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.
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.
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.
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
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.

Sunday noon – 5:00
Jacksonville, FL