ABOUT
OUR NAME
What is Twelfth Night?
While Shakespeare did write a play entitled Twelfth Night, the name of our coffee house is not based on his work. It’s derived from New Orleans culture! In our city, the twelfth night of Christmas (January 6th) ignites our most anticipated time of the year. It’s the first night of Carnival!
Twelfth Night is Epiphany or Three Kings Day and the bakeries in New Orleans begin to make King Cakes. Revelers hone in on finishing their costumes, and a sensation of electricity can be sensed surging through the streets that culminates on Mardi Gras day!
Twelfth Night (January 6th) is also Joan of Arcs Birthday. The Krewe de Joan d’Arc takes to the streets of the French Quarter to celebrate her Birthday and the first night of the Carnival season.
OUR LOGO
Emmanuel Fremiet’s original Joan of Arc statue in Place des Pyramids in Paris (Left). The Joan of Arc statue in the Place de France in New Orleans (Right)
Our beloved Joan of Arc statue was given to the citizens of New Orleans in 1958 as a gift from the people of France. Affectionately called Joanie on the Pony by locals, today it rest in Place de France in the French Market. The golden statue is a replica of Emmanuel Fremiet's famous equestrian statue from Paris’ Place des Pyramides.
Like Twelfth Night Coffee the statue celebrates the French aspect of our Creole culture. For this reason the signage in our coffee house and products are bilingual (Louisiana Creole and English).
Our logo isn’t an attempt to render an exact copy of Joanie on the Pony. We don’t know exactly what Joan d’Arc looked like so with my limited artistic ability I drew her with the face of my daughter. To me she represents the courageous warrior that history honors Joan as.
OUR FOUNDER
My daughter and I at the cafe Van Gogh used as the setting for his Café Terrace at Night painting in Arles, France
Not only does the statue celebrate the French heritage of New Orleans, Joan of Arc was from Lorraine…the same region of France where my family originated. Joan was born in Domrémy only 127km away from Mandray…my ancestral village. Lorraine is celebrated in Place de France in the French Quarter with a plaque next to the Joan d’Arc statue. The coat of arms of Lorraine bares three alérions (or baby eagles). Our family records from Lorraine in the 1700’s bare the alérion, the name of our signature roast.
Aside from my connection to the region Joan d’Arc was from, my passion for coffee goes back to the late 90’s. I got my first teenage job at Cafe du Monde. Before I was hired, at the age of 16, I hadn’t had a cup of coffee in my life. I proudly made New Orleans’ signature beignets. After frying hundreds of batches, I decided it was time to try their dynamic duo (cafe au lait). It was love at first taste! I eventually ventured into drinking it black.
After college I moved to San Francisco where I lived for 8 years. In SF I was exposed to specialty coffee and really fell in love with the complex flavor profiles regional coffee beans and roasting technics can produce. I not only became a barista, I ventured into roasting my own beans in a popcorn popper. When I moved back to New Orleans my love for this necture of the gods only increased. I’m excited to share this passion with the world via Twelfth Night…Coffee to get the Carnival started in your day!
- Eric Gabourel