Shawn Mull has been involved with ɫ restaurants for years.
Claire Mull, center, is flanked by her parents, Brandi and Shawn Mull.
Now Shawn and his daughter Claire Mull are striking out on their own to open Blackbox Sandwiches in ɫ. The restaurant will open at 510-A S. Sterling St., next to Hannah’s Wash Dry Fold.
Some folks may remember Shawn at Friday Friends and as the manager of the deli at Food Matters. Claire, who is a pastry chef, was known as Claire the Baker.
Macaroons are one of Claire Mull’s specialties and will be sold at Blackbox Sandwiches.
Blackbox Sandwiches will combine the talents of the father and daughter to offer sandwiches made from deli meats and in-house roast beef and chicken, Claire said.
This homemade sourdough English muffin holds a fried egg, thick-cut bacon, chipotle aioli and a chive and white cheddar cheese. It’s one of the items that could be sold at Blackbox Sandwiches.
“My dad and I both have been in the restaurant industry for a long time. He’s been in it forever. I’ve been in it for over a decade,” Claire said. “And we love cooking, we love food, and we just really enjoy sandwiches. It’s something that he’s kind of always been into, either sandwiches or burgers, tacos, kind of easy handheld foods. And we decided that it’s better to focus on one thing that you do really well. So instead of trying to do a whole slew of options, we focused on sandwiches.”
People are also reading…
The two haven’t firmed up their menu, but it won’t just feature meat sandwiches, Claire said.
“So we are curating the menu now,” she said. “We’re probably going to have around eight signature sandwiches, and we’re going to have some good vegetarian options, really strong, bold flavors. And our goal is definitely quality over quantity. So we’re going to support local produce and seasonal produce and adjust our menu based on what’s available.”
Shawn Mull works on a piece of equipment inside what will be his and his daughter Claire’s eatery, Blackbox Sandwiches, in ɫ.
For vegetarians, the two are playing around with a couple ideas right now, Claire said, such as slow-roasted and braised kale and spiced paneer, which is a non-melting Indian cheese.
“So we’re not 100% on that yet, but those are two of the ideas that we’re playing around with right now,” she said.
Given her background as a pastry chef, the restaurant will offer desserts. Claire’s specialty is macaroons, but she also does cakes, creme brûlée, tiramisu and patisserie shop items.
The restaurant will have tables and seating at the bar inside as well as some outside seating.
This is the sign for Blackbox Sandwiches in ɫ. It will open in a building adjacent to Hannah’s Wash Dry Fold.
In addition, the eatery will offer beer and wine, Claire said.
She said they have been doing some construction and painting inside the location.
Claire Mull, standing behind the ladder, works on the inside to get Blackbox Sandwiches ready to open. The goal is to open in late August or early September.
“We’re really excited to get things rolling,” Claire said. “I mean, we’re both really passionate about food in general, and we also love the community. I moved away to Seattle for a couple years, but I came back to get this going with him (Shawn).”
The pair is shooting for a late-August or early September opening. Claire said the restaurant will be open from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and may add Sundays later on.
