With humble beginnings as a coffee stand at Hudson’s farmers’ market, Hudson Roastery is now one of the city’s most popular cafés and Columbia County’s only roaster—and that has everything to do with Carolyn Palmieri and Tony Calderone, and their hands-on approach to coffee and community connection.
It all began back in 2020, when Palmieri and Calderone, who had experience in the fashion and food industries, respectively, dreamed about merging their backgrounds into a new venture. “Let’s do coffee,” they decided.
As newcomers to retail coffee, the couple focused on what they knew best: their own tastes. They sourced smooth, rich, organic beans and worked with a smallbatch roaster to develop four signature blends, which they sold at the farmers’ market throughout 2020. They filled the 8-ounce bags themselves in a makeshift packaging center: their home kitchen.
Surprised and humbled by a large following, they began selling online and wholesale, and then made the leap to a brick-and-mortar space in 2021, when they leased a former dance studio on Hudson’s picturesque Park Place and transformed it into a cozy café, serving both coffee and wine (by the glass and bottle), along with a handful of breakfast and lunch offerings.
The café’s next chapter revealed itself when the space next door became vacant. Six months of thoughtful renovations during 2024 created what you see today: a beautiful corner location divided by an upcycled factory wall and a stunning sheet of repurposed glass that once graced Rockefeller Center. One side of the glass is comfy seating with great views of historic Warren Street; the other is the Roasting Room, an impressive space with high ceilings, exposed brick, and The Joper, a mighty double-walled small-batch drum roaster from Portugal. In a respectful nod to the region, nine small-batch, organic varieties, sourced from Brazil, Colombia, Ethiopia, Nicaragua, and Peru, are roasted weekly and named for local legends and landmarks, such as Henry Hudson, Rip Van Winkle, Catskill Campfire, and Hudson Opera House.
On weekends, the Roasting Room hosts intimate coffee tastings and the Coffee Story podcast, in which Calderone chats with patrons about their memorable coffee experiences. It’s all part of the couple’s focus on community and connection. “Hudson’s always been a place where people create. We wanted to continue that while offering customers a quality experience in great surroundings,” he explains.
To complement your cuppa, the kitchen churns out all-day breakfast options, from light and easy smoked salmon on toasted Pullman to heartier Belgian waffles with fresh fruit compote. For the lunchtime crowd, the fresh lobster roll is the local favorite, though creative salads, sandwiches, and shrimp cocktail tempt as well. In addition, the pastry display is a thing of wonder, stacked high with just-baked goodies from several upmarket suppliers.
Hudson Roastery has no Wi-Fi, a deliberate move to encourage human interaction; the bar stools, benches, and booths are serviced by baristas who greet most patrons (and their pooches) by name. Palmieri, a floral design hobbyist, brings bursts of color to each table with her daily bouquets, and the warm lighting and rustic décor create a cozy kitchen vibe that’s a long way from the roastery’s early days as an outdoor market stand. Notes Palmieri: “Our grassroots beginnings served us well, and we’re grateful to continue this journey with a supportive community.”
