Ever since Olsen & Company opened in 2017, Saugerties locals and visitors have been thrilled to have a spot like this: great fresh food and a warm welcome, a pretty place where you can grab a quick sandwich or linger over wildly delicious coffee and bask in the family vibe.
Almost a decade later, things just keep getting better. “Such a perfect cafe!” wrote a Google reviewer just a few months back. “The food was delicious. The coffee was delicious. The service was impeccable and so friendly. There are so many goodies from small businesses, and I wanted to buy them all. If I lived here, I would be frequenting this spot. Will gladly return.”
When the cafe and market changed hands on April 1, 2026, customers knew better than to fret. The business, originally opened by Olsen matriarch Marianne, her daughter Elizabeth, and her niece Janelle, wasn’t being sold to strangers who might not get it. Instead, it was being lovingly handed over to son David Olsen and his bride, Bee.
“We’d been in talks about taking over since late summer of ’25; we got married February 21st of 2026 and then officially started running it a few weeks later,” David says.
“Oh, and I’m pregnant,” Bee says. “Due around Christmas.”
“I’ve served in fine dining establishments. And I opened my own holistic nutrition counseling practice in Pittsburgh. Dave was actually one of my first clients.” – Co-owner Bee Olsen
“Only way to find new staff is to grow our own,” David deadpans.
Both new owners grew up in Saugerties, a few years apart and vaguely aware of each other’s existence. David Olsen works for GlobalFoundries up in Saratoga County as a manufacturing engineer, expert in systems efficiency; Bee did some roaming around and exploring before settling in Pittsburgh for a while, serving as program coordinator of the teaching kitchen at her local YMCA there. “I’ve worn many different hats in the restaurant and cafe space,” she says. “I’ve served in fine dining establishments. And I opened my own holistic nutrition counseling practice in Pittsburgh. Dave was actually one of my first clients.”
That may not have been a complete accident. “Her sister was dating my friend from high school; that’s how I kind of found out about her later in life,” David confesses. Regardless, the two found plenty to talk about: both were interested in holistic food and natural living. Bee had long dreamed of opening a cafe of her own one day, and David absolutely loves to cook.
Soon the distance was just too far, and Bee moved back up to Saugerties. “Things started to get more serious, and then we got engaged and I moved back up here last year to be near him,” she says. Their skill sets fit together nicely: David’s background in efficiency and computers is well suited to running the back-of-the-house business side of things, while Bee’s culinary and restaurateuring experience make her a natural fit for the day-to-day kitchen and hospitality piece. They come together for dinner service on Friday and Saturday nights. “That’s when we can get really creative,” Dave says. Bee says that her holistic nutrition background is a great fit with Olsen & Company’s vibe. “Thankfully, Dave’s family is very holistically minded as well,” she says. “The core values are a really good fit. We want to really lean into that, provide lots of healthy, yummy things for our community.”
"The core values are a really good fit. We want to really lean into that, provide lots of healthy, yummy things for our community." – Co-owner Bee Olsen
Another company tradition that the new owners love too much to change is that of collaboration. Local sourcing will continue and deepen, and so will the pop-ups with like-minded chefs.
The menu will remain diverse, with plenty of choices for cooked foods and sandwiches. Bee has shifted the eclectic coffee program to her favorite roastery and plans to stir in a slightly broader and deeper holistic nutrition perspective one tasty spoonful at a time. (On the menu now, among a long list of cozy-sounding hot beverage choices: Golden Maple Latte, made with local NY maple syrup, cinnamon, and local ghee steamed with the latte milk.)
Another company tradition that the new owners love too much to change is that of collaboration. Local sourcing will continue and deepen, and so will the pop-ups with like-minded chefs. “We just did a pop-up with Lauren from Café Joust in Catskill that came about just because we went in there to eat one day and struck up a conversation, and the food was good, and a few weeks later, she’s cooking in our kitchen,” Bee says. Dave is pleased, but not surprised, to find that his bride is a big hit with both customers and the neighboring businesses. “Everyone’s been super-supportive and welcoming, and Bee seems to have struck up friendships with the neighbors already; it’s a really great, tight-knit community,” he says. “We love being the go-to lunch or coffee spot for the neighborhood retail shops. We love it that the regulars still come, and new people keep on finding us.”
Those collaborative dinner services are a true labor of love that will only grow, perfect for a family dinner with a little date-night flair.
Those collaborative dinner services are a true labor of love that will only grow, perfect for a family dinner with a little date-night flair. And now that they’re getting the basic rhythm of the place worked out, possibilities abound: “Our kitchen is really small, but I’d still like to do some small cooking classes and maybe some holistic nutrition education focused on topics that interest the community,” Bee says. “I’ve been back a little over a year now, and I’m gradually meeting people in the holistic wellness sphere and tossing ideas around; there’s a chiropractor I love over in Red Hook, and we’ve talked about maybe doing some prenatal wellness education.”
“A friend of mine is just opening a production studio in town, and we’ve talked about maybe hosting some open mic nights for the up-and-coming young musicians,” Dave says. “And we’ve talked about a kids’ pizza night; that could be fun. We had a DJ night a couple of weeks ago, and it went well; we may do that again soon.” The new Olsens in town have a clear sense of the shop’s mission: build on the existing goodness while adding some tempting new spices, all of it driven by the customers and community they love. “We’re just getting a feel for the community and what people are interested in—learning who our customers are so we can provide value and joy,” Bee says. We just want to keep it fun, and be a place that people really enjoy.”
“We hear both sides,” Dave says. “There are people telling us, ‘Don’t you dare change the menu!’ and then there are others who say, ‘So when are you going to change the menu?’ and we love them all—they’re all family. I think we just need to be true to ourselves and trust that we know good food and balanced menus, and have faith that if we just send it and stay true to those core values, people will be up for trying something new once in a while.”
Olsen & Company
11 Jane Street, Suite B, Saugerties
845-247-7189, olsenandcompany.com
