STAFF FOCUS: Daniel Harthausen
Common House Richmond’s newest Club Manager & Coffee Connoisseur
THE PROUSTIAN EFFECT OF FOOD AND DRINK is what got Common House Richmond’s new Club Manager and coffee connoisseur, Daniel Harthausen, interested in the service industry. “When I drink certain types of coffee, it reminds me of this candy that I used to eat at my grandma’s house when I was six,” he explains. To Daniel, the interconnection between taste, memory, and emotion is powerful. And figuring out ways to elicit a nostalgic response is his primary source of inspiration when crafting new dishes at his Japanese-inspired pop-up Young Mother, or roasting beans for Common House. “Everything that I do in the restaurant world stems from trying to make things as tasty as possible while also trying to elicit a positive memory or response.”
Growing up in a military family, Daniel straddled in between worlds, moving from Korea—which is where he was born—then headed to Wyoming to play competitive soccer for a brief stint. In the early 2000s, he moved back to Korea for most of primary school, before settling in Virginia. All of his globe-trotting experiences exposed him to new cultures and cuisines, informing his approach to the culinary world as a whole. It wasn’t until 2014 when he moved from Newport News to Richmond that Daniel began to really focus on cooking. While working at a few different restaurants, he also had a job as a barista at Alchemy Coffee, then later Lamplighter Coffee Roasters.
At both places, he was exposed to the specialty side of coffee and fell in love with the process of sourcing, roasting, and brewing. As he notes, “I’ve always liked the romance behind coffee culture. It’s like in that show Friends, they are all hanging out in the shop and just having a good time. Coffee is such a great way for people to connect.” For him, making coffee approachable and accessible is step one. (Who doesn’t like the Hygge vibes of an old school café?) From there, Daniel likes to build upon the drinking experience by offering learning opportunities to those who are interested in discovering more about flavor profiles, coffee farmers, and the like.
As he describes, coffee has three phases before it is poured into your cup. The first touch point is the farmer, which is often the most overlooked. Currently, Daniel is sourcing Common House’s beans from Nicaragua via Gold Mountain, which is a company that is intentional about ensuring that their farmers have access to fair wages and healthcare. “Coffee is a super laborious thing and farmers work like crazy, so it’s important that they are getting paid well and supported.” The farmer then distributes the beans to the roaster who cooks them and determines what the tasting profiles will be. Lastly, the barista brews the blend—and voilà: coffee!
As Common House’s coffee program expands, Daniel looks forward to getting beans from other countries like Guatemala and Ethiopia to offer to members and their guests. He aims to accent the qualities of each region, highlight what makes them special, and provide an entry point into the larger world of specialty coffee. “The first coffee that really blew my mind was a natural Ethiopian from Blanchard’s. It was bright strawberry with a beautiful acidity and this back note of light chocolate. It was like nothing I tasted before and still lives rent-free in my brain.” Much the same, Daniel hopes to create blends at Common House that leave a lasting impression—ones that drive forth a Proustian effect of good memories and home.