Saws are whirring and interior walls are being prepped for fresh paint at James Bay Tea Room and Restaurant, where new partners are remodelling for its grand opening on Saturday.
This isn’t a mom-and-pop place, but rather a father-and-daughter team.
Calgary’s John MacPhee, 60, and daughter, Heather MacPhee, 27, who moved to Victoria in May, are partners. They lease the building and took over the restaurant June 1 from Yvonne and Bernd Woerpel, who ran it for 27 years.
John is in Victoria putting in long hours to help modernize the restaurant, which closed Tuesday for its makeover. He’ll be here until Oct. 20 when he returns to his other company, Metal-Fab Industries, a structural steel fabrication firm.
Family friends Gladys and Len Fraser from Comox are pitching in to do whatever’s needed in the 1905 white building at the corner of Menzies and Superior streets. Clearing out the 53-seat space has exposed extensive wood moulding.
The vast collection of royal family and Winston Churchill memorabilia is in storage for now. New frames have been put on a dozen special pictures, which will be displayed in the pared-down decor.
More than the design is being changed. Heather is delivering an updated menu, with some new recipes including her mother’s butter tarts, and there’s a new emphasis on service.
“We wanted to modernize the restaurant. It hasn’t been changed in many years,” she said.
The aim is to attract new customers and retain existing ones. A children’s menu has been added.
James Bay Tea Room and Restaurant will be open Monday to Saturday 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sundays 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Heather, who has a decade of experience in the restaurant industry, is at work every day.
“I like socializing. It’s just my cup of tea,” she said Thursday. “When I’m not here, I want to be here.”
More than 15 types of tea will be offered.
The Daily Tea is $23.99 and includes finger sandwiches, crumpets, scones, clotted cream and jam. A light tea and a children’s tea are each $12.99.
Victoria and tea have long been linked. Restaurant teas, such as at the Fairmont Empress, are on must-do list for tourists.
The annual Victoria Tea Festival in Crystal Garden draws people of all ages eager to try the diverse selection of teas available through specialty stores locally. It is scheduled for Feb. 8 next year.
Traditional teas with finger foods are available at locations such as the Oak Bay Beach Hotel on Beach Drive, Venus Sofia Tea Room and Vegetarian Eatery on Fisgard Street, the White Heather Tea Room on Oak Bay Avenue, and Adrienne’s Tea Garden on Cordova Bay Road.
Other outlets sell and often serve teas. These include Murchie’s Tea and Coffee on Government Street, Special Teas Inc. on Fort St., DavidsTea on Johnson Street, Silk Road Tea on Government Street, Murchie’s, and Teavana on Fort Street in the Bay Centre.
Tea’s popularity dovetails with society’s interest not only in trying more types of teas to enjoy their flavour, but in any health benefits as well.
There seems to be no end to the variations of traditional and other types of tea, taking tea-lovers into exotic territory.
Tea lovers have endless options such as Vietnam green and black teas, oolong, pu’erh, honeybush, yerba mate, masala chai, true Japanese green, China white, rooibos. Teas can be organic, kosher, made with citrus, chocolate or licorice. There seems to be no end of combinations of herbal teas.
