Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a Sweet and Savory Tea at the James Beard House. The food for the event was provided by Flour Bakery and the tea was supplied by Le Palais des Thés. The place settings were simple and elegant. Everything was served buffet style but the wait staff were attentive and quick to refill my tea and sparkling water. The spread was quite large somewhat overwhelming. I wanted to eat it all but knew that I wouldn’t be able to so I picked and chose what I thought that I might enjoy.
For most of the tea I drank an excellent Genmaicha and finished with their brisk Brunch Tea. My choice of wine was the 2011 Gramona Gessami. It is a very nice white wine that I had tasted previously at work. Everything I ate was delicious and I had a hard time singling out favorites. The quiche and miniature cinnamon creme brioche were among them. There is nothing I love more than sharing tea and good conversation. Events like this are part of why I love what I do. It was especially exciting to speak with Aurelie of Le Palais des Thés about the shops they will be opening in New York.
The end of the meal included a question and answer session with Joann Chang, Nicole Rhodes and the rest of the Flour Bakery team. Being a recreational baker, it was great to get insights from some of the best in the business. Overall it was a great evening and I left in a bit of a food coma. The James Beard House does a Valentine’s Tea in February and I think I may just need to drag my boyfriend. If it’s anything like this decadent tea, we will have an amazing time.
