Business Spotlight: Pimienta Bistro

Meet Blanca Rodriguez, the owner of Latin fusion restaurant Pimienta Bistro in Federal Way, Washington. Chef Blanca grew up in Guadalajara in a family of restauranteurs who loved to entertain and had a passion for food. She took the experiences from her family and the culinary experience she garnered to open Pimienta Bistro in 2010. The...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Cafe Flora

Meet Nat Stratton-Clarke, the owner of Seattle's Cafe Flora in Madison Valley, Flora Bakehouse in Beacon Hill, and Floret in the SeaTac Airport. Since its opening in 1991, Cafe Flora has been a pioneering vegetarian restaurant at the forefront of Seattle’s local, organic, and sustainable foods movements. In 2008, then general manager Nat...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Shikorina Pastries

Meet Hana Yohannes — baker extraordinaire, Pastry Project alumna, and owner of Shikorina Pastries in Seattle's Central District. At Shikorina Pastries, Hana focuses on using organic ingredients and prioritizes working with other small businesses to make the best use of the delicious and fresh ingredients grown locally. Hana was also a part of...
  • 1

Business Spotlight: Friday Afternoon Tea

Meet Friday Elliott — Hufflepuff, synesthete, and owner of the geeky-themed tea shop Friday Afternoon Tea in Seattle's Wallingford neighborhood. Friday has had a lifelong love affair with tea and opened Friday Afternoon Tea in 2010. She also has synesthesia — a unique ability that allows her to taste words and ideas, which is especially...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Hella Happy

Meet Shannon Koyano — stand-up comedian, podcaster, mom, and owner of her gift shop Hella Happy! in Madison Valley in Seattle. Shannon's socially-conscious, eco-conscious, and unique gift boutique is on a mission to make people, well, hella happy since opening in 2019. You'll find a little something for everyone at Hella Happy! —...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Lucky Envelope Brewing

Meet Barry Chan and Raymond Kwan, owners of Lucky Envelope Brewing in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. The duo have been friends for about 15 years and run Lucky Envelope Brewing where they use traditional and not-so traditional ingredients in their beers, like lychee and even peanut butter. Before opening their award-winning brewery, Barry fell...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Watson’s Counter

Meet James Lim, lifelong Seattleite, Sounders FC super fan, and owner of Watson's Counter in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood. James opened his Korean fusion cafe in 2019 and named it after his dog, Watson. In addition to selling specialty coffee drinks, Watson's Counter offers fun Korean-inspired dishes like their KBBQ pork plate and fried chicken...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Ba Bar

Meet Teresa Nguyen, co-owner of Ba Bar in Seattle's Capitol Hill neighborhood and University Village.⁠ Teresa and her husband, Eric Banh, opened Bar Bar in 2011 to offer their creative take on Vietnamese street food as well as incredible cocktails.⁠ Some of Teresa's favorite items on the Ba Bar menu are the Phở Tái Oxtail and Mì...
  • 0

Business Spotlight: Oliver’s Twist

Photo: Kingmon Creative Meet Karuna Long, the owner of Oliver's Twist in Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood. Karuna took over Oliver's Twist in 2017 after working as a bartender there for years and has maintained the beloved neighborhood bar's signature cocktails — and added his own twists along the way. Karuna has since revamped...
  • 0