TEA AND TALES: Behind the Scenes (The Food)

The Tea Guild of Canada presented their 4th annual tea and food pairing fundraiser event, "Tea and Tales" yesterday.  I was there taking photos and helping as a back up runner.  The event started at 1pm, but the volunteers from Tea Guild arrived at the historic Montgomery's Inn at 10 am to help set up and prepare the 4 course afternoon tea.

I was lucky enough to watch two master chefs and their volunteer staff at work preparing the delicious food for the guests.  Bill Kamula and Laura Bryan are George Brown Culinary School Chef instructors and co-chair the Tea Guild of Canada.  Laura is a Certified Tea Sommelier and Bill also teaches the Tea Sommelier program at George Brown.

1st course:
Chicken Consume with spring garden vegetables served with a cheese sable cookie. The savory cookie with the delicious soup was a great combo.

Cups with spring garden vegetables, ready for hot chicken consommé to be added

2nd course:

Sandwiches & Savories included curried chicken in cucumber and tomato cups, Deviled eggs, homemade hummus and sliced apple on rice crackers, watercress and cream cheese on white bread, smoked salmon with lemon butter on dark rye.  A little something for everyone including those sensitive to gluten.  All delicious!

Chef Kamula at work preparing deviled eggs

Chef Bryan preparing curried chicken in tomato cups

Smoked salmon rosettes with whipped lemon butter, pieces of red onions, topped with pieces of arugula and lemon.

 I now know how to make those rosettes, I'm ready for my next tea party!

Deviled eggs topped with a light sprinkling of paprika

Think I need to set my white balance...daylight on those sandwiches and savories looks good!

Volunteers preparing chocolate dipped strawberries.  First the fresh ripe strawberries were dipped in milk chocolate and then in shaved white chocolate flakes.

Mmm, milk and white chocolate dipped strawberries

3rd Course:
Clotted cream and homemade Ontario jams (made by Chef Bryan)

Cream scones and Almond Scones (Gluten free)

4th course:
The sweets were all handmade.  There were biscotti, pinkies (delicious coconut squares with pink frosting), matcha cookies, chocolates (including handmade jasmine tea truffles with orange and grapefruit zest by Certified Tea Sommelier, Carol Savage - they were simply amazing!  Carol also made the almond scones), and the chocolate dipped strawberries.

The food's all prepared.  Hey, what about the tea?  Let's go check on how the Tea Sommeliers are setting up and preparing for their tales around this old manor turned museum while we wait for the guests to arrive...

You Had Me at Tea ...

In 2006, while flipping through the George Brown College course calendar, I came upon a new program on Tea Appreciation. This four course tea appreciation certificate would later be expanded to become a more advanced Certified Tea Sommelier Certificate program.

One night a week like clockwork - I would go to class and sip, slurp, and spit tea.  (Hey, tea's got caffeine you know!  I still wanted to sleep when I get home... ) .  We examined all sorts of teas - teas made from the tea plant (Camellia sinensis) to herbal infusions (also known as tisanes) from around the world.

Sampling of teas and tea tasting cups 

Leaves ready to be examined.  Teas ready for tasting.

One course became two ... then three and so on until finally in 2009, I would become part of the first group of tea sommeliers ever to become certified by the Tea Association of Canada.

Now why would I take on such an endeavour in the first place, you may ask.  Oh, because George Brown College had me at TEA. 

Seth Godin, in his book, Purple Cow, describes (page 79) the Japanese term "Otaku" as "something that's more than a hobby but a little less than an obsession.  Otaku is the overwhelming desire that gets someone to drive across town to try a new ramen-noodle shop that got a great review."  Well, that pretty much describes how I am with tea.

I am a tea otaku...  yes, I admit it ..... I am a tea addict.

I'm not sure whether all those courses fed the otaku in me or I already had this huge passion beforehand.  All I know is I could be innocently walking on the street and as soon as I see a tea shop, I would stop in my tracks and go in to check it out.

I could be on a family trip in China and see the Chinese character for tea and you'd better grab a hold of me or at least my wallet so I don't buy the whole shop! 

Tea Shop in Suzhou, China

Tea wares in the teashop

                                            No tea plant is safe...

 Longjing tea.  West Lake, Hangzhou, China  (by Mark Fong)

As a Certitfied Tea Sommelier, I will act as your ambassador and guide as we journey though the exciting world of tea.  So please join me in my travels, near and far, as we learn about all things tea.

And maybe eventually ... I could have you ... at TEA.


Updated on November 23, 2010.

(All photos unless otherwise noted were taken by Rita Fong)