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Corey Miller
The Mary Cassatt Breakfast Sandwich
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Corey Miller
Holly Harman and Terry Cosgrove
Even during a pandemic, The Art of Coffee is the kind of place where the baristas know many of the customers’ drink preferences by heart and start preparing them when they see the customer walk in. After months of mandatory closures, reduced occupancy and curbside only service, the coffee shop is currently offering café dining, alfresco dining on their patio and phone order take-out seven days a week. Art—photography, watercolor and oils, candles, soap, pottery and jewelry—is always available.
OUR STORY
Owner Terry Cosgrove was retiring from a 30-year Navy career while wife Holly Harman was relocating her California art studio to the couple’s home in Montross in 2006. The Art of Coffee became a reality because both needed new outlets and Harman wanted to open an art gallery offering her art as well as local art. With Cosgrove’s coffee-making skills honed in the Navy, a coffeehouse/art gallery seemed a natural choice.
For the first few years, they offered coffee and espresso drinks, pastries, and art, but when the community showed an interest in more, they added breakfast and lunch menus. Those offerings were followed, several years later, by a selection of craft beers, Irish cream and coffee liqueur beverages, mimosas and a unique wine selection from around the world. Prior to the pandemic, The Art of Coffee hosted quarterly five course wine pairing dinners with a guest sommelier, events they hope to return to doing.
The staff baker specializes in gluten-free and vegan treats in addition to appealing desserts for their Bistro Saturday dinner service. The Saturday menu features four or five items—prime rib, ribeye or T-bone, at least two fish or shellfish entrées and a chicken or vegetable dish—depending on the availability of local produce and seafood.
The couple’s business goal is to offer a welcoming environment where all are welcome to relax and dine in a casual setting. Says Cosgrove, “Where watermen dine at the table next to a group of lawyers on break from the courthouse, where artists meet for creative discussion and where musicians gather to meet others and form new bands for all of our listening pleasure.”
The Mary Cassatt breakfast sandwich is a nod to the American Impressionist painter and a hearty start to your day with a fried egg, cheese, bacon, sautéed spinach and a thick slice of tomato on a toasted croissant.
Original Recipe
The Mary Cassatt Breakfast Sandwich
Directions:
Step 1: Start by cooking your choice of breakfast meat (bacon, sausage or shaved ham) or go vegetarian with a meatless alternative.
Step 2: Once cooked, move the meat to the side of your grill or pan. Add a few drops or a spray of olive oil to fry a local organic egg. Great local eggs can be found at most of our regional produce stands, or maybe you’re lucky enough to have a neighbor who keeps chickens. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
Step 3: Add a handful of fresh spinach to the same pan and season with a pinch of garlic, salt and pepper. Add a thick slice of tomato.
Step 4: Once your egg is fried to your liking, top with your favorite cheese: Cheddar, American, Swiss, Mozzarella or Muenster.
Step 5: Toast your croissant, bread, biscuit, bagel or English muffin on the grill and build your masterpiece: bacon, egg and cheese topped with your sautéed spinach, tomato and croissant top.
Download Printable Recipe Here
15722 Kings Highway | Montross, Virginia 22520
804-493-9651 | theartofcoffee.biz