Yeah, you read that right. When David Norman Lewis first reached out to us about his unique approach to marketing, we were already intrigued, but then we got this gem of an article. Who doesn't like a good story about horror PLUS a donut?!
-Tasha
Anybody seen those “$ Reward If Found $” posters all around town? Those mysterious
scavenger-hunt-esque posters are from the new Seattle history horror novel The Golden
Basement by David Norman Lewis. But it’s not just a novel! Author David Norman Lewis and
Moon Village Bakery owner Miles Stanberry have a much more ambitious project cooking, or
rather, baking.
An unlikely partnership brings a sweet twist to the reading experience.
David Lewis: It’s a donut adaptation. Like a movie adaptation, but a donut.
Who is this pastry provider? Miles Stanberry at Moon Village Bakery has created a unique way
to showcase local artists’ work by adapting them into pastries.
Miles Stanberry: Doing music, writing, acting, and filmmaking gave me the skills to
translate any artform into pastry.
Most in the arts community see DALL-E and ChatGPT as the two fists ready to pound them out
of their last two pennies but baker Miles Stanberry is stunningly unworried.
Miles Stanberry: Whenever artists complain about their industry getting automated, I’m
like, “Bakers had to deal with all this crap seventy years ago.” Remember the neon
Wonder Bread sign in the Central District? That was our ChatGPT. That’s why bakers
know how to deal with this. You need to build up personal relationships with actual
people.
The donut creation for The Golden Basement is a very fitting way to begin the Baked In service;
in the shape of a globe and with mixed-berry filling, the donut encapsulates that idea of a
cultural melting pot.
Miles Stanberry: Moon Village Bakery is all about multiracial, but local. A lot of the
people who are signed up for our bread subscriptions are really into art and understand
the importance of community, so the audience is already there. If Moon Village is already
your main source for great bread and pastries, why not have it also be your main source
for great books, albums, and jewelry?
The author is pleased with it.
David Lewis: Moon Village really got the flavor of the novel down. This is exactly what I
imagined The Golden Basement tasting like. It’s such a global donut. You bite through an
atmosphere of icing into a soft earth of cake, then dig around in a subterranean world of
berries.
The Golden Basement is a very Seattle book. It is set in the 1990s but the historical references
go back to at least the 1890s and probably earlier. All of these experiences, like growing up on
the cusp of Seattle in a small island town (an experience I’ve had) are completely authentic. A
lot of local appreciation. The history and emotion behind classic Seattle iconography, such as
the Horiuchi mural under the Space Needle and the image of huge storage containers along the
water in Elliott Bay are highlighted by these sheltered characters.
Miles Stanberry: The book calls the Horiuchi mural at the Seattle Center a “reverse x-ray”
that lets you see surfaces. That really stuck with me because when collaborating with
Seattle artists you always have to deal with these weird ideas of what they think they’re
like “deep down.” They’re all like, “What are you talking about? This isn’t the real me! Me
three years ago—that was the real me!” When you’re alive you’re alive the entire time.
People think the surface version of themselves is less real, but it’s just as real. That’s
why the donut has a super thin layer of blue-green moringa leaf icing. It’s thin and
surface level, but it still has a super strong lung-full-of-oxygen flavor.
Miles Stanberry: The cake part is really old school neighborhood donut shop. It’s all
natural but still sweet and fatty, like your grandma would make. It’s perfect for the novel’s
old school Seattle neighborhood characters. You bite deeper into it and you get a ghostly
taste of hibiscus which—like the characters—makes you realize there’s more going on
than you thought.
You may be wondering what exactly this donut means in the context of The Golden Basement.
After finishing this book, it is clear an incredible amount of thought was put into every part of the
pastry. The iconography of the globe is seen on the cover, but within the novel you’ll find there’s
meaning beneath the surface. The story follows Evan July as he tries to escape his abusive
father’s underground compound beneath Seattle. He’s very aware of everything he’s missing
out on from the outside world; he fantasizes during commercials about a domestic life his family
will never have. Even though Evan is one of the best treated of his father’s many children, that
small amount of decency he receives from him is only on the condition of Evan operating alien
machinery for his father’s plan to eventually flee the planet.
Miles Stanberry: Evan in the novel is always trying to get out of the earth’s crust and up
to the surface. So if you ate the donut from the bottom up you would live through his
struggle and then get that brief bite of fresh air. We call the filling fruit
punch—strawberry, cherries, mulberries, and blackberries in hibiscus syrup with a little
tapioca. It’s why every bite tastes different.
When I first bit into this donut, I wasn’t told what the exact filling was. It’s sour and sweet with a
floral undertone that adds a layer of complexity. The mixed berry blend may seem overwhelming
on paper, but each fruit comes through in a satisfying way. This isn’t a donut you pound down in
a couple of bites; this donut requires your time and it’s oh so worth it. The sky-blue icing was
deliciously sticky and sweet, making the split down the middle a nice break to focus on the soft
dough itself.
David Lewis: The mixed berry filling is the only part I’m not totally happy with, since it
sorta gives away the ending. It’s a delicious spoiler, but still a spoiler.
Who would’ve thought a donut could spoil a book? If you’re in the mood for a tasty coming-of-
age sci-fi novel, check out The Golden Basement and Moon Village Bakery’s accompanying
donut.
David Lewis: I’m amazed by how much the icing tastes like blue sky. If you licked it with
your eyes closed you would think you were licking the last day of school before summer
vacation.
The order form for Baked In is available here. The Golden Basement as a stand-alone is
available here. Moon Village Bakery is located at 7418 South 126th St., Seattle, WA and open
from Tuesday through Thursday.
Article written by: Emma Morgan-Mueller
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