Alex Hoffman and his wife, Maria Barca, are bringing a family approach to their upstate cafe.
Together, they operate Folsom Point Provisions at 45278 state Route 30 in Margaretville. Hoffman said Folsom Point took shape after the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I’m originally from Brooklyn, born and raised, and we’ve been coming to the Catskills since 2017 but are now up here full time, about five years,” Hoffman said. “I was a super for an apartment complex in Brooklyn and, after COVID, got tired of the city and the craziness and wanted a break. That’s when we moved up here full-time and the cafe, where it’s located, I had to drive past. It was closed down for about five years and, every time, I would drive by and think about ‘What could be there? Could I do something?’”
Hoffman said he started small, with handmade bagels.
“I had no background in cafe ownership, but I learned about it for the year before I got this property,” he said. “That first year I taught myself to make bagels — boiling them, baking them — and did a full year of that. It was too much, too time consuming, for me and my family, so we switched to See & Be Kitchen, a bakery from Cairo, and that helped a lot. Then we could change up the menu to breakfast and lunch and be more flexible.”
Since launching, Hoffman said, Folsom Point’s menu has continued evolving, always emphasizing quality ingredients.
“This is our third year and, this summer, we started a little beer garden and included local burgers,” he said, adding that meat is sourced from Hubbell Meats, organic eggs from Davis Farm, milk from Fleischmanns and coffee from Heavy Feather Roasting in Mount Tremper. “Everything we use is 100% organic and, if we can’t get organic, we don’t use it, because that’s the way me and my family eat.
“We do all-organic, cold-pressed juices and organic smoothies,” Hoffman continued. “And a lot of our stuff is small batch, fresh every day. We whip up stuff and really focus on the ingredients and the freshness and the easiness of the menu — it’s nothing too crazy. The smoothies are literally banana, mango, spinach, blueberry, almond butter no syrups or sugars. We’re doing what we eat at home, and it was a hard sell in the beginning.”
Customer favorites, Hoffman said, have included the hamburgers and signature breakfast items.
“We do have breakfast all day,” he said. “The Clovis is a staple and has been on the menu the French toast is really great and we use a croissant bread a lot of it is egg-based, but the new BLT on the croissant bread is really great. Those are three or four (items) that move every day and move quickly.
“It comes in waves, and that’s why we try to adjust,” Hoffman continued. “We add new items every month or so, because we get bored, but the ones that stay on the menu move pretty quickly. For vegans and vegetarians and gluten-free, we offer a tofu burrito and we just did a chickpea salad sandwich. We do specials and some pop-ups, (such as) a taco weekend party and pierogi parties.”
Customers, Hoffman said, are saying “it’s great, this is amazing, it’s perfect.”
“We’re not in town, we’re just outside of town, so you have to drive here, and there are people that have been driving past for years and never stopped, because they always thought it was closed, so we get some surprises every day,” he said. “We get people from Andes and Roxbury just for breakfast, but our local customers we do really appreciate and they come back on the weekends with their families and friends, and it’s not just a pit stop.
“(The clientele) is pretty local now, and we have a good crew of older women that come in and meet up with friends,” Hoffman continued. “On the weekend, it’s chaotic and every which way — kids, families — but, mid-week, it’s locals and people that live here full-time and older women and gentlemen and they appreciate that it’s not overpriced and crap and that it’s cooked to order and fresh. They can taste that.”
Hoffman said he hopes to continue expanding offerings while prioritizing approach.
“We’re just trying to stay open as much as we can and do more outside stuff in the summer and have some good parties and change up the menu,” he said. “In the not-so-far future, we might be opening a juice bar in the neighborhood, so be on the lookout for that — more of juice on demand and acai bowls and smoothies — but for here, we’re just going to try to bring new stuff to the menu and keep it fresh in a great atmosphere.
“We’re just trying to have a great place to hang out, off the beaten path,” Hoffman continued. “We’ve made friends with the other cafes — Watershed Cafe, Mornings, Marguerite’s — and we all support each other. It’s very neighborly. We’re not culinary chefs, and we’re not trying to be. We’re cooking what we cook at home.”
Through winter, Hoffman said, Folsom Point Provisions will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday through Sunday, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
For more information, visit folsompointprovisions.com or follow @folsompoint_provisions on Instagram.