Like many folks, Erin Green spent a lot of time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was homeschooling her then-10-year-old son Nigel, working in her garden and baking — a lot. Little did she know then that her hobbies would intersect.
As the Oakley mom dabbled more into baking and gardening, growing herbs, vegetables and lettuce for fresh salads, her thoughts turned to future business ventures. First up was finding a natural fertilizer for her garden. She was frightened by chickens but delighted with the thought of ducks waddling around fertilizing her large back yard and eating any harmful garden slugs and snails. Ducks became her “pandemic pets.”
And from the ducks came eggs that were good for baking, Green added. It wasn’t long before Green had a thriving garden and was busy experimenting with her favorite cakes and pastries while planning a business that would combine her interests. Green had worked briefly in marketing, but that job had ended and her son was back in public school, so she had more time to work on her own venture, she said.
Green also loved drinking tea. Her grandmother, Frances, who had immigrated from Barbados, once a British colony, had instilled in her a love of fragrant teas, and she thought why not open a tea room? But costs were high for a brick-and-mortar business, so Green decided to take a tea business, with a small trailer, on the road.
Her traveling tea room was born. We recently asked Green about The Hen and the Drake Modern Tearoom. Her answers were edited for length and clarity.
Q: How did you come up with the name for your business?
A: Of course, drake is the name for a male duck, and hence The Hen and the Drake (reflecting her love of ducks). And, I wanted to bring across that it is more elegant and elevated.
Q: Where did you host your first tea?
A: I did a tea for a mother and her pregnant daughter in my backyard. It was kind of a special thing. I was hosting them in my backyard at first because we have a really big, beautiful backyard. The ducks (Toots, Daisy and Daphne) were part of the whole experience.
Q: What is the focus of your business?
A: I wanted to create not the kind of traditional tea you’d expect from a British high tea, but rather one with a Caribbean influence. I realized digging into my own history that there are similarities, but there’s also differences. So, instead of like a ham pie, I might make a meat pie. It would be a beef patty instead, which is similar. But most Caribbean (food) has more spices, a little heat. And I want it to be a little laid-back, a more relaxed kind of tea.
Q: You also cater at people’s homes?
A: Yes, we can bring and serve or they can buy the food and serve it themselves.
Q: What’s on your menu?
A: I still do traditional scones, but I mix it up to make it more modern. Like instead of a cheese stone, I have a jalapeno cheddar. And I do a seasonal menu. We always have blueberries because everybody loves them, but during the holidays, we switch to a pumpkin or cranberry, in keeping with the flavors of the season.
We also have tea cakes, which are actually cakes infused with tea. The one that’s really popular this month is the Earl Grey tea cake. Carrot cake and eclairs are popular too and we have a pink champagne cake that does really well. It’s pink, so it’s pretty, and it’s decorated with dried rose petals so everybody loves that. I also have a matcha tea cake and a chamomile tea cake.
Q: What about tea sandwiches?
A: Coronation chicken is a classic. I like to throw that in there because it’s something that especially American audiences may not know a lot about, but it’s a very, very British sandwich filling. It’s kind of like a chicken salad but with golden raisins with a little bit of curry. And you can’t go wrong with cucumber and egg salad sandwiches.
Q: Where did you learn to bake?
A: I’m self-taught. With everything shutting down during the pandemic, a lot of chefs were selling digital classes online. So I’ve done some of that and watched a lot on YouTube. I had a lot of practice.
Q: What is the most fun for you?
A: I think that’s the most fun part is like being able to be creative. So, I do have a typical chocolate eclair, but I’ve done ones with a cheesecake filling or rose cream instead of a regular pastry cream, or lemon meringue. I think about what kind of flavors I can put in this and make it something special.
Q: How long does it take to prepare your foods and where do you do that?
A: I prepare them at a commercial kitchen in Pittsburg. It’s a lot of time. When you’re getting to the deserts – especially the more complicated things – it’s several days of prep work. I have to make my pastry cream at least 12 hours before because it has to properly set. The same thing with a ganache.
Q: What kind of tea do you offer?
A: We have a supplier in Canada and they only do wholesale leaf teas. I feel really confident because they’re all ethically sourced teas. I carry 10 different blends, but I’m always trying new ones. I want to be more seasonally based. So I’m always looking to add something new and fun.
I always have two versions of Earl Grey tea as they have subtle differences. I have a Russian Earl Grey and I also have one called Baroness Grey, which has rose petals, orange peels and lime leaves. I also carry two types of chai tea because that’s something that’s exotic and different. I had some fun stuff for February. There’s one called Be Mine Chocolate Strawberry and that one was a super hit, so it’ll probably be a year-round thing. It’s mainly fruity with some cocoa bits, strawberry and hibiscus. But one of my favorites is called Prince Harry and Megan’s Royal Wedding blend, based on a South African Rooibos leaf that is earthy and nutty.
Q: What kind of china do you use for catered parties?
A: I have several sets and am still building. I’m trying to be a little bit more modern, so all of them are more minimalistic. We also do a lot with flowers. I think that’s why I wanted to go minimalistic because you have a little bit more creativity and flexibility with the decor.
Q: Where do you take your tea trailer?
A: We’ve been part of the Foodie Crew (food truck events), gone to a local park and we’re working with some wineries. We only travel in Contra Costa County for now. Since we are on the trailer now, there are new insights that I’m gaining, such as iced teas are doing really well. But, of course, it’s still cool in the evening. So, when we did Foodie Crew, we were selling iced tea and then the sun went down and we switched to hot tea.
Q: What are your plans for the future?
A: Eventually, I want to open a tea room. I can’t afford a tea room yet, but this is a way to get out there and do what I want to do right now until it’s time, until I get enough capital to have an actual physical space.
Erin Green
Age: 43
Position: Owner of The Hen and the Drake Modern Tearoom
Residence: Oakley
Education: San Francisco State, majored in business
Hometown: Sacramento
5 things to know about Erin Green
1. She loves vegetable gardening but is learning how to grow flowers for her business
2. Married to husband Tony Actone for 10 years; together they have a blended family with five children
3. She is semi-fluent in Italian
4. She got her start in customer service working at San Francisco’s Nordstrom while in college
5. Favorite tea is Baroness Grey
