Today we’d like to introduce you to Kerry Hanson.
Hi Kerry, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My guests call me a Tea Madame, I don’t know about that, I just like to make people feel special. My knowledge comes from quite a few mentors I was fortunate enough to have. Mostly it would be my mom and grandmothers. Their recipes, lessons, dishes, furniture, spirits and love are all throughout Kuppa Thyme Tea Room.
I grew up mostly in Fl. I was born in St. Augustine, but we lived in Ormand Beach. I spent most weekends and summers with both my maternal and paternal grandparents soaking up all they taught. My maternal grandmother was Pearl Pandolfini and she served at the Ponce Resort for nearly 30 years and she taught me a lot about serving, linens (she took care of all the ones at the Cathedral, even made her own starch) but especially her baking skills and techniques.
She didn’t like to cook but, she was an excellent baker working in a kitchen with about 2 linear feet of counter space and yet I never saw her kitchen in any condition but spotless! My mom opened a breakfast restaurant when we returned from living in the UAE the summer before my freshman year of high school. She knew people would love my grandmother’s baked goods and she was right. People would line up around the building to get her nearly 10 inch high sticky buns, but more so for her giant fluffy biscuits that were topped with her sausage gravy. I still make her Kambrige (clotted) Kream, Krumpets, Skones, Lemon Meringue pie, and chocolate fudge cake that never disappoint. Not so good at the biscuits….yet! I loved watching her make huge trays of baked goods at my moms, The Palm.
My paternal grandmother Dorothy Wannop was the opposite. I don’t recall her ever baking but, she was one of the best cooks I and a lot of others thought. My spread for my cucumbers sandwiches is commented on always in a very positive way. It’s even called what we called it as kids eating it on celery while playing Pinochle for days, “Mema’s Green Cheese”. It’s Devine! As well as Yankee Pimento Cheese.
My first paying job was across the street from my mom’s place, a popular family owned Greek restaurant called The Spanish Landing”. I loved looking after families on vacation and trying hard to give them a memorable evening. I especially loved the grandfather of the family that worked all day on sauces and made the most velvety rice pudding and a decadent chocolate cheesecake. I learned watching him and still make them. I wish I had learned his sauces but it was hard since he created and stirred all day while I was in school and he spoke mostly in French.
Waitressing came easy to me as my parents were very social and hosted many parties. My mom didn’t like to cook but she was great at making store bought food look fancy. I think my college fund was spent on fancy colored picks, shaped ice cube trays, beautiful platters, cocktail napkins, olives and smoked meats. Money well spent I feel looking back now. I still have an obsession with napkins, paper and linen!
My father travelled all over the world and taught me to be respectful to everyone and to always be considerate of and to learn from cultural differences. We travelled some and it was a wonderful way to learn about people, food and customs. My passport has stamps from (earliest to latest) Columbia, Puerto Rico, Africa, United Arab Emirates, UK, France and Spain on it.
I don’t know what I do is called, I just know how much I love doing it. It does way more for my soul than anything I could have gone to school for.
In my tearoom I like every guest to tell me what their idea of a tea party is. Each guest builds their own from my fresh made menu items. Some like traditional, some all sweets, I even have a customer that has come since I opened, and she always has 16 cucumber sandwiches and Earl Gray. Tea is always unlimited, by the visit never by the pot and choices can be changed with courses. I serve every cup so you can just enjoy whomever you’re visiting with. My motto is “Sit, Sip & Chat the day Away”. On most visits I’m able to offer you your table for the afternoon so may leave after savories, shop around our quant downtown area and comeback for more tea and something sweet. It’s all included weather your having a six course Queen Tea or just sipping one of my signature hibiscus blends alone or with your family. Birthdays are always treated special, the guest of honor gets many wishes with my Blue Magic Wishing Tea and a tea party for later.
Merchandise is all around to see and sold by locals crafters, artists and vintage sellers. Above the beautiful antique furniture is my newest endeavor…big eye spy a spot games in various categories with binoculars for better chance of winning. Great for kids of all ages.
I still do Mobile Carriage Teas and light catering, but my heart is in my little shop on 11th Street in the precious Historic Downtown District of St. Cloud.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I was open for just a few weeks when my one way street was closed off for street renovation.
But mostly it’s been not being able to run the shop full throttle. I have always been the care giver in my family and I’ve lost someone significant in my life every year since I opened. But oddly enough as I saw Covid hurt so many businesses, in a way it helped me. I did private dining and my customers really liked it, so I still do it. I also do Carriage Mobile Tea Parties. I bring the dishes, linens, food and even tables if you need. I setup, serve, breakdown and go. So many people like to entertain but can’t or don’t want the hassle of being the hostess. That’s me…hostess with the mostess. I’ve done small bridge or domino groups all the way upto 60 guests for a conference in a hall.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I’m most proud of how I treat guests. The pride I take in cleanliness, freshness, quality and quantity.
And especially the time, I feel time spent in my tearoom should always be special. I want you to feel like royalty at an expense you can be a regular not just for special occasions.
Can you talk to us about how you think about risk?
I love to make the tables, food and atmosphere inviting, loveley, fun and memorable.
I went to many tearooms before I opened and decided I wanted to be different. I wanted to be a family place. Let the items for sale by my 30+ handmade crafters, vintage sellers, authors, and artists be the decor and let the food and service be the main attraction.
It was a risk to not be like other High Tea spots. But, it was how I wanted to do it. It was a risk to take an old building that was a condemned, dirty dirt floored building. It was hard work to take it from being an old stinky bar with a 40 year reputation and turn it into a clean, bright, spot on a side street that was being closed for renovations downtown. But, I was fortunate to have a gentleman and his wife that saw the vision for their space and thought I would be perfect and a good thing for the revitalizing area. So I signed a lease, drug my husband in to help me paint, lug in furniture design and invest. With a few months of hard work, little sleep due to excitement and I made it into something I love and hope to pass onto my granddaughters to put their mark on.
Risk is believing in what you can give will pay what you need.
Pricing:
- I do Build ATea Party from dressup, crafts to Skones and scoops of salads to yummy tea sandwiches
- 2.50
- $35
Contact Info:
