By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
This is a big week for Firefly Café and Creperie proprietor Charell Estby:
Construction is done for her soon-to-open restaurant on the northeast corner of California/Genesee on the north edge of THe Junction.
She’s awaiting plumbing and electrical inspections.
And as soon as those are passed, she can get ready for the final hurdle: The health inspection.
Otherwise, Firefly is ready to take flight. The menu’s even up (top photo) – sweet, savory, build-your-own, and a sizable portion of vegan/gluten-free offerings – but it’s more than crepes:
Firefly first came to light back in June. Its road to reality has generated, among other things, a thick folder of paperwork, including specs from all the different types of equipment they’ve needed – Charell is a first-time restaurateur.
When we visited this week, she and her family were working busily on a variety of fronts. Daughter Shay (below right, with Charell) is part of the team:
The cozy corner shop, in a space that hasn’t been open to the public since Divina was there a few years back, will have most of its dine-in seating in a back room that is set up with a cozy living-room feel – even the fireplace you can see in the photo of Charell and Shay. Art will grace the walls – and Charell’s working on a program to offer space to local student artists who’ll be free to sell it without Firefly taking a cut.
Elsewhere, rustic furniture lends character (treasures found on Craigslist, Charell confides). And they’re continuing to practice, from crepes to coffee.
Along with the crepes, other offerings include soup and salad. The coffee is Zoka; the tea is TeaSource; Wine Country non-alcoholic sodas are on the menu (see it here) as well. Charell says she’s worked hard to find local suppliers, “as close to West Seattle as possible,” for ingredients – such as Wheatless in Seattle, and Hot Cakes’ vegan caramel sauce.
For the vegan/gluten-free offerings, Charell is proud that they have perfected recipes so that those crepes are both. Read the menu’s details, and you’ll see nut cheese, cashew cream, tempeh. There’s even a healthy homage to Elvis – “The King,” with banana, sun butter, vegan chocolate, and cashew cream. (What? No bacon? Just kidding.)
She’s also proud of what they’ve learned along the way in terms of the process – patience, in particular: “Every step of the way.”
What’s next? Once they get word Firefly has passed the plumbing/electrical inspections, and the subsequent health inspection, they’ll have a very low-key soft open, and if that goes well, they’ll open up the following day. Charell is certain that’ll happen before month’s end.
And once they’re up and running smoothly, there’s something else she wants to add to the menu of what Firefly will be known for – monthly volunteer events. Plans are already in the works for another way to give to the community — donating any food that would otherwise go to waste, to Food Lifeline, for redistribution via the White Center (South Delridge) Salvation Army center.
When Firefly Café and Creperie does open, its hours will be 6 am-8 pm Mondays-Thursdays, 6 am-10 pm Fridays, 7 am-10 pm Saturdays, 8 am-6 pm Sundays. You can watch for updates on the Firefly Facebook page, here.
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