Kari Brunson and Autumn Martin celebrate reaching their fundraising goal with more than $33,000 in small loans from 178 community lenders (Image: Frankie & Jo’s)
Birds of a feather flock together.
The plan for a “plant-based” ice cream shop from two Capitol Hill-connected culinary creators will land on the backside of Pike/Pine in a new development already rich with local food and drink projects.
Frankie and Jo’s, powered by a community-funded loan campaign, is making plans to open in the massive Broadstone Infinity development on a block of E Union between 10th and 11th. The venture from Autumn Martin of Hot Cakes and Kari Brunson of Juicebox Cafe will be squeezed between Renee Erickson’s impressive triumvirate of Melusine, Bateau, and General Porpoise and Soi, which opened as the 19th and easily the most ambitious Thai restaurant in Central Seattle. A Walgreen’s pharmacy displaced by the coming-soon Whole Foods project at Broadway and Madison is also lined up to join the building. It’s an impressive array of tenants in a portion of the mixed-use project developers initially said they could not preserve.
Chocolate with mint and cocoa nib (Image: Frankie & Jo’s)
Frankie and Jo’s, meantime, will bring nut milk ice cream and fresh fruit sorbet to within feet of what some are calling Seattle’s best doughnuts at General Porpoise. The Frankie & Jo’s ice cream lineup will include deep chocolate, roasted banana tahini and peanut, toasted coconut cream pie, dreamsicle, mint chip brownie, vanilla, miso caramel and espresso. Sorbets will be “tonic-reminiscent combinations of fruits and vegetables” — bright green kale, lemongrass, ginger and lime or beet, apple and rose, Brunson told CHS in January. “Capitol Hill has been really great to both of our businesses,” she said. “We’re hoping to continue to create a small business rad concept to keep this the Hill that everybody knows.”
Alternative sweets on the Hill got a boost in the summer of 2015 when vegan all-star chef Makini Howell opened her Sugar Plum shop on 15th Ave E. While the venture has had a slow first year, Howell said she hoped to reinvigorate the project now her tour as Stevie Wonder’s road chef had wrapped.
The tiny space at 1020 E Union — and new shared restrooms — will be designed by Atelier Drome
The team had been hoping to open Frankie and Jo’s by fall. Maybe they can make a preview appearance at May’s Seattle Ice Cream Festival at Chophouse Row, just around the corner from their planned new home.
The weekend wasn’t all good news for Capitol Hill frozen treats, however.
Old School Frozen Custard announced it was closing its E Pike location:
After months of anguish and serious pondering the Stars have aligned and we are announcing this will be the final weekend for Old School. We thank the Capitol Hill neighborhood and our loyal customers for 9 great years. We are looking forward to our new adventure.
The local chain opened near 14th and E Pike in 2009. The closure comes in a continued rollback from Seattle locations for Old School. Its Fremont location closed in late 2014.
