FOOD PORN FRIDAY: Lovely High Tea at Sweet Pete’s

 On Mother’s Day Weekend, my daughter Hayden and I attended a delightful High Tea at Sweet Pete’s in the heart of Jacksonville’s historic Springfield section.

Set in a whimsically restored old home on Pearl and 9th Streets, Sweet Pete’s is an organic candy shop and party venue owned and operated by the husband and wife team of Peter and Allison Behringer.  Peter is part of the beloved Peterbrooke Chocolatier bloodline  and last year he branched out on his own with this jewel in Springfield.

Owners Peter & Allison Behringer

High Tea was in the upstairs party room that was a decorated just as gaily as the rest of the shop, not to mention the view going up.

     

Lois Travis and Deborah Reid

Once upstairs, there were three dining tables  elegantly adorned with finger sandwiches, deserts , chocolate covered strawberries and a variety of adorable teapots and teacups.  

Two of the tables had families with children so well-behaved  that they are certainly welcome at any future high teas of mine.  Ours was shared with Lois Travis, a Ponte Vedra resident, and her daughter lawyer/artist Deborah Reid who wore hats in honor of the Kentucky Derby party they were attending afterward.

We started with lemonade, salad and finger sandwiches.  Sweet Pete’s does as well with sandwiches as candies; we were served curried egg salad, cucumber, ham and cheese turnovers, chicken salad and more. The believe that table favorite  was the round banana sandwiches drizzled with chocolate.

We had our tea with dessert; ours a traditional tea while the other ladies had lavender tea, and pretty green sugar crystals. We each had individual adorable teapots with matching teacups. Chocolate chip scones and biscuits were aplenty, as well as devine cupcakes with strawberry icing wrapped with a citrus cotton candy and lemon cakes. I’ve never been much of a cotton candy fan, however, this flavored  variety made at Sweet Pete’s was quite wonderful.

High Tea

Cotton candy is made to order downstairs with thirty flavors from which to choose.  ($3)  Some of the favorites are citrus punch, bubble gum, strawberry, watermelon, kiwi, grape, cider, rose, almond, chai, cheesecake, blueberry, eggnog,  pear, chocolate, raspberry, cashew, cinnamon and mango. I don’t know what it is about Sweet Pete’s cotton candy, after all it’s  

Cameron Speights Loves Apple Cinnamon

just sugar, but it tastes so much better than that stuff you get at the fair.  I’m also thinking I regret not trying the almond flavored cotton candy.

 Next to the cotton candy machine is the ice cream freezer case that offers a rotating assortment of flavors such as strawberry chocolate chunk, bananas foster, vanilla bean, java jive, deep dark chocolate and toasted coconut, as well as soy vanilla and chocolate. There’s homemade hot fudge sauce, caramel sauce and homemade whipped cream along with vegan caramel and chocolate sauces and rice milk whipped cream.

 

The one thing they can’t promise is the several adorable and grinning little boys who were there when we visited and whose great big eyes loved all the confections.

  

 

Deep Dark Chocolate Ice Cream for Roshad Reid

 

Almost all the candy at Sweet Pete’s is made on premises except for a few items such as the taffy that is made elsewhere on nut-free machinery.  Chocolate is their specialty, and it’s all natural.  Treats on the shelf rotate, but on our visit there were chocolate pizzas, chocolate covered strawberries, chocolate covered Oreos and chocolate covered potato chips, along with assorted small candies for sale individually.

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet Pete’s is one of Jacksonville’s fun go-to businesses for throwing a party. Whether it’s  in their upstairs party room or at a venue of your choosing, some of their themed specialties are the chocolate fondue party, chocolate lover’s party, old-fashioned taffy pull, chocolate wine pairing party, cotton candy party and the winter candy cane pull party. You can even bring in your own adult beverages for events.

 

Each month brings a new event theme, such as the Mother’s Day Weekend High Tea.   There are usually separate events geared for children and adults.

 

In July,  look for a magnificent celebration as Sweet Pete’s will mark its first anniversary while the house in which it resides turns 100 years old. Plans are still in the works, but they promise plenty of Sweet Pete’s cotton candy martinis and chocolate martinis to help celebrate.

 

 

I highly recommend you check out the Sweet Pete’s Blog !

 

 

 

Open Daily 10:30 – 7:00
Sunday noon – 5:00

Closed Monday

 

1922 Pearl Street
Jacksonville, FL

866.816.8024

sweetpete.net