ cream to ube and durian. Get to know more about Donna and Puffy Pandy in this week’s Business Spotlight Q&A.
Not sure what to try first? Order the mini cream puff flight to get a taste of six different flavors!
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
What’s your favorite part about the community your business is in & why?
Our favorite part of being in the White Center neighborhood is the diversity and the wonderful community. We have the sweetest and most supportive neighbors.
Why is it important to you and your business that people #SpendLikeItMatters?
It is incredibly important to learn about new businesses because each small business has a unique story following its dreams and passions. It is a tough but rewarding journey and should be celebrated with the support of intentional customers.
As a business owner, what’s the strangest or craziest idea you’ve ever tried?
We decided to renovate our storefront mostly ourselves. Lots of blood sweat and tears to build our space to exactly how we want it.
We have also had some fun experimental soup flavor ice cream flavors such as Crawfish Corn Chowder and pho ice cream :p
What’s something your customers may not know about you or your business?
I started making desserts 10 years ago with my mom, which quickly turned into an addiction to baking. I had a career in healthcare prior to this hobby, but in 2018, I had a health scare that changed my life. I realized I was overworking and finally had the courage to quit my 9 to 5 to pursue entrepreneurship full-time. I started a business that focused on macarons and ice cream and had a little shop in White Center for a few years. Fast forward to 2021 when I realized I wanted to create more variety of desserts and started Puffy Pandy as a new project
What are some of your favorite local businesses and why?
We have wonderful businesses in the neighborhood!
Anything else you’d like us to know about you and your business?
Puffy Pandy is a panda-themed dessert café in White Center, Seattle that offers a unique selection of desserts with a focus on Asian-inspired flavors. We are known for our cream puffs which we call “puffys” and the original home of the warm ice cream puffy. This space was created to share our experimental creations while providing a fun experience for the whole family.