Home/Made Hudson: A Weekend Brunch Spot Where You "Come Hungry, Leave Totally Satiated"

The hottest new, reservation-only spot in Hudson, New York… only serves brunch on weekends. Home/Made Hudson, at 119 Warren Street, is a small space (formerly The Shaker bar) that currently is only open on weekends. That’s because the dynamic duo who run it, married couple Leisah Swenson and Monica Byrne, are in-demand event planners who host functions at their Brooklyn warehouse, Atelier Roquette, as well as off site both in the city and upstate.

Come November, things may change, as the two give up the lease on their city site, their hectic summer event schedule winds down, and Byrne and Swenson have more time to spend in Hudson. But the couple are used to change, as the evolution of their business has had some dramatic twists and turns.

Swenson, a former stage manager for live theater, and Byrne, whose background is in the culinary arts and floral design, first opened for business in 2006 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. “We called it Tini Wine Bar because it was very small,” says Swenson. “We had two hot plates, a toaster oven, and a panini grill from Target. Monica once cooked a seven-course meal for Valentine’s Day with a hot plate and cast-iron skillet.”

They then moved down the street, to a bigger place with a back yard, but it still only sat 20 people. In March of 2012, the building caught fire and they rebuilt. Then came Hurricane Sandy in October of that same year and the restaurant got wiped out again. In 2013, the couple opened their current event space and catering business, Atelier Roquette.

Byrne and Swenson were catering a wedding in Ancram, New York in 2008 when they fell in love with Columbia County. After becoming weekenders, they found Home/Made Hudson’s current location two years ago. “We looked in and saw that the bar was in place; every other place we’d built out from scratch. We didn’t realize there was no kitchen,” Byrne laughs, “but we’d already talked ourselves into it. In two weeks, we closed the restaurant in Red Hook and moved up here.” The couple and their Instagram-famous pup also rent the apartment upstairs, and use the restaurant’s backyard space to prep for events and grow fresh herbs.

“This space serves two purposes,” says Byrne, “a base of operations for catering, and a showroom for our aesthetic and style.” As the duo have slowly shifted their focus upstate, so has their business. Swenson now says more than half of their events are held locally. It allows their business, which already offers the services of food, design, flowers and rentals, to provide even more help, including hair, makeup and other advice. The two have come to know the area better and can help clients find what they’re looking for.

As winter approaches, Byrne and Swenson will have more time to focus on Home/Made and hiring staff, which is in short supply throughout the RI region. For now, the restaurant is only open when its two owners can be there. Instead of serving as many people as possible, Byrne says, they want only to serve as many as can have a good time dining there. “When we’re open, we’re able to take really, really good care of people,” she says. Adding unexpected touches, like steamed milk with your coffee and other little approaches make guests feel special. She says she wants customers to feel like they had a 45-minute vacation when they dine with them.

“I love simple food prepared well,” says Byrne. “Rustic pieces of toast, cheese and produce, but I’m obsessive about attention to detail. Europeans have done this for generations. Something simple done well can be transcendent.”

A sample menu is available on Home/Made’s website and includes thick toasts with a list of toppings, each more delicious sounding than the next; eggs, salmon and breakfast meats, sandwiches and other brunch staples done the Home/Made way. Byrne will add specials, as well, based on what’s fresh in the region. Perfectly ripe local peaches with basil from the back garden, toasted dark bread and a spreadable sheep and goat cheese from Tasmania were offered on the day I visited. Just be warned, reservations fill up quickly.

Home/Made Hudson
119 Warren St., Hudson, NY
Open Saturdays & Sundays 10 a.m.-3 p.m., with exceptions
For reservations, email: info@homemadehudson.com