Good Gracious High Tea

“Our mission is to work with integrity bringing tradition and cultures together through food and Celebration”

"A woman is like a tea bag - you can't tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water" - Eleanor Roosevelt

 

I think the quote says a lot about me!  Life is definitely a journey, and most of the time an exciting one so here’s a little bit about me, what makes my heart sing and my passion and dreams for Good Gracious High Tea.

 What’s at the heart of Good Gracious High Tea?

Absolute aroha! Good Gracious High Tea is a way for me to express my love through amazing food and gathering people together to enjoy local, seasonal produce, to celebrate life and of course have lots of fun!   I’m a professionally trained chef who has travelled the world working in fine dining restaurants to film set catering and without doubt my greatest joy is seeing people love my food and enjoying each other’s company. 

Seeing a mum and daughter catch up over a cup of tea sharing a sweet treat or a savoury bite or catering for a corporate event that has a lashings of heart, soul and of course the wow factor thrown in is a genuine thrill for me.

What gems do you have as far as working for yourself goes?

Gosh, there’s so many!  First of all create an amazing “tribe” of people to surround yourself with who inspire and encourage. I come from an amazing family and having that sense of connection to something bigger than yourself is very important to me.

Remember to give back when you can.  I’ve created some Good Gracious High Tea “thank yous” to people in our community who I think do an amazing job like Tauranga Fire Station, St Johns Pharmacy and Oaklands Rest home.  It’s so rewarding in lots of ways

 

What else is a favourite thing about your “workspace”?

Sustainability and community is very important to me both professionally and personally which is why I only use fresh, local in season produce.  In my opinion it just makes sense plus buying from local business people allows me to give back to our community.

Besides that fresh, local and in season produce tastes so good too so everyone gets the best of both worlds.  My crockery and cutlery is part of the sustainability mindset as well as they’re not only beautiful classic timepieces, they’re reusable too. 

I have a worm farm at home I’m very proud of so a lot of food waste goes in there and I have chosen my suppliers very carefully who work alongside me and my values.  I take containers back to be replenished so everywhere I can I minimise waste and packaging.  Once again it adds to the thrill of what I do at Good Gracious High Tea.

Any final words …..

Running my own business is a dream for me because after travelling the world I’m home and I’m doing something I absolutely love!  If I was to promise anything it would be to create absolutely magical, unique and fun shared experiences that inspires warmth, happiness and connection (and of course delicious treats too!).  Now that to me just couldn’t get any better. 

 Nga mihi, 

Denise

Good Gracious Facts

  • To capture local artisan flavors, we change the menu regularly to showcase local produce at it’s freshest 
  • Sustainability is very important to us, so where possible we reuse and incorporate this into our high teas.
  •  Our food is delivered on vintage crockery and/or in baskets
  • We work with businesses with similar principals
  • We cater for all occasions big or small
  • We encourage customers to bring their own containers
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