Brian Olson

Founder and President 

I was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As the son of a Swedish father and German mother I grew up with my sister spending much time at the family dairy farm in Green Isle, Minnesota. There, I played with my 17 cousins during long summer days.

My father was in the outdoor advertising business so that meant many moves around the country, sometimes for less than a year.
Our favorite home was in Tucson, Arizona where I attended the University of Arizona.
The sudden passing of my father, at the age of 47, changed my trajectory. I was only 21 when this happened. I immediately stepped in to run our family business which was a beloved record store near the university campus.  The business lessons learned at such an early age were instrumental when I built my own - Cafe Intermezzo - just a handful of years later.  
It was during my travels in Europe, when in my early 20's, that I fell in love with the coffeehouses of Vienna. At the age of 31, I opened the first cafe in Dunwoody. 
Although I'm incredibly passionate about the cafes and our guests, there are others::  my beautiful family, drumming, traveling, and writing poetry. 
Bringing this concept to all of you and operating the cafes for over 44 years has been incredibly rewarding and humbling. I am so appreciative for the patronage of our valued guests (many now dear friends) through these four decades. 
I look forward to continuing to serve you for many years to come.  You can reach me at:  bolson@cafeintermezzo.com

Page Middleton Olson

Co-Owner
Guest Relations/ Special Requests/Community Outreach and Charitable Giving/Pastry Program Management

I’m a Savannah girl. Growing up, all of our spare time was spent on Tybee Island. The smell of the salty air and the sound of the waves crashing the shore still reminds me of those special days.

My first “real” job was under the summer sun with the National Junior Tennis League: the brainchild of legendary Hall of Fame tennis player, Arthur Ashe. I taught tennis to children who had never before held a racquet. It was through that experience that I first realized how much I loved working with and mentoring others.
After graduating from St. Vincent’s Academy and then beginning my college career at Armstrong State University, I moved to Atlanta, where I graduated with a BA in Business Administration from Georgia State.
Between college tests and homework assignments, I began working in Georgia’s fledgling film industry. Soon after college, I found myself driving cross-country to California where I would work for actor Harrison Ford and his wife, screenwriter Melissa Mathison (most well-known for writing the screenplay for ET.) While working for them I learned the value of lives committed to a craft that not only sustained them but gave them an incredible sense of purpose.  I also learned about the value of giving at a scale that I had never imagined.
A couple of years after going west, I was given an opportunity to represent my friend, Thom Ferrell, a very talented and beloved commercial filmmaker, in Nashville. I had such respect for him and the way he treated his crews that I couldn't pass on his offer.  So, I headed back to the South.
Based in Atlanta, I met Brian, my husband and Café Intermezzo founder, at the location on Peachtree Street soon after it opened in 1988. He loves to tell the story that he jumped over the counter to take my order for a cappuccino …. and the rest is history.
Together, we raised three children - Grace, Christian and Jonathan - who literally grew up in the cafés. As youngsters, they spent time searching through items never claimed from the lost and found and playing throughout the cafés when we weren’t open. As our kids grew, they began rolling up their sleeves to work alongside their father, doing every job from bussing dishes to slicing pastries, pulling espressos, and managing our teams.
In addition to partnering with Brian in the operation and ownership of our cafés, I’ve spent many years doing exactly what I realized I loved as a young girl on the tennis court: helping, teaching, and leading others. I’ve advocated for students in the DeKalb County School System, held parental leadership positions in our local public schools, volunteered at the Georgia General Assembly, served as a court-appointed advocate for foster children, advocated for and helped establish the City of Dunwoody, mentored young men as they earned the Eagle Scout rank, and volunteered for many other community initiatives, including the establishment of the Dunwoody Community Garden.
Currently, I work with Brian in steering our cafes, I manage our guest relations and inquiries and special requests while administering our community outreach efforts and charitable giving initiatives. Additionally, I work with Omar Sharifi, our Bakery Manager, to oversee our pastry program.
I want to thank you for allowing us to serve you, whether your first visit is still yet to come or if you’ve already spent precious time over the years within our walls. Many of you have grown up enjoying and cherishing the cafés, just as our family has, and your patronage will forever be so appreciated.

Please contact me at polson@cafeintermezzo.com if I can be of service to you.

