Special Guest Post: Lauren and Haley Fox are the delightful sisters and owners of Alice’s Tea Cup, the charming, wildly popular and always kid-friendly Manhattan restaurants. Their cookbook of the same name features more than 80 signature tea time recipes.  

I consider myself somewhat of an expert on this subject, so when asked to write this piece I jumped at the opportunity. My sister, Haley and I grew up drinking tea and going with our parents for Afternoon Tea at various hotels in New York City. This all led to a lifelong curiosity and love of all things tea that culminated in our decision to create Alice’s Tea Cup. We wanted a place we would want to go to, that had all the things we loved about our Afternoon Tea experiences, without the pinky-up pretentiousness so often associated with them. We are about to celebrate the ten year anniversary of Alice’s Tea Cup, and over those ten years Haley became a mom–twice–and I became the very proudest of Aunties. I am also lucky enough to live very close to my sister, brother-in-law, and niece and nephew and frequently have tea parties with them. Here is one of my favorite tea parties they have thrown for their Auntie “Lala”:

A “Hats Required” Party!

This was for a birthday party Haley and the kids–Maddan and Finley–threw for me a few years ago. They sent invitations (by Evite, or Paperless Post, because we always prefer to take the “green” route, when possible) that stated, “You MUST wear a hat.  Any hat. Let the hat speak for you.” Friends and family showed up wearing every kind of hat, from bonnets, to berets, to baseball caps. Maddan wore a pirate hat. Finley wore a princess crown. Not a hat, technically, but she was three and you can’t challenge a 3-year-old on the difference between a hat and a crown. It was quite glorious…!  Here’s the menu from that day:

Teas: Alice’s Tea, our house blend of black vanilla tea and sencha green tea with rose and rosehips and Sparrow’s Soul, our herbal house blend of chamomile flowers, rose petals, linden blossom and French vervain.

Décor: We set up a table with hats on it, just in case someone forgot to wear one. There was a wide assortment, so guests could find one that suited them. Guests were also invited to swap the one they were wearing for one on the table, if they were so moved. The table was set with mix and match china, in tradition with Alice’s.

Menu: As with all of our tea parties, the scones are the star attraction. For this one we had Mixed Berry Scones and Chocolate Chip Banana Scones. The tea sandwiches were Cucumber Watercress and Smoked Salmon with lemon-infused butter. For dessert, cupcakes were served, with hats piped in icing on top of them in different styles/colors.

This is just one of so many tea parties I have shared with my niece and nephew. The only rule we ALL always follow is this:

THERE ARE NO RULES! Just have fun! Be as creative and imaginative as possible. If your favorite Auntie has a favorite thing, then use that theme and let your imagination run wild. Happy Auntie’s Day™, everyone!

Lauren Fox started her career as an actress and writer, splitting her time between Los Angeles and New York, before opening Alice’s with her sister. She has appeared in many independent films, such as Pi, Revolution Summer and Noon Blue Apples. She now juggles her time between acting, writing, and Alice’s.

For all the recipes featured in this post, be sure to check out Alice's Tea Cup: Delectable Recipes for Scones, Cakes, Sandwiches, and More from New York's Most Whimsical Tea Spot.

Published: July 13, 2011