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 Seattle native, 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.
“Food and medicine are not two different things: they are the front and back of one body. Chemically grown vegetables may be eaten for food, but they cannot be used as medicine.”
― Masanobu Fukuoka
Our “Terpene To Table” principles are what guides us to our ingredient choices and the way we prepare our food. Plants, which can feed us and the animals we consume, contain a group of overlooked gems called Phytochemicals. Today, scientists are finding and explaining the benefits of phytochemicals to the human body. Long before doctors would prescribe a pill for what ailed us, healers and herbalists made it their business to know about the health protective and healing properties of wild and cultivated plants.
Not only do our crops act as preventive medicine, they also possess inherent biochemistry to resist pests and pathogens. Phytochemical levels will be wildly different between crops, how a crop is grown and what you eat will determine how many will be in your diet.
Often referred to as plant “secondary metabolites” phytochemicals are compounds plants produce that are unnecessary for the creation of a new generation. Plants can make it to the finish line no matter the quantity of phytochemicals it produces, but is it healthy?
“As above, so below, as within, so without, as the universe, so the soul…”
― Hermes Trismegistus
Phytochemicals fall into several major groups. Polyphenols, Carotenoids, Glucosinolates, and Terpenes. Studies have shown certain Phytochemicals having beneficial impacts to long term health. Food crops grown with inorganic salts, loaded with nitrogen, and sprayed with biocides may produce enough biomass to fill your stomach; it doesn't nourish your body and leaves you dependent on pills and supplements to lead a healthy life. Flavonoids and Terpenes are the easiest indicator to detect in quality produce, these phytochemicals are easily detectable by our senses. Our general rule of thumb is if it smells loud it's likely grown in a method which promotes phytochemical production. This is why we are a “Terpene to Table” restaurant.
Herbs that smell like hay, tomatoes that taste like water, and olive oils that have no or one flavor have no space in our kitchen. It doesnt matter if a farm is certified organic or if they are located within some arbitrary line of locality. We support those that care for the food they produce, not just the volume. We show respect for their hard work by processing our food in ways that maintain the nutritive quality of the ingredients, Sharp knives so that we don't unnecessarily rupture cells causing increased oxidation, using seasoning that has been tested to contain the lowest or zero heavy metals, and fermenting to help unlock the phytochemicals embedded in plant fibers. Gut health is another side to this, we rely on our gut microbiota to unlock these health benefits.