Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar is back, with a new chef and a focus on comfort and shellfish

When Washington State residents were ordered to stay at home to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Joe Rumberger found himself in limbo.

Rumberger, then working at Bar Melusine in Seattle, had been hired as chef at Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar in Olympia. With restaurants limited to doing takeout and delivery only, both Melusine and Chelsea, like many other restaurants, closed.

He’d already signed a lease in Olympia, so he moved in mid-April with no idea of when he might get to work in the Chelsea kitchen, but the owners called him not long after, and the oyster bar reopened April 23 with a menu focused on comfort food.

The menu came together, Rumberger said, “through much deliberation and not a lot of time.”

“It’s simple, comforting, hearty food that’s going to make people happy and hopefully help them forget about everything that’s going on right now — for a few minutes, anyway,” he told The Olympian. “We’re trying to figure out a way to give you an authentic Chelsea Farms experience at home.”

“It has classic comfort foods like pizza and sandwiches, because it really feels like that’s what people are gravitating toward,” said Amilia Forsberg, the restaurant’s manager.

But customers also can get oysters and clams; wine, beer and cocktails; and a couple of meal kits than can be reheated at home.

Rumberger is particularly excited about the braised pork shoulder kit, which comes with Dijon mashed potatoes and cornbread.

“It’s been cooked for six hours already,” he said, “so all you have to do is warm it up, and it’s fall-apart-in-your-mouth delicious.”

The chef is excited about what he can offer when the restaurant is allowed to reopen for table service.

“We’ll always be a very shellfish-forward establishment,” he said. “I got a chance to go out to the farm yesterday and see some geoduck harvesting.

“My vision is hyper-seasonal Pacific Northwest food,” he added. “‘What grows together goes together’ is a philosophy that I try to live by.”

Chelsea Farms Oyster Bar

• Where: 222 Capitol Way N., Olympia
• Current hours: 1-7 p.m. Wednesday-Saturday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday
• Want some? Order and pay online or by phone for pickup or delivery within a six-mile radius ($5 for orders of $40 or more)
• More information: 360-915-7784, http://www.chelseafarms.net/oyster-bar