A Tampa tutoring business for young people has taken on a new identity. Hey Giant!, which opened in Seminole Heights at 6607 N. Florida Ave. in late November, serves up biscuits by day and knowledge by night.
Owners Lee Valenti and Jesse Thompson are the passionate masterminds behind Hey Giant! The couple have been educators for more than 15 years, and they established Hey Giant! — the tutoring venture — a little over two years ago. The biscuit side of Hey Giant! was born in early 2017, when Thompson and Valenti began doing weekend pop-ups to offset some of the tutoring biz's operation costs.
They'd wake up before dawn to start baking batches of their fluffy, warm biscuits from scratch, which was a once- or twice-a-month commitment at first. But it soon became clear that they needed a full-scale space.
"We work the butter and flour in by hand ourselves," according to Thompson. "When we can, we locally source our ingredients as well."
Patrons make a selection by choosing from three biscuit categories: classic, fancy and with meat. The classics include everything from the staple buttermilk biscuit to the cinnamon biscuit, while going fancy brings options like the best seller, Cheddy Guava, a Cheddar buttermilk biscuit with guava baked into the center. For those who don't want to forgo protein, Ham & Jam — a buttermilk biscuit with shredded honey ham and mango habanero jam — is a good option.
Each Saturday brings even sweeter options to the table. Between 6 and 9 p.m. during what's called "Dessert Night," Thompson and Valenti feature their usual lineup of indulgent offerings, alongside something special. Picture biscuit bread pudding and biscuit ice cream sandwiches (they teamed up with their neighbors, The Revolution Ice Cream Co., for the latter).
Thanks to profits from the biscuit house, the one-on-one and small-group tutoring services available at Hey Giant! are now free — the owners' goal all along. A group of volunteers, both current and retired educators, act as academic tutors, who undergo an application and screening process before coming on board. Along with homework help, the learning center offers writing workshops, and pursues bigger projects like Seminole Heights' Space Program and Youth Film Festival, two ideas that were difficult to launch in the past due to limited space and resources.
The biscuit house hopes to continue growing from here. Extended hours, more workshops and more funds — to show kids what being a lifelong learner is all about — are part of Valenti and Thompson's vision. However, the modest duo credits much of their success thus far to the neighborhood.
"We're kinda where we are at because of the community," Thompson said. "Everything has been positive and encouraging. It's with the support of the other local businesses in Seminole Heights, it's been with the support of our neighbors and community.
"It's been their encouragement, their support, and their word of mouth that has gotten us to where we are. They are our champions."
Hey Giant! Little Biscuits is open 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, and 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.
This article appears in Jan 11-18, 2018.