Joy David

Joy David

Director of Management

Step foot into Café Intermezzo at Avalon, and you’re likely to be greeted with a huge smile from General Manager Joy David. She’s brought an infectious energy and upbeat, can-do attitude since Avalon’s very first day, in December 2015.

But long before joining our team, she spent her youth in Bangkok, Thailand: her homeland. There, she was inspired by the bustling street life, and enjoyed the culture and spices found in the open-air markets. After moving to the United States and then graduating college, Joy gained quality, hands-on coffee shop experience in the Midwest. She was part of a team that opened and operated coffee shops in the Chicago region -- an experience in which she says she learned to love the “Windy City.”

Joy escaped the gusts and freezing winters for southern heat and humidity, when an opportunity arose to manage a top-volume store for a major national chain in Buckhead.

There she remained for several years, earning multiple awards along the way. And that is where Café Intermezzo entered the picture.

“I joined Café Intermezzo because I believe it is truly a unique coffeehouse with an emphasis on generous hospitality and an inviting European atmosphere. I am focused on making certain that our guests have an enjoyable visit each and every time.”

That mission, Joy certainly accomplishes. In her spare time, she gardens, does yoga, goes shopping, and spends time with her husband and two children.

Favorite quote: "Love what you do and do what you love!"

Sooi-Kit Cheng

Director of Finance

“The best part of my job is that I don’t know what kind of challenge will be waiting every morning until I arrive to work!”

The optimistic Sooi-Kit Cheng, or “Cheng” as we call him, is Café Intermezzo’s Controller. Though payroll, financial statements, and sales tax filings are a few of his primary duties, he’s always willing to pitch in with other tasks when needed. He’s even stepped in to handle with cheesecake deliveries!

Though originally from Malaysia, Cheng received his college education in Georgia, at both UGA and Georgia Southern. While a Bulldog, he gained unique perspective on the food industry as an employee with the UGA Food and Science lab.

“We were doing things in the lab to replicate the possible extreme circumstances that could happen in the food system. One example is that we inoculated Salmonella in the chickens and eggs and incubated the samples in the fairly warn incubator to see how the bacteria grew.”

While later living in Statesboro, Cheng worked in food service for the university, and then at Braswell’s Food Company, where he was the 'Food Technologist.' While in that post, he managed quality control, research and development, food safety, and government regulations.

He says that he originally became intrigued by the Café Intermezzo concept because it's "a romantic place to be."

When he isn't crunching the numbers at our corporate office, Cheng enjoys staying abreast of current affairs through reading the news.


Cartier Moultrie 

Office Assistant

Cartier is a task-driven, detail-oriented Administrative Assistant with 8+ years of experience. She brings her big smile, enthusiasm, and love of coffee into her role of assistant.

Originally from New York, she moved to Atlanta in pursuit of her dream. While in school at South University, studying to get her Business Degree, she discovered her love for helping others and enjoyed the customer service field. During this time she learned skills such as leadership, active listening, and the effect good customer service can have on the customer.

 This opened her up to more possibilities and eventually lead her into the world of teaching. As an infant teacher, she learned compassion, patience, and the importance of communication. She often volunteered to help out in the office at the schools she taught in which exercised her love of organization.

While teaching in the Midtown area Cartier discovered Café Intermezzo and would frequently go there to complete her evaluations and lesson plans. She fell in love with the atmosphere and cake.

When Cartier is not working she enjoys her time at home with her two little girls, Amari and Averi; 2 bunnies, Lola and Harley, her dog Lemonade and her soon-to-be husband, Will. She loves crafting, singing, painting, writing, and all things pink.

Teddy Moon

Barista Manager

My family moved to South Korea when I was only 5 and I spent my childhood there and came back to the United States when I was 17, which was the year of 2006.

I started worked in the coffee industry in 2010. I immediately felt a gravity that pulled my heart into the coffee world.
Before I joined Café Intermezzo, I had a chance to work with some other cafes who were brand new from scratch and built up the business with them. While I was working with them, I also was able to build some connections with coffee specialists from big coffee companies. They allowed me to visit their coffee workshops, coffee labs and try out their coffee to expand my coffee knowledge.
'Do what you love. Love what you do.'
One thing that I like about this quote is that it's not only because the phrase gives me hope and joy at my job, but also it gets me to think about what I really love; making coffee, serving the guest and teaching the baristas about my coffee technique and watching them grow are the things that I really love.