Bonhomie Coffee bar (pronounced), inspired by a haitanian mobile espresso pram, is now inside Flora and fauna-I black shop with a plant and a shop at the historic Pioneer Square division in Seattle. The living atmosphere here fills the air, selected with furniture from the middle of the century, plants beautifully staged with the intention and pulse of stuffy strikes. This is where the community gathers on coffee and reflects the heart of Bonhomie –theirThe Haitian Creole word for the “yard”, but deeper a symbol of a common courtyard: a common space for generations of families, neighbors and friends who meet.
Michelle and Victoria Dean are the founders of Bonhomie; Michelle, whose Haitian heritage shaped Bonhom’s vision, never imagined that it would lead to what she and her wife, Victoria, are building today.
Michelle started her coffee trip in college, where she worked as a barista. Her love for wine and his sensory nuances attracted her to the parallel world of terroir and tasting. One morning, during the change, she had the opportunity to serve Alton Brown, A well -known host Network Food. To her surprise, he ordered a elementary drip coffee.
“This has changed me,” says Michelle. “Here is the best, someone who has access to every taste, how you can choose a elementary drip coffee. It reminded me that there is a size in simplicity.”
This ethos of peaceful perfection still directs Bonhomie’s approach. But inspiration rarely increases at once. For Michelle and Victoria, she deepened with time, especially at moments of celebration and memory.
During the host of the Haitian Flag Day celebrations at home, surrounded by friends, food and laughter, Victoria created CreamA classic Haitan drink often served during the holidays. It is wealthy, sweet and usually enriched. Michelle, always a dreamer, wondered aloud: How would it be in coffee? This question caused a inventive layered journey with Haitian spice and handmade syrups to discover the flavors of the house.
Although Victoria is not a great coffee, her role in Bonhom is very practical. He introduces a fresh perspective behind the bar, based on the details of his love for matcha during the exploration of the nuances of BPPing, and recently baking. “I used to say that coffee was not my business” Victoria laughs. “Now I am the first to taste every up-to-date recipe.” Together they create something that seems to be rooted and constantly evolving. During construction next to each other, their encouragement extends the craft and the vision of Bonhomie.
“The coffee scene in Seattle is filled with great cafes,” says Victoria. “So many people do amazing things. But this does not mean that there is no place for you. Just explain why and what distinguishes you.”
Michelle’s Haitian roots have become the basis of space to share history, taste and memory with the community. Each name of the drink, written in Haitian Creole, becomes a peaceful but powerful claim that language is strength. “Language carries memory,” explains Michelle and Victoria. “Each order is a reminder, a chance to connect to something deeper.” Bonhomie works with a completely based menu installation. And like everything they do, drinks are going.
. Coffee and lemonadeA personal favorite is a chilly infusion with vanilla syrup, brightened lemonade and grounded with the richness of Haitian beans from Haiti Coffee. Think Arnold Palmer, but he imagined again. Meanwhile Latted Dous bands Is Double intake of mixed espresso with caramelized sweet grandmother syrup, warming with a mixture of spices, non -alcoholic rum and oat milk. This unique work pays tribute to one of the most significant ingredients of Haiti, offering comforting sip that wears the warmth of the house, whether warm or frozen.
Each ingredient tells a deeper story that reaches at the beginning of the 18th century, when French colonizers first introduced coffee to the land known at the time as Saint-Domingue. At the end of the 18th century, Haiti appeared as one of the leading world coffee exporters. Haitan coffee, grown in wealthy volcanic soil and grown at high altitudes, gained a reputation of its characteristic profile: medium-sour, slightly sour and layered with notes of cocoa, spices and history.
Bonhomie enlivens these flavors in every offer, not only by beans, but also by homemade syrups created to supplement, raise and reflect the complexity of the Haitan taste.
Each mug is going. But it is the community that revives it.
For Michelle and Victoria, the community is not only a concept, it is the basis of everything they do. Michelle’s early experiences taught her that she appears for others, especially in hard times, is what the community does. For Victoria, it is about creating deliberate spaces in which the connection can develop where people are not welcome, but really seen. Together, they built Bonhomie as an extension of this belief: a place rooted in care where culture is celebrated, stories are divided, and each interaction is an invitation to belonging.
The same spirit transfers every aspect of experience, including their approach to generosity. In Haiti, the tips are not usual. They boldly re -processed the practice, inviting guests to convey a donation P4H GlobalNon -Profit organization dealing with the end of poverty in Haiti through education and development of the community. It is generosity according to design, reframe, which moves the value from transactions to transformation.
This constant commitment to culture, connection and care is what still exceeds the boundaries of what Bonhomie means the Seattle community, places they have called home for many years. Their influence speaks for itself not because it is different because of the different, but because it is deeply even in order.
This makes Bonhomie Coffee unique: stories, culture, community.
