“Insulation is my livelihood, but my true passion is cooking,” said Tracy Bloom, standing in the parking lot of what he calls “Bloom Town.”
Surrounded by the buildings that he has built or renovated through the years at 149 Valley Center Place, the most recent is the Country Coffee & Grub — a drive-through and walk-up eatery in Carlsborg.
Bloom said he is one of the cooks at Country Coffee & Grub, which serves many choices of drinks and what he called “old-fashioned food”: classic American lunch and supper favorites such as hamburgers with many choices of toppings, hot dogs, french fries and milkshakes.
Breakfast choices include freshly cooked egg sandwiches, biscuits and gravy, hash-brown bars, eggs Benedict and breakfast burritos. Most breakfast choices are not served all day, because there isn’t enough room on the grill, Bloom said.
The smoothies are real, he said, made primarily from fresh fruit and Greek yogurt.
However, some other health-conscious foods, such as oatmeal and avocado toast, have already been dropped from the menu because of low popularity among the customers who have been mobbing the stand since the soft opening on May 14.
The menus are still being ironed out by observing customer’s choices, Bloom said.
He said he tells his nine person staff that “the business and the customers are talking to you — you just need to slow down and listen.”
Natalie Topham, one of the managers, said that there is another menu developing, based on customer requests. She said that she enjoys working at Country Coffee and Grub. “I love the food,” she said.
Tina Nguyen, food manager, said she loves coming to work and cooking.
“Food is my passion,” Nguyen said.”We have fresh food, we’re consistent, we’re one good team. Overall it’s a fun place to be.”
Bloom said he spent years of planning and taste-testing before setting the menu and choosing suppliers. He gave a shout-out to In Graphic Detail for their menu design. “They are absolutely fabulous.”
Drip coffee comes from Gold Feather Coffee Roasters in Port Angeles, and much of the produce, such as lettuce, tomatoes and onions, comes from Sunny Farms.
Bloom spoke enthusiastically of the antibiotic and growth-hormone free burgers. Never frozen, they “cook easy” remaining juicy. He sources them from Newport Pride Natural Beef, which delineates on its website its own high standard for “natural” beef.
“A lot of people did taste-testing before it opened,” said Dean Bailey, who helped Bloom build the stand and other buildings through the years.
The stand has a drive-up window on the east and the west side, a walk-up window and outdoor seating at the south side entrance, and a gazebo for more sit-down diners.
On a clear day, customers and staff are treated to a panoramic view of the Olympics, complete with a red barn and grazing horses, which is reproduced in the logo.
Specials this week are crispy chicken sandwich, chicken bacon ranch and spicy chicken sandwich.
Currently Country Coffee and Grub is open “7/7/7,” said Bloom: seven days a week from 7 a.m.-7 p.m.
“Bloom Town” includes in its buildings Tracy’s insulation, which he opened in 2006, the Hawaiian food truck “Da Kindz,” and Country Acre Child Care and Early Learning Center.
Bloom said that he catered his menu to kids and parents and the local community. After consulting with the families that attend Country Acre, he designed a children’s menu with affordable prices featuring such favorites as Kraft macaroni and cheese, chicken nuggets, ice cream cones and nachos.
“I’m not making any money from the kids,” he said. “Kids are our future.”
Taxes are included in the listed price, so people always know exactly how much they are spending, and if the internet goes down, they can continue to serve cash only.
Prices in general are kept low, said Bloom, as he prefers a lower prices/higher volume model, as in Tracy’s Insulation. Customer turnout reflects that.
“So far it’s working,” he said.
Country Coffee & Grub
Location: 149 Valley Center Place
Hours: Call-ahead orders: 360-683-0680
On the web: facebook.com/people/Country-Coffee-Grub/100092617417894
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen Grace Titterness smiles at the walk-up window of Country Coffee and Grub with her drink creations: Sunrise, pineberry and white peach with mango nectar, and The Thunderstorm, blue raspberry and blue caracao with coconut cold foam, topped with blue spirulina powder and a pea flower.
Sequim Gazette photo by Emily Matthiessen The Whole Pig, a popular breakfast sandwich at Country Coffee and Grub in Carlsborg, features bacon, sausage, ham, fried egg and cheese on a croissant.
In the background a local family enjoys their first lunch at Country Coffee and Grub while in the foreground a Western Bacon Cheeseburger and The Thunderstorm (blue raspberry and blue caracao and coconut cold cream with blue spirulina powder and a pea flower), wait to be consumed.
In the background a local family enjoys their first lunch at Country Coffee and Grub while in the foreground a Western Bacon Cheeseburger and The Thunderstorm (blue raspberry and blue caracao and coconut cold cream with blue spirulina powder and a pea flower), wait to be consumed.
In the background a local family enjoys their first lunch at Country Coffee and Grub while in the foreground a Western Bacon Cheeseburger and The Thunderstorm (blue raspberry and blue caracao and coconut cold cream with blue spirulina powder and a pea flower), wait to be consumed.
Sequim Gazette photos by Emily Matthiessen Tracy Bloom, center, and employees from left to right: Grace Titterness, Tina Nguyen, Natalie Topham and Jessica Topham stand in front of newly opened Country Coffee and Grub in Sequim.
Friends Natalie Topham and Tina Nguyen, both managers at Country Coffee and Grub, are ready to help customers at the walk-up window of the combination coffee stand/eatery.
