Teapots and Treasures Café & Curiosities

Living Her Dream

Thirteen years ago Barb O’Donnell opened her dream shop, Teapots and Treasures Café & Curiosities in Palm Beach Gardens, with a friend. She envisioned a place where women could gather and enjoy each other’s company while sipping tea and eating wonderful food; and at the same time seeing the many treasures that her consignment shop had to offer.

As the years went by, Barb found that she needed more space for ladies to gather, so the consignment arm of the business began to shrink a bit.

Fortunately for me, one of my Road Trips For Food (RTFF) regulars, Dawn Sherling, had discovered Teapots and Treasures Café & Curiosities not too long ago and recommended that I try it out. Great food served at a leisurely pace? One does not have to suggest a place like this to me more than once.

Ten of us went to Teapots and Treasures Café & Curiosities last week and it was everything I hoped for and then some. Our experience started with our selection of tea. One would think this would be an easy thing to do, but we were presented with about 18 cans of various kinds of teas, which we shook to release their aroma before making our selections.

Our food started coming course after course after course after course! The Cranberry Orange Scones with Treasure Butter were out of this world. The scones were light and fluffy and the secret ingredient butter was good enough to eat on its own.

My only experience with cream of tomato soup, while I was growing up, was the kind that came out of the can and tasted like tin. When our teacups of soup were placed in front of us, I did not see any resemblance to the soup of my youth, something for which I was most thankful. The taste was the perfect blend of tomatoes and cream with a silky smooth consistency.

Our third course was individual Spinach Bacon Quiches. They were baked without a crust, which was a lovely twist. The quiche continued our streak of successful courses.

The fourth course brought us chicken salad in filo crust, egg salad sandwiches and cream cheese cucumber sandwiches. I loved the fact that neither the chicken salad nor the egg salad was swimming in mayonnaise and everything was presented individually sized.

By the time we got to the ‘main course,’ aka dessert, we were all fairly stuffed. Not to worry, though, I rose to the occasion. The desserts were just as wonderful as I would have expected, following a meal as delicious as ours.

The lemon bars were the right blend of tart and sweet. The pumpkin spice cakes were cut into a flower shape with a just a smidge of frosting on top. The Orange Delights were lovely orange cupcakes with a delicious coconut frosting.

I think my favorite dessert, if it is possible to choose only one, was the Peppermint Tea Cookie. It reminded me a bit of a Mexican Wedding Cookie, but firmer and with a delicious peppermint taste. Although a simple cookie, the twist on the traditional was an unexpected and delightful surprise.

I tell friends all the time how happy I am that I have these Road Trips For Food. I have met wonderful people and discovered restaurants that I more than likely would not have wandered into. Teapots and Treasures Café & Curiosities is no exception.

Barb, who is now the sole owner of this restaurant, is so pleasant to both chat and work with and her food is spectacular. I hope Barb continues to live her dream for quite some time; after all, women deserve to visit a place as wonderful as Teapots and Treasures Café & Curiosities.