Oh sure, they look all sturdy sitting on the top shelf of the bakery case at the Little Chef in Princeton, as if they were a collection of oversized pastel buttons ready to be discovered by some statement-making fashion designer for his next whimsical spring collection.
And then you eat one, and it turns out to be as fragile as a whisper, collapsing onto itself as if it were a delicate facsimile of a cookie, a mere hologram, an existential collection of textures and sweetness that somehow managed to appear momentarily real. And then you marvel again at the French, and their ability to take sugar and eggs to ethereal levels.
Edwige Fils-Aime is the owner of the Little Chef, and to say that his pastries have become legendary in this town would be an understatement. His chocolate croissants are gone practically as soon as they’re made, and the elegant tarts, napoleons and creme brulees that sit in his case are as artful as they are delicious. One bite is revelatory — surely the recipes behind these pastries must encompass several pages, step after patient step, and scads of judiciously used top-notch ingredients. These are treats for those who prefer the finer things.
And thus it makes sense that Fils-Aime has partnered with Sharon Levy to offer a tea party celebration for the Royal Wedding on Friday, a way to celebrate the Kate Middleton and Prince William ceremony in style, even if you have to get up at 5 a.m. to do so. Levy will bring the party to you (yes, even at that hour), a tea party as elaborate or simple as you like. The party includes scones, clotted cream, jams, finger sandwiches, gourmet English teas, even fine china and fresh flowers.
And among all the parties catered that day, this one in particular surely ranks high amid the examples of modern-day cultural globalization — a Haitian immigrant who makes French pastries has partnered with a Jamaican tea connoisseur for a New Jersey celebration of a marriage in the monarchy of Great Britain.
Fils-Aime fell in love with the business at La Boulange in New York, quitting his college chemistry classes to learn the trade from one French master after another at the now-closed pastry shop. The next stop on his resume was Princeton’s Chez Alice, where Fils-Aime was diligent in saving his earnings to open his own shop.
Levy, a former IT worker for IBM, is marketing a concept the Brits already hold dear, but one that’s not exactly revered on this side of the pond. The idea is simple: that one should never underestimate the civilizing power of a cup of tea. And Levy is making converts, one cup at a time, for her specially blended loose-leaf teas, her tea parties and her etiquette and table manners workshops for kids and teens.
“I’m selling the tea experience,” she says. “It’s about making yourself feel special.”
One of her best-selling teas is the Blue Mango Paradise, a blend of Sencha green tea, mango pieces, pineapple pieces and mallow flowers. Other blends have equally exotic names — the South African Honeybush Vanilla, Ice Wine Delight, Belgian Chocolate Pleasure, Spiced Ginger Green.
And her tea business is slowly growing — more people seem interested in the small pleasures of an aromatic tea in a china cup (Levy advises against using a mug — it’s too businesslike), of taking a break for yourself every day. “You don’t need a reason for a tea party,” she says, with conviction enough that you believe it her daily mantra.
Her philosophy may be true enough, but plenty of reasons also exist. Levy has done Mother’s Day events, corporate events, teacher appreciation events, Miss New Jersey events. Among her favorite parties was a charity function at the Trenton soup kitchen. (See her Saturday at the Communiversity Festival of the Arts in downtown Princeton.)
Levy remembers the last royal wedding, roused by her mother to a cup of tea and the fairy tale spectacle of Lady Diana. This time around, Levy will be rousing her own daughter to watch Kate Middleton officially enter the royal family, a bride who will influence the future of wedding dresses, hat styles and the number of knee-high suede boots we wear. Kate Middleton has already proven herself quite likable and appealing, says Levy. “I can’t wait to see the wedding.”
With one crucial caveat.
“There’s not going to be anybody like Lady Di.”
The Little Chef
8 South Tulane St., Princeton
(609) 924-5335, littlechefpastries.com
Taking Tea In Style
Call (908) 239-0100 or e-mail teaparty@takingtea-instyle.com
takingtea-instyle.com.
