Business is brewing at Yellow Monkey Village

The CAFE at Yellow Monkey presents a welcoming face to visitors. THANE GRAUEL PHOTOS

By AIDAN HOLMES

If there is one thing that stands out the most at the CAFE at Yellow Monkey Village, it’s that customers might feel like members of the family the moment you walk in. 

Warm smiles come from all when you walk into the little coffee shop, which feels more like someone’s house than a café, the scent of coffee and pastries permeating the air. It’s tucked cozily into one corner of a small shopping area off Route 35 called Yellow Monkey Village.

The café places importance on a healthy lifestyle, and it shows in the menu. In addition to coffee, lattes, matcha and the other usual suspects found in cafés, the staff also blends fresh smoothies. The freshness of ingredients stands out — and some offerings come with the option to add protein powder and collagen. 

The breakfast foods reflect many favorites, such as avocado toast and bacon egg and cheese, as well as more unique options such as waffles and a frittata. Salads and sandwiches offer a spin on the café’s goal of helping with the healthy lifestyle goal.

Once inside customers are greeted with a wide variety of pastries and drinks.

A small but mighty team operates behind the counter. 

“It’s really fun, and I love the atmosphere,” barista Claire O’Hanlon said one recent morning. “Everyone is really nice.” 

The positive vibe shows in the way everything is made. Drinks are crafted carefully, and the staff takes the time to chat with the customers who come in.

The woman behind it all is Lisa Rotondi, whose brother, parents and her two children all worked to make the CAFE at Yellow Monkey Village possible. Born and raised locally in town and a graduate of John Jay High School, she runs two of the other businesses in the village, Yellow Monkey Wellness and the Reform Room. The café opened May 12, and the number of customers coming through the door “has been a steady increase each day,” she said.

The Village has always been an important spot to Rotundi.

“I grew up coming here when it was a candy store, so it’s a special place for me,” she said. 

She has more plans for the Village, hoping to add a produce market in the coming weeks, with all-organic produce, fruits, jarred goods, dairy, eggs and more. 

But for the moment, she is just trying to take life at the café “day by day.”

Aidan Holmes, a graduating senior at John Jay High School, was a high school intern for The Recorder. He will study in the fall at SUNY Binghamton.