Meet Celeste Shaw, creator of Chaps Coffee Co. Celeste understands the power of food as it pertains to bringing the community together. She wears so many hats and she wears them all so well. She uses food to serve others, to spread love, to make people smile, and to build community. To know her is to love her.
“If you always recognize what you already have then you will be thankful and you’ll always have enough” she said sitting in her charming office space on the top floor of Chaps Coffee Co.
If you’ve lived in Spokane long enough then you have probably had an interaction with Celeste. After learning about all of her responsibilities, I vowed to never say my life is busy again. She is a trauma nurse who owns and runs Chaps, Paper and Cup, Lucky Vintage, and as if that wasn’t enough, she also does Flea Market Magazine and recently took the lead on the holiday edition of Where Women Cook Magazine, which will be distributed to 12,000,000 readers at Costco. She is a superstar.
In everything she does, she embraces and serves the community. She lives by the motto, “Live authentic and everything else follows.”
Chaps has transcended through time. They started small and grew to include their bakery, built in June 2010 when they brought in Gina from Bittersweet Bakery. They will be 12 years old this fall and they haven’t skipped a beat.
Celeste moved to Spokane from small town, farm life in Montana to study Medicine.
The story of how Chaps came to be is very intimate but it comes from the death of a loved one, the words, “I’ll meet you in heaven”, and a pair of chaps. Celeste didn’t want that idea to die, so she invested every penny in her name and opened Chaps with ZERO restaurant experience. She would work nights as a nurse then cook all day at Chaps.
They have since grown Chaps into one of the best places to eat in Spokane with 32 employees and 6 pastry chefs! If you try the maple scone, I guarantee you will want to personally thank every one of these pastry chefs. And if you didn’t know, you can find many of Chaps pastries at Paper and Cup in Kendall Yards!
The food at Chaps has gone from simple, comfort food to elaborate, beautiful dinner cuisine. The food is eye candy that tastes as good as it looks. It’s served in a charming environment by attentive and uplifting people. Celeste praises the community for their support in helping build Chaps into what it is.
Let me just say that I hear a lot about what goes on in the food scene in Spokane and I have never heard a single bad word spoken about Chaps or Celeste. There is something to be said for such positivity. I really respect her and her tenacity.
We knew Celeste had a heart of gold, but she further proved it with the support and kindness she has shown the Freeman community following the tragedy they faced last year. She continues to show support for the kids in their times of sorrow and their times of joy.
“The truth is I’m kind of a shit-show. I will spin a million plates at once but I will always catch them all while I’m riding a bike”.
As if you still didn’t believe Celeste is superwoman, she was on the Track & Field Olympic team at age 15 for the long jump.
Where do you like to eat around Spokane?
Fery’s Catering, Domini Sandwich, Ferguson’s Breakfast “because I love a small cafe”, The Scoop, Zona Blanca, Dick’s Hambugers, Scratch – Cheesecake made with Goat Cheese.
What is your favorite thing on the menu at your restaurant?
Oatmeal – It’s my grandma’s recipe.
Even the LA Times was calling for the recipe but Celeste won’t give it up. “If I give it to the world then I’ve taken something away from her. She would love that she’s known for something amazing. She’s probably up in heaven bragging to everyone”.
Hi! I'm Chandler, owner of Spokane Eats, and I think life is too short for the mediocre. Our team is here to help you discover why we fell (and continue to fall) in love with Spokane Washington!
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