Julia’s on Queen Anne Ave N is closing, and soon to be in its place is the new emmer&rye from chef and owner Seth Caswell, formerly the chef at Stumbling Goat Bistro, set to open next month. I was planning to wait to post this until the manager from Julia’s returned my phone call, but as of this weekend it appears the news is out. Julia’s will be closing its Queen Anne location on Wednesday, January 20, though there are no current plans to close any of their other area locations in Capitol Hill, Wallingford and Issaquah. The seasonally and locally focused emmer&rye hopes to open on Monday, February 1.

I had the opportunity to chat with Caswell last week about his hopes for the new restaurant.

“For those that followed me in the past and ate my food, know that I’m a huge proponent for supporting local agriculture,” said Caswell, who serves on a number of local nonprofit boards that work to network farms and chefs, including the Seattle Chefs Collaborative, of which he is the president. “With that I’ve developed my tag-line for the restaurant, which is the food is ’seasonally inspired, locally derived.’ And that kind of defines the cuisine.”

The name, emmer&rye, is an homage to local farms, like Bluebird Grain Farms in Winthrop, Washington, that grows both organic grains. Rye is also a nod to the rising cocktail culture – In addition to offering organic, locally-grown, season dishes, emmer&rye will serve 15 different kinds of rye whiskey.

“In my world, the cuisine is seasonal. Some people call that new American cuisine, but my style of cooking draws on lots of different culture,” Caswell said. “What’s available dictates the menu.”

Although Caswell says the experience won’t be “upscale,” it will “fine dining.”. He’s extended the menu from that at Stumbling Goat, where the small kitchen meant there was only space for five entrees and five appetizers. The 100-year-old Victorian house currently home to Julia’s has a much larger set up that will allow Caswell to offer around eight entrees and appetizers each in sizes that “will encourage sharing.”

“A table of four could ostensibly go and order off the whole menu and have a variety of different tastes and try different dishes for a reasonable amount of money – we’re looking at a $35 check average,” he said.

And although Julia’s will no longer be on the hill, Caswell says they will be retaining some of the staff, including manager Dina, while the rest will have the option to transfer to one of Julia’s other locations or move on. “It’s not like we’re putting people on the street after the holidays,” he said.

In the meantime, Caswell is excited to open up in Queen Anne, a neighborhood he thinks will nurture his locally grown ambitions well.

“I anticipate a lot – I mean a lot – of interaction with the Queen Anne Farmers Market,” he said. “I am what they call a farmers market junkie. I go to markets all over and i love to talk to the farmers…being just a block away from the Queen Anne Farmers Market is just a real, real treat for me.”

Caswell plans on opening emmer&rye in phases, marked by the floors of the building. The first floor and main dining area will open first, seating 70 with full restaurant and drink service, but no bar. The second phase will see the opening of the bar, deck, patio and upper level seating in the summer. The top level of the building, which could seat 80-100, Caswell hopes to use for special events and private dining in the future. Once the main a la carte restaurant is up and running, he may even use this space to resume his Tuesday Night Dinner series.

“Given that there’s the availability in the house, I will still offer small dinners either on request or with set menus for people to do in groups of anywhere from ten to twenty,” he said. But for now his first priority is opening a community restaurant with a local vision. “Opening a neighborhood joint is important to me. It’s something you can tailor more specifically to what the people are looking for and i know that with dining trends people are eating healthier, whole foods – not the store – but healthier, more unaltered foods.”

You can check out Caswell’s sample menu here. One of his favorite vegetables happens to be my namesake – chard – a dish he’s promised me will be on the menu.