Tea Society meets to explore Middle Eastern tea culture

Tea Society meets to explore Middle Eastern tea culture

Conversation was varied during the meeting of the Library Tea Society on Saturday, Nov. 9, when Middle Eastern fare and teas were featured. The monthly event is coordinated and facilitated by the library’s program assistant, Megan Marshall, second from left, with a different tea culture being explored each month.

Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — The monthly meeting of the Library Tea Society is steadily growing in popularity as the word spreads. The gathering on Saturday, Nov. 9, explored the teas, cuisine and tea culture of the Middle East, served with grace and polish in the Amenia Free Library.

“It’s delicious and healthy,” said Teresa Sullivan of Amenia who came a few minutes early with apparent enthusiasm, having attended earlier monthly teas. Past teas had explored teas and treats of England and China.

The Middle Eastern menu featured Cardamom Tea (a black tea) and Lemongrass Chamomile Tea (herbal alternative). On the menu were rose pistachio bundt cakes, date mamoul, baklava, tabouli, pistachios, pomegranate seeds, falafel, pine nut hummus and chocolate hummus, much of it prepared by the library’s program assistant, Megan Marshall, who set the table in the old library reading room with china cups and saucers, along with china teapots. Much of the Middle Eastern fare is vegetarian-based.

Asked about the origins of the idea to create the Tea Society, Marshall recalled that during her college years at the University of Buffalo, she joined a tea club and enjoyed learning about different countries’ teas and their cultural cuisine. Since coming to her position at the Amenia Library in June, she imagined that Amenia library patrons might also be drawn to the idea.

Attendance has been growing each month. The next meeting, scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 14, will feature Indian teas and cuisine. The featured tea will be Chai, maybe with lemon, Marshall said. The tea will begin at 12:30 p.m.

In January (the second Saturday), the theme will be Africa and will feature a beautiful purple tea, Marshall said, to complement the cuisine offerings.

Latest News

Back to school
Photo by Leila Hawken

AMENIA — The first day of school on Thursday, Sept. 4, at Webutuck Elementary School went smoothly, with teachers enthusiastically greeting the eager young students disembarking from buses. Excitement was measurable, with only a few tears from parents, but school began anyway.


Keep ReadingShow less
Millerton’s Demitasse shutters Main Street storefront, goes digital

Demitasse owner Hayden McIntosh Geer said she is excited by the shift to online sales.

Photo by Hayden McIntosh Geer

MILLERTON — Some might have argued that launching an in-person retail business during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic wasn’t advisable. But against all odds, Demitasse in Millerton managed not only to build a thriving, mission-based brand in a small storefront on Main Street, it developed a loyal customer base and provided a welcoming space for visitors. Last week, Demitasse announced it is closing-up shop and moving fully online.

“We are excited,” said owner Hayden McIntosh Geer, who opened Demitasse with her husband, Richard, in 2020. “Though we will miss our customers and the camaraderie on Main Street, it feels right and there was no second guessing.”

Keep ReadingShow less
New Millerton police cruisers arrive to replace fire-ravaged vehicles

Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik shows off the new gear. Brand new police cruisers arrived last week.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLERTON — The Millerton Police Department has received two new patrol cars to replace vehicles destroyed in the February 2025 fire at the Village Water and Highway Department.

The new Ford Interceptors are custom-built for law enforcement. “They’re more rugged than a Ford Explorer,” said Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik, noting the all-wheel drive, heavy-duty suspension and larger tires and engine. “They call it the ‘Police Package.’”

Keep ReadingShow less
Fashion Feeds on track to raise $100,000 for Food of Life Food Pantry

Erin Rollins of Millbrook in the Fashion Feed booth, open year round, at the Millbrook Antiques Mall. All proceeds from Fashion Feeds go to the Food of Life Pantry.

Photo by Aly Morrissey

MILLBROOK – In a time when optimism and unity can feel elusive, sometimes a walk down Franklin Avenue is enough to feed the soul. With Millbrook Community Day just around the corner, one highlight will be Fashion Feeds, a community effort led by Millbrook native Erin Rollins, whose mission is to fight local hunger.

The concept is simple. People donate new or gently used designer fashion, which is sold at affordable prices, and all proceeds benefit The Food of Life/Comida de Vida Pantry at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Amenia.

Keep ReadingShow less