When I was young, a tea shop opened in my hometown. I LOVED it! While I can't stand cucumbers—those lovely high-tea sandwiches are completely lost on me—I cherish the act of tea time and all the sweet treats that can be paired with a good cup of tea. I was sold! I wanted to have a tea shop like that in my life forever! Although the shop did not last long,it was there long enough to plant an idea firmly in my head.
After college, I got hands-on experience behind the scenes of both an Epicurean European Cafe and a farm-to-table Italian Restaurant. However, the idea of the tea house was still constantly on my mind. I started writing down all my ideas for what my tea house would look like, and what sorts of menu items I would serve. I even started my application to the Culinary Institute of America, and had my mentors write recommendation letters.
It was then that life threw me a couple of curve balls. First, one of my previous mentors devalued my tea house idea. And then my boyfriend moved to a far away state where I had just been offered a job in my field of study, Chemistry. It seemed like the universe was telling me to change paths, so I took a risk and moved, putting the idea of my tea house on a back burner.
A year ago, as I struggled with isolation and lack of fulfillment in my role as a Chemist, the idea of opening the tea house reemerged. As if on queue, I came across the journal filled with tea house ideas that I had written nearly ten years prior. I decided then that I needed to take this idea seriously in order to see if I truly wanted to pursue my dream. I wanted to share my passion for baking with the world and test the waters for a tea house. Welcome to parchment baking company, the beginning of my new adventure.
