2 days ago
New doughnut cafe in Pierce County may soon have a wine bar and charcuterie
A new doughnut shop is coming to downtown Gig Harbor.
Fusion Donut Café will open its doors at the Peninsula Shopping Center in the next two weeks, according to Shamika David, who co-owns the business with Alberto Pena. Former co-owner Esequiel Lopez is moving on to another opportunity, but is assisting with the cafe's interior design, David said.
The business's existing location in downtown Tacoma is a coffee-and-doughnut-cafe from 6 a.m.-4 p.m. seven days a week, and a 21+ cocktail lounge after 4 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, according to its website. Fusion's second location in Gig Harbor will add to a limited market of sweet, fluffy pastries nearby: Besides Milkvue Handcrafted Donuts + Coffee, which features its own cast of flavors and a selection of mochi doughnuts in Point Fosdick Square, local doughnut spots in Gig Harbor are slim.
' ... we're really excited because we don't see anything similar in the area,' David told The News Tribune. 'So we're really excited to bring our product to Gig Harbor, because we're really proud of it.'
Plans to redevelop the Peninsula Shopping Center at 3003 Judson St. and bring in a new grocery store have fallen through in recent years, The News Tribune reported. Regional chain Town & Country Markets expressed interest but later decided to withdraw, a company representative told a reporter in July 2022.
Global fitness company Club Pilates also plans to open a Gig Harbor location at Peninsula Shopping Center in June 2025, according to the business's website.
Fusion's cafe-plus-bar model in Tacoma came from a desire to meet the community's needs on the front and back ends of their day, David told The News Tribune. It's a 'fusing' of two kinds of experiences: 'starting your day off on a happy note with a sweet treat and specialty coffee' from PNW-based roaster Dancing Goats Coffee, and 'unwinding after a long day' with friends, family and coworkers over shareable small plates and handcrafted cocktails, per their website.
For now, their Gig Harbor location will focus on the coffee-and-doughnuts part and will close every day at 4 p.m. But David said that once they get a feel for running the morning cafe and understand the needs of their customers in Gig Harbor, they're thinking of adding an evening wine bar and charcuterie. Ideally, they'll add their evening offerings within the next month and a half, according to David.
What's special about Fusion's doughnuts? David said they bake all of their doughnuts fresh daily — they'll have to bake twice as many to supply their Gig Harbor location — and make all of their frostings and most of their fillings in-house. The texture is 'extremely soft, like croissant dough,' due to a special treatment they give their dough, David said.
Some customer favorites from their Tacoma location include the guava, strawberry or mango-filled doughnuts; their pistachio cream doughnut; and a matcha doughnut 'that sells out every day,' according to David. Their maple bar, Boston cream and old fashioned doughnut staples are also popular, as are their apple fritters, sold alongside some more unique fritter flavors like lemon and banana.
Their matcha drinks also do well, coming in several original recipes including toasted coconut, strawberry shortcake and banana bliss. Their 'white chocolate pistachio mocha is always popular, hot or cold,' David said.
David told The News Tribune they've appreciated the support from the Gig Harbor community, both from residents and neighboring businesses, as they prepare to move into their new space.
'We couldn't ask for a better community to be a part of ... we've been very fortunate in that way,' David said.
