Alice Richter and Wilson Bauer opened Flour Power in a 640sq ft storefront during the height of the 2020 pandemic. The initial concept of a counter service Pasta restaurant with limited seating had to be postponed. After a quick pivot by the Chicago and Seattle natives, they were able to successfully tread water during the uncertain times and provide quality Pasta to the neighborhood at reasonable prices.
The Pandemic had changed how restaurants operated. Not having people in a dining room was mentally one of the biggest challenges faced. We couldn’t interact with our guest, there was very limited feedback, we missed the appreciation that would be received after someone had an exceptional time in our hands. We missed taking care of our guest. In the winter of 2021 we temporarily closed the doors of Flour Power to reflect on what we wanted everything to look like given the new frontier of running a restaurant post pandemic.
The spring of 2022 brought new beginnings. Vaccines had been rolled out and indoor dining was becoming more widely accepted. We had considered many options on how we would operate our restaurant after we reopened. We had many decisions to make. We knew we could no longer offer our pasta at the prices we had before our break. We were also committed to being more conscious about our ingredient choice. We had always been proud of the quality of ingredients we used. After months of reflection and connecting several dots we came to the conclusion that we needed to support agriculture and food producers that are truly excellent stewards. Our commitment to supporting farmers or artisans is stronger than ever. One of the major dots that solidified our choices was the quality that comes from products when they’re grown, raised, or produced by folks that look to improve their natural resources rather than producers that looks to just produce.
Seasonality plays a major role in what we serve. At least twice a week, during the growing seasons, we are hand selecting locally grown produce. When the ground is unable to provide for us, we lean heavily on braised meats, root vegetable, dry beans, and canned San Marzano tomatoes (we think these are the best, despite the distance they have to travel). Local is used when it’s better, we feel generally that’s the case during the growing season. Our meats are pasture raised, grass fed, generally well taken care of animals. We know the farmers that we source our meats from, and trust that it’s of some of the cleanest, most nutrient dense protein one can consume. We don’t use any seed oils or “unclean” fats. We’re conscious about ensuring every ingredient that we use is produced in a way that improves our health and the health of the environment where it’s produced, as best as possible.
It great to have guest back in the dining room. We’re slowly getting to where we thought we would be when we initially conceptualized Flour Power. We’re still trying to figure out this new culture of restaurants, and that has its challenges, but at least we’re feeding people face to face again. We’re excited to be a part of the new wave of restaurant culture. There are many changes we still want to see and we’re grateful that we have the opportunities to be a part of it all.