Jasmine Tea Blog

Gracie of Jasmine Tea, has always had a head full of ideas, but little time to make them come to life. However, a recent one has seemed to stick. This past March, Gracie took her imagination to her home’s “blackhole” -- that closet of junk we all have that’s packed with the dribs and drabs of our lives. The silverware and placemats, old scraps of paper and cardboard she unearthed from the the closet inspired her to start writing about and styling food on her blog.

Gracie, who is Chinese-Canadian, constructed her first set with crumpled, green gift wrapping paper, an old, painted tea pot, and the previous night’s meal (above) -- Singapore Stir Fried Vermicelli. She went on to write about and photograph tasteful delights such as her sticky Katharine Hepburn Brownies and puffy Japanese Sweet Bread.

Not-so-foreign recipes like chicken pot pie and kidney bean chili also pop up from time to time on her blog, but Gracie’s food never feels forced. Her pictures are distinctive –- elegant and delicate -- and showcase the romance of food.  

She’s discovered that through food she can make some of her other ideas come true, too. A dream to own a coffee shop is fulfilled by the creation of her Chocolate Hazelnut Biscotti that would “definitely be on the menu.” And her childlike fantasy to be a magical, brew-stirring witch, has been realized through Indian cuisine -- playing with infinite spices reminds her of “a witch using magic ingredients to make potion.”