This tea party serves up
relaxation, not politics
Maggie Ford and Debra Heaphy
have started a tea party, but it has nothing to do with politics.
Their tea party is called the
Rose and the Nightingale. Based in American Canyon, the Rose and the
Nightingale brings tea, sandwiches and sweets, fine china and table linens into
private homes for any occasion.
Co-owners Ford and Heaphy are
longtime friends who dreamed for years of owning a bed-and-breakfast inn or tea
room where they could indulge their passion for drinking tea and create a
traditional Victorian-style tea room experience for others.
“But those types of businesses
require 24/7 dedication,” said Ford — not to mention a significant financial
investment.
Their traveling tea party
venture gives the two women the flexibility to fit the parties into their lives
and schedules, they said.
For many years, Ford was a sales
consultant for Tealightful Treasures, a New York-based direct sales tea party
company.
“I brought tea parties into the
home and did tastings. Now, instead of selling the products, I’m focusing on
selling the experience of enjoying tea,” Ford explained. She also retired
recently from Napa Valley College, where she worked as the division secretary
for the Arts and Humanities Department.
Heaphy is a self-taught chef
with a cookbook collection of several hundred volumes. She holds a degree in
home economics and once managed a health foods store. In addition to operating
the Rose and the Nightingale, she is office manager and bookkeeper for her
family’s business that repairs and refurbishes countertops.
“I am passionate about tea
because it imbues a sense of relaxation, as opposed to coffee, which is a
get-up-and-go type of beverage,” said Heaphy, owner of approximately 50
teapots.
“And there is a whole world of
deliciousness out there beyond plain ‘tea bag’ tea.”
The Rose and the Nightingale
supplies everything needed for a two-hour tea party for a minimum of 10 guests
in the host’s home. The host selects the occasion for the party, and Ford and
Heaphy provide the theme- and color-coordinated centerpiece, linens, china,
flatware, teapots and teacups.
They arrive at the party-giver’s
home two hours ahead of guests to prepare the food, then remain throughout the
event to keep the freshly brewed tea flowing.
“We pour and serve as needed —
the parties are sit-down affairs,” Ford said. “We bring the elegance of a
high-end English tea room into the comfort of the hosts’ homes, and they don’t
have to lift a finger to prepare anything. They only have to invite the guests
and open up their kitchens to us.”
Included in the $25-per-adult
fee are hot and cold teas, lemonade, milk, scones, sweets such as lemon bars
and cupcakes, an assortment of English-style sandwiches and savories to choose
from, and extras such as jams and clotted cream. (Children’s parties can be
arranged for $15 per child.)
Available for an additional
charge are several varieties of soups and salads, fresh fruit, and even
Scottish eggs.
Both experienced home cooks,
Heaphy typically prepares the savory foods served at the parties, while Ford
bakes the cookies and cakes.
“Most people think that tea
parties are just for women, but traditionally, they were social affairs where
both men and women attended,” Ford said. “Men also poured the tea at afternoon
teas. So our parties are geared to anyone who would love to have the
experience.”
Ford and Heaphy are
concentrating on tea parties for bridal and baby showers, birthday
celebrations, Red Hat Society events, retirements, and holiday and seasonal
themes. Custom parties such as a tea-and-chocolate tasting for Valentine’s Day
can also be arranged.
In addition to Napa County, the
pair will leave Napa County to cater a party.
The two owners are marketing the
Rose and the Nightingale through a website (Debra Heaphy’s son, James Heaphy,
designed the company logo), as well as using social networking to spread the
word.
“Debra and I are also
distributing our business cards at antiques shops, and contacting wedding
planners and photographers for reaching the bridal market,” Ford said. “I
believe it’s important to have face-to-face contact with people who can help
promote our business.”
Ford added that her mission for
the Rose and the Nightingale is to get people to “take the time to care,”
because too much “stuff” in our lives inhibits people — especially women — from
making time for themselves, she said.
“Life is too short not to take
time to enjoy your friends, family, and your home,” she said.
Posted in Business on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 8:30 pm Updated: 8:32 pm. |
Tags: Maggie Ford, Debra Heaphy,
