One Sarasota-based catering company wants locals to sip like the Queen.
In February and March, Simply Gourmet's series of Royal English teas will return on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons. The events will take place at the Powel Crosley Estate, whose worth-the-drive grounds in Sarasota will be up for guests to explore.
Considered a tradition, Royal English tea services began in 1860 with Queen Victoria, according to Larry Barrett, president of Simply Gourmet. The chef's known for his signature reproductions of White House state dinners and considers these mashups of historical gatherings and fine food "as a type of culinary theater."
"Every year, the Royal Family hosts an afternoon tea for about 8,000 guests at Buckingham Palace," Barrett said in a statement. "It's a grand and colorful affair. Men wear suits or military uniforms, and women wear dresses with hats and gloves. The 500-foot buffet table is set with a feast and there's tea, of course."
Simply Gourmet's afternoon teas, hosted in the upstairs living area of the mansion that overlooks the bay, will feature unlimited tea and a selection of sweet and savory items — vanilla cream fruit tartlets, cassis-marinated strawberry parfait and turkey/sun-dried tomato pinwheels among them. Tea will be served in eclectic old-fashioned tea sets, and a portion of the proceeds is set to benefit the Crosley Foundation.
Reservations for the $35 Royal English tea services — planned for 2 p.m. Feb. 7, 8, 14 and 15 as well as 2 p.m. March 7, 8, 21, 22, 28 and 29 — are open. They can be made by calling 941-225-9122.
This article appears in Dec 1-8, 2016.