The Co-Trustees of the Ava Gardner Trust – myself, Ava Thompson, and my daughter, Ava Silver – are delighted to be working with Dominique Benedict to release an Ava Gardner® Dark Roast Coffee Blend. This is a perfect collaboration for the Trust because it authentically speaks to something Ava Gardner truly enjoyed – a great cup of coffee!
Ava was an avid coffee drinker who preferred a strong cup. She especially liked coffee in the morning to kick-start her day. When not working on a film set, Ava enjoyed several cups of coffee at a leisurely pace to ease into her day. Ava usually drank her coffee black and very hot. If the coffee cooled before the cup was empty, she would add some more to make it hot again.
Ava came by her love of coffee honestly. Her beloved mother, Mollie, was a coffee drinker, and, although times were often hard in the depression era south, coffee was a necessity. If there was cooking going on in the Gardner kitchen, there was coffee brewing nearby. Mollie and all of her daughters, including Ava, were fantastic cooks who relished gathering family and friends around a dinner table. Coffee to sip while preparing a large meal made the kitchen work go much smoother. Food and coffee were made by all of the Gardner women with great love and care!
All of Ava’s sisters were coffee drinkers as well. My grandmother, Ava’s sister Elsie, drank coffee throughout the day. I remember as a child how good a fresh pot of coffee smelled. Elsie’s coffee was perked in a fancy electric percolator of shiny silver. Elsie and Ava’s sister Inez would brew a pot of coffee at midnight, talking and laughing while sipping each cup until the wee hours of the morning or until the coffee was gone. On occasion as a child, I was allowed to have a little coffee in my milk. In addition to tasting delicious, it made me feel very grown-up and important to have a bit of what the Gardner women were enjoying!
Unlike the Gardner women, I cannot drink my coffee very hot. I think drinking piping hot coffee is truly an art. It is learned. My grandmother, Elsie, used to tell me there was a certain way to hold your tongue to keep it from burning. I never mastered the art! I find coffee relaxing and comforting, and the flavor of the Ava blend is fantastic! It is rich and snappy from the very first sip. It also fills the kitchen with a captivating aroma! I absolutely love it, and I know Ava would love it too!
In addition to this being an authentic collaboration for the Trust, I know Ava Gardner would have loved partnering with Dominique. Ava adored young, energetic, and ambitious entrepreneurs working hard to make their way in the world. She often gave her name and her celebrity to helping people get ahead in their businesses. From haute couture designers to photographers just starting out, Ava delighted in helping! A prime example of this trait is the assistance she gave to photographer Terry O’Neill. She gave him a letter of introduction to Frank Sinatra, and the rest is history. Terry traveled with Frank and put together a fantastic catalog of photographs featuring Frank and the Rat Pack.
Ava would love having a signature coffee blend in Dominique’s first year in business. Give it a try! If you love a dark roast coffee with a tangy, distinctive flavor, you will like this one.
As a Trustee, I appreciate this exciting collaboration! It not only helps to preserve Ava’s legacy, but also introduces Ava Gardner to new generations of admirers.
This is a photo of the percolator used by the Gardner women in the 50’s.
We can not thank Ava Thompson enough for her lovely letter of support in honor of The Goddess Blend and its official release.
The Goddess Blend can be purchased directly from Breakfast At Dominique’s online at HollywoodBlends.com or at the Ava Gardner Museum in Smithfield, NC.
Dominique Benedict is the founder and owner of Breakfast At Dominique’s. Her favorite topics include classic everything from movies to music to cars and the 90s film, Dazed and Confused.