Poverty Bay Cafe reopens in Federal Way

Poverty Bay Cafe, also known as Federal Way’s living room, is back open for business.

In 2021, the cafe was donated by former owners Dan and Alice Olmstead to FUSION Transitional Housing. The Olmsteads are the owners of Poverty Bay Coffee Company, which is served at the cafe.

The cafe, at 1108 S. 322nd Place, closed in 2021 due to staffing shortages and quietly reopened in March.

“It was a very soft opening,” said David Harrison, FUSION’s executive director. “We turned the lights on and unlocked the door and people found us. People have definitely been missing Poverty Bay Cafe in Federal Way.”

Labor shortages due to COVID placed a strain on the cafe two years ago, but the closure allowed the business to regroup and come back stronger, Harrison said. The local nonprofit has plans to add a job skills training program for people experiencing homelessness, along with offering its cafe services.

“Now we have a lot of well-qualified staff,” he added.

A new addition to the nine-person staff is general manager Cody Adams. The Kirkland native has 10 years of experience in cooking from fast food to fine dining gigs. Trained at the former Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Seattle, Adams spent the past three years as a cook at Microsoft and began his own bakery business during the pandemic.

“I had to come in and basically open this place from scratch,” Adams said of the cafe’s operations. After a few years with a job that didn’t encourage creativity in cooking, “I feel that passion coming back.”

Cody Adams is the new general manager at Poverty Bay Cafe. The cafe reopened for business on March 27. Olivia Sullivan / Federal Way Mirror

Adams and his two brothers were raised by a single mother, he said, and their family received support from community programs such as Northwest Harvest during childhood.

To be managing a cafe that also has a mission of helping families in need is a large part of why he took the role, Adams said.

With the incoming job skills training program, Adams said he’s eager to give back to the community and that he loves teaching others how to cook.

“It makes a huge difference,” said Adams, who lives in Auburn with his fiance. “You’re building up the workforce from the community.”

Adams said his goal is for the cafe to leave a positive impact on everyone who comes in, from the food to the hospitality.

“People have been waiting for this place to open,” he said, noting the large parties who have already visited and regulars who have returned. “It feels like we’re on the right path to where we want to be again.”

For now, Poverty Bay Cafe’s menu is simple with some longtime favorites still available, such as the biscuits and gravy (with the gravy made from scratch) or the Reuben sandwich. Muffins, cookies and other treats created with Adams’ original recipes are also available. In time, the menu will expand to satisfy the customers’ appetites.

FUSION owns over 20 homes in Federal Way and Northeast Tacoma to house families transitioning out of homelessness. The nonprofit also operates the cafe’s neighboring storefront, FUSION Decor Boutique, and the Pete Andersen FUSION Family Center emergency shelter serving approximately 400 individuals annually.

Harrison said since the cafe’s reopening, the boutique next door has also seen an increase in customer traffic and sales, of which support FUSION’s programs and initiatives.

“FUSION has taken a good position in the community on being a thought leader on homelessness,” Harrison said.

On May 9, FUSION is hosting its first fundraising luncheon with speaker Gregg Colburn delivering the keynote address. Colburn is an assistant professor of real estate University of Washington’s College of Built Environments. He holds a PhD and an MSW from the University of Minnesota and an MBA from Northwestern University.

Colburn is a member of the National Alliance to End Homelessness Research Council and is a co-faculty lead of the University of Washington’s Homelessness Research Initiative. The luncheon is free of charge and open to all, held at the Twin Lakes Golf and Country Club.

Later this summer, the annual FUSION gala is set for Aug. 2 at the Dumas Bay Centre in Federal Way.

To purchase Poverty Bay coffee and other products, visit povertybay.com. To learn more about FUSION or register for upcoming events, visit fusionfederalway.org.

Poverty Bay Cafe is open from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday. In May, the cafe will be open seven days a week.