Quincy woman brings tea parties to customers' homes

QUINCY, Ill. -- If a Quincy resident is dying to sit down for tea and crumpets, he or she doesn't have to book a trans-Atlantic flight to London just yet.

They just have to give Susan Asher a call.

Asher, a recently retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, realizes that most people can't find time to make all the preparations for a traditional English afternoon tea.

So she brings the tea party to them.

The idea first came to Asher while she was stationed in the Washington area several years ago. She some friends dropped by the Ritz-Carlton Hotel at Pentagon City Mall in Arlington, Va., one afternoon, and took tea.

The pleasant indulgence led Asher to think of serving teas to paying customers.

"At first, I thought of a tea room, but after a business class, I realized it was going to be too expensive," she said.

But by the end of that first class, the idea for her new business was planted.

Food for a fee

A short time later, while stationed in Ohio, Asher checked out that state's health regulations and learned she would have to work in a licensed kitchen if she sold food for money. But the stipulation didn't apply if the food were cooked in someone else's kitchen for their consumption.

Asher's business, Thyme-out Tea Parties, was started last January in Dayton, Ohio, where she and her husband, Terry, also an Air Force lieutenant colonel, had been stationed. The two were about to retire and were looking for the next step in their lives. They moved to Quincy and the company came to the area.

For a fee, Asher will brew tea and bake scones, bread and desserts in a customer's home. Asher brings everything. Not only does she supply the teas and the ingredients for the baked items, but she brings the bakeware, utensils, tea sets and plates.

When she started, Asher bought a tea set for 20, serving trays and all the cookware. She practiced brewing different kinds of teas. She tried different baked items. She even threw a few rehearsal teas for friends.

Now she shows up at the hostess's home about 3 1/2 hours before the start of the tea party. She needs the prep time to make the pastries and breads from scratch.

A tea party usually lasts about two hours. Asher likes to work from a standardized menu that includes two or three types of finger sandwiches, scones and several desserts.

Featured beverages include a black tea and a decaffeinated herbal tea.

Afternoon teas have a long history in England, where they serve as a fourth meal.

"It brings people together so they can sit and talk. It's a great way to reconnect with family and friends over a nice cup of tea," Asher said.