Welcome to olio, located in historic downtown Bayport, off the scenic St. Croix river.

olio is owned and operated by St. Croix Valley locals, Luke Sawtell and Riley Jackson, who have lived in the area for over 30 years.

Luke has worked kitchens for over 20 years, initially honing his Italian knowledge and skill assisting in the opening of Bar la Grassa in 2010, as well as the Executive Chef at the Bulldog in Northeast Minneapolis. Following his time in the Minneapolis scene, he moved east to the St. Croix Valley. Luke worked as the Executive Chef at the San Pedro Cafe starting in 2015. He went on to help open Pedro’s Del Este in 2017, and not long after, he added Barker’s Bar and Grill to his list of kitchens; running all three by summer of 2017. While restaurant life is his passion, he decided to step into another light in 2022, taking a position at Hudson High school as a Culinary Arts teacher. He worked to develop new curriculums for the Advanced Culinary program for a year, while still working part time at San Pedro Cafe, as well as Stillwater Proper.

Riley Jackson spent the 15 years developing her hospitality skills with the San Pedro Cafe. While she started with the company as a host at a young age, she continued working up the ladder, taking on the position as General Manager in the summer of 2022. She ran and managed San Pedro Cafe, overseeing all menu changes, as well as the bar program; assisting in implementing new menu items, concepts, and features.

Luke and Riley worked closely as lead management for many years at the San Pedro Cafe, bought a house together in 2020, and have been discussing the idea of future professional endeavors ever since. They are beyond thrilled for the opportunity to introduce authentic Italian to the St. Croix River Valley!.

Olio takes pride in their scratch, Italian influenced menu, working to constantly innovate and grow both as a restaurant and small, river-town community. Between house-made pasta and fresh baked sourdough focaccia, they don’t believe in cutting corners, and find beauty in curating a menu with both purpose and seasonality!