Warm up beside the outdoor fireplace at new cafe with wine on tap and frosé on deck
A Buckley family will fulfill a longtime dream when they start the fireplace at Blue Rooster, a welcoming cafe designed almost explicitly for outdoor dining.
“This is how we’re going to look now, and this is how we’re going to look after,” said Sherri Gormley of the former plant nursery at 331 Highway 410, just north of the plaza with Westside Pizza and Mariachi Alegre, near the Buckley Foothills Trailhead. It joins fellow wine-focused bar Main Street Bistro.
A built-in, double-sided fireplace centers the 600-square-foot patio, where guests can relax with a hot cup of Dancing Goats coffee from Olympia-based roastery Batdorf & Bronson or a glass of Woodinville’s Alexandria Nicole Cellars wine, on tap or in bottles. The bar will also pour local wine and cider, as well as “wineritas” and the trendy frosé.
The former usually swaps white wine for tequila, forming a lower alcohol cocktail well-suited for all-day imbibing. The latter — a wine slushie, sometimes blended with liqueurs, citrus or other fruit — took the country by pink storm a few years ago, following in the footsteps of the rosé wine boom; sales of the style skyrocketed 40 percent in 2018 according to Nielsen.
Chef Derek Bugge, a longtime Seattle chef now with local distributor Harbor Foodservice, is consulting on a menu of light bites that will complement the beverages, from charcuterie boards and pretzels with beer cheese to croissant sandwiches and flatbreads. To stand out from the crowd, Gormley hopes to offer housemade pastries, such as pecan rolls, but is still seeking the right baker.
She and her husband, Mark, have been working on this project for six years. Their three daughters have also contributed their expertise to making this family dream come true.
“It’s a true family business,” said Sherri Gormley. While her husband, a tile contractor by trade, built the fireplace, daughter Rachael will handle the wine and related events, Stephanie the day-to-day operations and Jennifer overall business growth.
“We’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” said Gormley, a real estate agent of more than two decades.
She envisions Blue Rooster as a place where “people can feel a little norm,” as the pandemic continues to keep normal lives at bay. Events might include wine tastings, Christmas in July, game nights and movie screenings. Though the interior will eventually have a few tables, it’s the patio that she wants people to embrace.
In addition to being able to reserve a coveted fireside table, there is a walk-up window outside, so guests can stay outside — and avoid the to-go coffee line.
“I wanted to keep people on the patio,” said Gormley, adding that the space will be family-friendly. “You can bring your date here; you can bring your kids here.”
On Sundays, the cafe will be closed to the public but she anticipates opening it for private events.
It’s very much a multipurpose space, continued Gormley. With the Foothills trailhead across the street, it will also offer plenty of grab-and-go type options alongside retail wine and related gifts.
The name Blue Rooster pulls inspiration from Blue Heron Cheese Company in Tillamook, Ore.
“Roosters and Buckley just seemed to go,” said Gormley. It also symbolizes good luck.
BLUE ROOSTER BUCKLEY
▪ 331 Highway 410, Buckley, 360-284-4845, bluerooster.coffee
▪ Monday-Thursday 9 a.m.-7 p.m., Friday-Saturday 9 a.m.-8 p.m.
This story was originally published January 26, 2021 at 5:00 AM.