Meet a Tea Sommelier - Cynthia Gold
Afternoon Tea at the Park Plaza Hotel is a Culinary Treat, Too
Mar 4, 2009
From tea infused cocktails, to tea smoked meats, to hand-selected and custom-blended teas, Cynthia Gold is elevating the already refined ritual known as Afternoon Tea.
Afternoon tea is a lovely way to spend a snow day. Or any day. When it becomes a culinary surprise, you know you've landed in the right spot.
Cynthia Gold - From Chef to Tea Sommelier
Gold, is a well-trained, well-seasoned chef. She began her culinary journey at Johnson & Wales, graduating Summa Cum Laude and later studied Pastry and Baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY and Napa Valley. As a restaurateur she decided tea would not be a run-of-the mill affair at her restaurant. She read, tasted and learned and began to use some of the finer teas in culinary ways. As her fascination with fine teas grew, so did interest in her tea-infused menu. She was introduced to Helen Gustafson who became her mentor and facilitated Gold's study in Asia, where she was able to study tea, at the source.
Gold says "She shared her knowledge with me and introduced me to some amazing people who equally were willing to share their knowledge. I was very fortunate to fall into such an incredible learning opportunity."
While there is no international standard or certification that is universally accepted, The Specialty Tea Institute is working on Certification level courses and George Brown University in Canada is developing a Tea Sommelier program. There is also a program in Sri Lanka.
Gold teaches at a number of different culinary schools and has served the Royal Family of Tibet as well as won numerous accolades. She's a noted tea source. Currently, a tea cuisine contest is coming to a close among nearby culinary schools that Gold enjoys working with. She even hosts complimentary "Tea 101" classes at the Hotel.
Traditional Afternoon Teas and "Tea Cuisine"
The tea menu includes traditional teas, hand-selected and fine quality teas, with familiar names, such as the Boston breakfast blend: a combination of Chinese, Indian, African teas and a favorite of the hotel owner.
There are also custom blends like the 80th Anniversary blend and the Steep Towards a Cure blend, which benefits the Avon Foundation Breast Cancer Research. The "Cure" blend includes: Chinese white tea Japanese green tea scented with cherry blossoms and peach. The packaged special blend Makes 35 cups and sells for $15.50 with $5.00 going directly toward Avon.
The tea cuisine items include a luscious jasmine tea cured salmon and tea and spice rubbed pork tenderloin, a tea infused port as well as the tea infused crème brulee.
Chef & Tea Sommelier Cynthia Gold shares her recipe for 11 Spice Tea Rub, courtesy of The Boston Park Plaza Hotel.
11 Spice Tea Rub Recipe
This is a wonderfully versatile combination that is handy to keep available in your cabinet. It is very nice rubbed on chicken, pork, beef and game for grilling or roasting. It can also be used as a spice blend added to braising liquids, chutneys, you name it.
- 5 T finely ground Chinese Black Tea (Congou or Pu-Erh work well)
- 1/4 Cup Brown Sugar
- 2 t ground cinnamon
- 1 t curry powder
- 1 t ground cumin
- 1 t crushed red pepper flakes or crushed Szechwan peppercorns
- 1/2 t cayenne pepper
- 1 t freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 t ground star anise or anise seed
- 1/2 t ground clove
- 1/2 t crushed fennel seed
- 1/2 t ground ginger
- 1/2 t ground mace
Combine all ingredients, mix well until homogeneous. Store in tightly sealed jar or tin at room temperature.
At tea on Monday, the sandwiches included thinly sliced pork prepared with this rub and served with a light chutney. For the cost of two drinks in Boston you could enjoy "tea cuisine" and a lovely, savory and sweet afternoon. Oh yes, and some wonderful tea!
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