Desert Island Dish with Progress Coffee's James Benson

As part of our continuing Desert Island Dish series, we caught up with James Benson, a co-owner of Progress Coffee + Beer in Cherrywood.

The backstory: Benson, a coffee roasting specialist, started working at Progress' old location, off East Fifth Street, shortly after he moved to Austin in 2010 for grad school at the University of Texas, where he wrote about social media behavior.

• Progress has rebounded big-time from the COVID-19 pandemic, which took a bite out of its roasting business. Tech companies had been buying its coffee in bulk — and then everyone started working from home.

You're headed to a desert island. What's the one dish you can't do without?

Benson: "It's got to be the fideo that my mom, from Mexico, always made when I was growing up. It's a vermicelli dish and had a bunch of spices, tomato and onion. It's the one dish that always hits home, so that's what I'd want on a desert island."

Is there an Austin version you recommend?

Benson: "El Borrego de Oro, on South Congress, has a perfect traditional version."

You can bring along a dessert with you.

Benson: "Launderette has a birthday cake ice cream sandwich — with sprinkles along the crust. Their desserts are killer, but that dessert always stood out. It's really fun and on a desert island ice cream might be pretty nice."

And how about to drink?

Benson: "It’s cliched, but I’m a coffee nerd, a total coffee fanatic. I'm on a desert island, so I'd want a cold brew."

Is there a cafe other than your own that you especially like?

Benson: "There's so much good coffee in Austin. I live off South Congress, behind Vinaigrette, so Meteor is the obvious choice."

If you go: Earlier this year, Progress opened its Cherrywood brick-and-mortar, in a converted gas station, at 3421 North I-35, with food trucks Pueblo Viejo and Li'l Nonna's, a vegan pizza spot, operating on the property.

• The cafe is open 7am-7pm Sunday through Tuesday, and 7am-10pm Wednesday through Saturday.