Filipino food has been getting more common in the Hudson Valley, with spots like Hapag Bistro in Highland and Harana Market in Accord introducing regional dishes to local diners. In April, Cold Spring added another Filipino destination to the map with Kapé Mo (“your coffee” in Tagalog). The cafe was opened by life and business partners Angie and Mina Soriano-Elwell, along with Angie’s sister, Jessica Raquino. Housed within the Ascend Collective—a women-owned wellness and retail space with classes and handmade goods—Kapé Mo blends Filipino fare with classic cafe offerings.
Building the Dream
Angie has worked in coffee for eight years. “I started as a barista and got really into it,” she says. “I took classes on steaming milk, latte art, and cuppings as a personal hobby.” Her curiosity led her overseas to study coffee culture across Asia and Europe. “I picked specialty roasters in each city and focused on pour-over and espresso,” she says.
Mina laughs about her own beginnings. “I was just a Green-Mountain-from-the-gas-station coffee drinker before Angie,” she says. “We’d only been dating a month or two when she invited me on a beautiful coffee tour of Asia. I said, ‘That sounds scary—how about just Japan?’” In Osaka, Mina tried Lilo Coffee Roasters and began to understand the difference in flavor and quality. “I thought, ‘Oh, okay, I see what’s going on,’” Mina recalls. “These have different flavors that aren’t related to the caramel I’m going to drizzle on top, and they’re special.”
Angie had dreamed of opening a cafe for years, but Mina helped her make it real. “After we got married, she encouraged me to keep building my business plan,” says Angie. She finished the plan in August 2024, and the duo started actively pursuing the projec in December.
Finding a Home in Cold Spring
They had originally planned to open in New Paltz until Ascend Collective owner Melia Marzollo reached out unexpectedly. “We’d been friends with Melia for a while, but her space was occupied,” says Mina. “At the end of March, she said it would open by April 15. Suddenly we had a 15-day turnaround and were going to equipment auctions, trying to find the perfect espresso machine. It was wild.”
Angie brought her sister Jessica on board to help. “Angie asked me to join for the baking, since that’s my specialty,” says Jessica. “I can’t bake full-time yet because I live in Washington, but I visit to work on recipes.”
During the rush to open, Jessica helped refine the menu. “We originally planned for college students—quick, affordable grab-and-go things,” Angie says. “But we shifted toward more crafted food, besides just coffee creations.” Jessica adds, “I based the food on Filipino flavors to introduce them to Cold Spring—something familiar but really good.”
Kapé Mo took over the former Citrine cafe space, which made for a smooth transition. Inside Ascend, Kapé Mo fits neatly among women makers and wellness practitioners. “The first floor is half boutique, half coffee bar,” Mina says of the iconic, ivy-covered brick building at the corner of Rock and Main streets. “The boutique includes producers like Warmicita, who makes our teas, and Anima Mundi, whose herbal blends we mix into some drinks.” The second and third floors have pilates and yoga studio as well as therapy and treatment rooms.
With eight bar stools, a few tables, and a couch by the boutique, Kapé Mo has become a cozy spot for locals, tourists, and students from upstairs classes. “We also get more Filipino customers coming in,” Mina says. “They recognize the Tagalog name right away.”
On the Menu
Kapé Mo has a full espresso bar plus Filipino-inspired drinks and light bites. Pour-over and cold brew are available alongside signature drinks. The standout drink is the ube latte—bright purple, naturally sweet, and made with house-cooked purple yam syrup, the nutty flavor is somewhere between chocolate and coconut. “It’s fun, especially iced,” Mina says. The pandan latte offers a caffeine-free option with a vanilla matcha flavor, while the Hornet adds honey and spice. Calamansi lemonades come in strawberry, blueberry, and butterfly pea flower, which is a striking purple color.
The food menu is inspired by the sisters’ Filipino heritage and based on family recipes. The sandwiches feature fillings from Angie’s mother’s recipes—pulled chicken adobo and longanisa sausage. The pan de sal bread, a Filipino staple, is soft inside and slightly crusty outside. There are also avocado and hazelnut chocolate toasts, bagels with honey cream cheese ($7) or smoked salmon and chive ($16), and salads like the mango smoked salmon ensalada ($20).
“Instead of rotating based on seasonal flavors, we’ve been doing menu rotations based on the countries Angie has traveled to and their coffee culture,” Mina explains. The current menu theme, Japan Season, features matcha flights, a ginger latte modeled after Kyoto’s Walden Woods cafe, and guest beans from Lilo Roasters in Osaka. On the food end, Jessica develops pastries to complement each theme. For Japan Season, she’s made ube and pandan cookies plus gluten-free, red bean almond cookies.
Looking Forward
Angie runs daily operations, Mina manages design and advertising, and Jessica handles pastries and finances from afar. “But you’ll see all of us there making lattes,” Mina clarifies. “We’re all trained baristas.”
Kapé Mo has become part of Ascend’s creative community. So far, they’ve participated in two book launches at the collective, with another one coming up soon. And they hope to host more. “Angie leads coffee cuppings at the local library every couple of months, and we’d love to host those in the shop,” Mina says. Angie is also developing a coffee curriculum this winter for anyone interested in learning more about coffee itself.
“I was so surprised how welcoming everybody is to a culture that’s very new to the area,” Angie says. “People have asked for more Filipino dishes and flavors. I was scared it wouldn’t be welcomed, but it’s been very heartwarming.”
Kapé Mo is located on the first floor of the Ascend Collective at 75 Main Street in Cold Spring. The cafe is open Monday through Friday from 7:30am to 5pm and on weekends from 8:30am to 5pm.
