Owner Steve Olsen began working in the restaurant industry at age 16 and opened West Bank Cafe when he was all of 24. He is a passionate collector of California wines and holds vinification, viniculture, and blind wine tasting certificates from the American Sommelier Association. In keeping with West Bank Cafe's close ties to the theater and film worlds, Mr. Olsen has nurtured young actors, writers, and directors—including Lewis Black, Sean Penn, and Side Man playwright Warren Leight—many of whom appeared in and staged performances at the downstairs Laurie Beechman Theater, on their way to accomplished careers.
Chef Joe Marcus attended Rhode Island’s Johnson & Wales University, from which he graduated in 1998. In May 2005 he was appointed Executive Chef at West Bank Cafe. Since that time, he has transformed the West Bank’s menu creating interesting and accessible contemporary American dishes with French-Mediterranean influence. Marcus is committed to sourcing the finest ingredients, and spends his free time at the city’s Greenmarkets, specialty shops, and restaurants. Prior to joining West Bank Cafe, Marcus worked as Sous Chef at Terrence Brennan’s Picholine, and at Alison Becker-Hurt’s Alison on Dominick (as well as its Long Island sibling Alison on the Beach).