Olives is, above all else, about people.  A real neighborhood store, it's the kind of place where they greet you by name, remember your favorites and suggest your favorites-to-be.  Olives is the owners who live a few blocks away, the sandwich-makers, the cashiers, the kitchen staff and the chef who whips up your dinner to order.

Laurie Semon and Erin O'Hagan both worked in the food industry, Erin for more than 25 years in prepared foods, Laurie after a career change: from x-ray technician to culinary school to chef.  They had thought about opening a neighborhood delicatessen, the kind you might see in New York City, but hadn't made the move. Then they were walking down Broadway after dinner one night; a 'for lease' sign was in a window.  Within days, Olives Gourmet Grocer was born.

Olives Gourmet Grocer opened on October 15, 2004 to great acclaim in the Belmont Heights/ Bluff Park Neighborhoods, with that reputation spreading throughout the area.  Now, Olives regularly has customers from Naples, Seal Beach and Bixby Knolls coming in for our homemade specials!  It serves as a neighborhood anchor, providing grocery staples such as flour, milk and bread as well as full service prepared foods, homemade specialties and hot meals every night. 

Erin & Laurie really are foodies - the kind of people who love to eat, cook, and talk about food.  When asked their personal store favorites, the list is almost endless!  Laurie favors the rotisserie chicken, spicy combo, the parmesan dip and olive tapenade (these are the store specialties).  Erin can talk forever about our prosciutto with parmesan dip, or making the perfect sandwich, as Olives does to order.  Many a customer has learned that with Erin, you don't question what she offers you - it's going to be even more delicious than you anticipated, so it's worth the try!

Olives Too opened in June of 2006, providing everything that you need to cook at home, from Viking cookware to Mario Batali’s line of kitchen essentials to cookbooks inviting you to explore the world of food.