OAKWOOD — A new cafe in Oakwood is serving up more than 60 different types of tea.
The Garden Tea House, owned by husband and wife Michael and Bella Gorfunkel, serves up different varieties of loose tea leaves from around the world in glass pots and mugs. The couple offers advice on when to remove the bag and tips on the drink.
"Everybody serves coffee, coffee shops serve tea, but nobody serves tea the way I envision it so you can enjoy it with all your senses," said Bella Gorfunkel.
"It's an experience, it's a culture."
The shop, at 105 Guyon Ave., opened at the end of July. It also serves up coffee, homemade desserts, crepes, salads, Panini and more. The couple prides themselves on using natural ingredients and recipes they've picked up through their travels around the world.
"There's no preservatives, there's no additives," said Bella Gorfunkel, who also owned Bella Travel on the second floor of the building for nearly 20 years.
And for those who can't choose between the large selection of teas, they also give suggestions about which tea would go best with the food ordered.
The couple, who moved from the Ukraine to the United States in 1979, dreamed of opening a tea shop for years and after several restaurants closed in the ground floor spot at the building they own, they decided to finally give it go.
"We had it in our mind to open a tea place because nobody’s really serving tea," Michael Gorfunkel said.
For Bella Gorfunkel, sitting around a table with a pot of tea is the perfect way to de-stress.
"You need to relax over a pot of tea," she said. "It's therapy."
