Back from the Cat Rescue Tea!

guest place setting.  Photo: Elizabeth Urbach

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach

Well, our 5th annual Cat Rescue tea fundraiser was another success!  We called it the "Downton Tabby" Tea this year, and got a lot of chuckles from the guests (in the photo to the left, the faces of the _Downton Abbey_ characters have been replaced with cat faces!).  We sold out both days, packing in 44 guests the first day and 42 the second day, and added champagne to the menu (for an extra charge) for the first time.  The champagne was more popular than we thought it would be, so it will probably be included again for next year.  Also for the first time, this year's menu was completely homemade; we replaced the packaged (even gourmet-quality) cake and cookies from Trader Joe's with homemade treats.  Although we didn't have the cute little kitty sugar cookies, we did have cat paw-shaped chocolates!  This year' menu was:

fig, bacon & cream cheese tea sandwich
(The Kittens' Favorite) egg salad tea sandwich
pear, bleu cheese & walnut tea sandwich
cucumber & herbed cream cheese tea sandwich
goat cheese & sun-dried tomato tea sandwich
curried chicken salad tea sandwich
olive tapenade on a cracker
currant scone with orange zest

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach 

Meyer lemon curd
soft butter
spiced plum, summer strawberry, or apricot jam
fresh grapes
nut cup
chocolate fudge

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach

Everyone got all of the above, as well as bottomless pots of tea, and two tea favors.  We served an Earl Grey Creme blend from local tea shop Satori Tea Company (as well as Peet's Earl Grey when we ran out of the Earl Grey Creme because it was so popular), and a spiced rooibos blend called The Cat's Pajamas from Thompson Tea Company.  All the tea was donated by the companies that sell it.  The tea favors this year were the aforementioned cat paw-shaped chocolates, and a blooming tea

Photo: Elizabeth Urbach 

from Thompson Tea Company called Cat Whiskers.  Everyone seemed to have a great time, as well as enjoying the beautiful surroundings of the Victorian house where the event was located, and the raffle and silent auction items.  I haven't seen the final tally yet, but I'm sure we raised a few thousand dollars for 13th Street Cat Rescue!