Support Local: Hedley & Bennett
A marriage of utility and pleasure
This holiday season, we’re spotlighting the artists and craftspeople who make beautiful objects in the cities we call home. Read on for a close look at our Barista Apron + Coffee pairing, which we created in collaboration with Los Angeles–based small business Hedley & Bennett.
“If the front door is closed, climb in through the window.”
With all the attention on kitchen tools, fancy gadgets, and cookbooks, it’s easy to forget one of the oldest and most basic cookery items: the apron. Think of Julia Child. You’ll never see her at the stove without one wrapped around her waist. While it can’t make the food, an apron protects the cook from the inevitable splashes and spills.
Ellen Bennett was a line cook in Los Angeles when her homely apron came into vivid focus. Why should something we wear everyday be so unattractive? Fast-forward a few years and her small side business sewing aprons made from durable, kitchen-friendly fabric had turned into a full-fledged operation.
With Blue Bottle opening new cafes across the United States and Japan, we wanted our baristas and cooks to have an apron as well-conceived as the coffee and food they serve. We worked with Ellen Bennett’s team to alter the standard design to fit our needs: there’s one towel loop, one pocket, and snap adjustments on the neck strap. A stretchy dark-wash denim makes for an apron that never wrinkles and always hides coffee stains.
This holiday season, we’re offering you this apron, along with a bag of Bella Donovan. We consider it a marriage of utility and pleasure.