Keeping Traditions Alive to a Tea

Keeping Traditions Alive to a Tea

By Linda Roberts

Teapots of every imaginable style at The Tea Cart.

Photos by Linda Roberts

As a child, Allison Ritter enjoyed serving tea to her dolls using pieces from the lovely china tea sets her mother collected.

As an adult, Ritter is still serving tea, but these days, she’s pouring it for adults and sometimes to children accompanying their mothers, in her classic tea room on Main Street in downtown Berryville.

The Tea Cart transports guests to Britain to enjoy a leisurely two hours over lunch or afternoon tea with the opportunity to savor scones, delicate sandwiches and special desserts while, of course, sipping a favorite cup of tea. Visitors have the option to select from a wide variety of loose-leaf teas, served in a delicate teapot and poured into an exquisite china cup.

Allison Ritter pauses for a snapshot with the Queen at The Tea Cart.

“We try to create an experience here,” Ritter said with a smile, adding, “This is what sets us apart.”

Obviously Ritter’s vision is hitting the mark. Some visitors are driving to Berryville from as far away as Richmond and Pennsylvania to drink in the atmosphere at The Tea Cart while enjoying a traditional British menu of select teas and delicious tidbits prepared by chef Jennifer Brewer.

Reservations are recommended because The Tea Cart often is booking six weeks in advance for weekends and serving 250 to 300 guests per week Wednesday through Sunday. Weekends are particularly busy with special occasion events, such as birthday gatherings and bridal parties.

Once a publicist for food brands and restaurants, Ritter moved from Los Angeles with her husband and two young boys to join forces with her mother, Sue Whitbeck of Berryville. Together the mother-daughter duo is tackling the tea room business with great success. Although leaving a successful career was difficult, Ritter hasn’t looked back and has found herself promoting what she intended to create—“a relaxing, leisurely and elegant experience.

The guest experience begins when greeted at the front door and invited to select a hat from a stand holding fanciful bonnets of many colors, shapes and sizes. After all, a proper tea party is not complete unless guests don a hat for the occasion.

At that point, you and your party are ushered to an elegantly appointed table where lovely china plates, teapots, cups and saucers and linen napkins await. At the conclusion of their experience, guests have the option to purchase the often vintage or perhaps contemporary place settings, including the teapot, should they wish to savor a moment and reflect on their outing at The Tea Cart at their own home.

The Tea Cart’s staff goes through what the guest should expect at each setting, an experience that Ritter calls “an absolute ritual.

“It is such an escape,” she said. “You are transported into another country’s ritual and try foods and perhaps teas that you hadn’t sampled before.”

A highlight of the visit is always a photo opportunity with a life-size figure of Queen Elizabeth that can be moved around the room.

“It’s important to keep up these traditions,” Ritter said. “I am so grateful to continue providing this experience. It’s at the forefront of my contribution (to society).” The Tea Cart is located at 16 W. Main Street in downtown Berryville. For additional information and to make reservations visit www.theteacartva.com.