A tea friend's new business!

Some of you know my friend Teresa Carter, a local caterer and tea lover who is a blogger herself. She's blogged as Southern Touch Catering, she's shared afternoon tea with several of us tea bloggers before, and as of about two weeks ago, she is now the proud owner of her very own café!

For any locals who may be reading, Teresa's café is located in the Summergrove Market Square, just past the performing arts center off Lower Fayetteville Road. Here are Teresa and husband Ken busy behind the counter.

I was actually in Wisconsin the week she opened, and last week was magazine deadline week so I was chained to my desk, but this week things are a bit better! My friend Deberah and I decided to go there for lunch yesterday, and though Teresa was quite busy we were thrilled to get to visit and beg a few photos from her and her sweet granddaughter Samantha (who was our cover girl at Newnan-Coweta Magazine a few summers ago) as well as Ken, whom we'd also enjoyed getting to know during the course of that very fun photo shoot.

My Special of the Day was special indeed: Shrimp and Lobster Bisque, a Chicken Salad Croissant, Potato Salad, Iced Black Tea (sweetened perfectly!) and an Ice Cream Cone for dessert (I chose chocolate in a waffle cone), all for just $6.95. W-O-W!

As I told Teresa, since I've enjoyed her food before I knew it would be good, but it was even better than I expected! That Shrimp and Lobster Bisque was to die for, and the Chicken Salad was terrific as well (love to find grapes in chicken salad). The Potato Salad was simply delicious (just the right amount of mustard!), and everything tasted so very, very fresh. No surprise, as Teresa is very committed to fresh and natural ingredients and actually told us a little about the process of finding some of the ingredients that go into her food. Nice!

I also give points for fresh flowers on the table and ...

... the cheerful decor! Since Deberah and I went early, there was one brief moment when two tables gave me a clear view. Glad I got the shot, as I'm told the lunch rush descended upon the place shortly thereafter!

There are also cookies and cake slices available at the counter, and I left with some yummy White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies! Everything truly exceeded my expectations, which really is not surprising since Teresa is a veteran caterer and, personally, such a class act. And ... she has mentioned the possibility of hosting teas in the future, so you can see why I'm terribly excited for and about my entrepreneurial friend!

*For fellow bargain hunters who'd like to see the daily specials, look for Southern Touch Catering on Faceboook and "like" her page!