Eric D. performing at Open Mic

Eric D. is a jack-of-all-trades: working here at the teahouse, playing music, working a regular 9 to 5 job, and writing the occasional piece of poetry. Needless to say we love him and think you should too!

tahCha: How long have you lived in Georgia?
Eric: For about three and a half years.

tC: What is your favorite part about working at tahCha?
Eric: The social aspect of meeting new people. I also love the “Oh wow!” I get from people when I bring out the food I’ve made.

tC: What is your favorite tahCha memory?
Eric: My birthday. Getting surprised at tahCha on my birthday is not just one of my favorite tahCha memories but one of the best memories of my life.

tahCha: How long have you been writing/performing poetry?
Eric: I started writing with relative regularity in high school (a quarter of a century ago) – it was mainly bad romantic stuff! It wasn’t really until I went through a college course on poetry and then much later posting to MSN Groups and regularly reading beat poetry that I started to find my voice. I’m still finding it now.

tC: What first interested you in poetry?
Eric: Poetry works well with a busy life because it is easier to complete in a relatively small amount of time. The layers of meaning, sparks of art, interest me as well as the sound and feel of words and the rhythm and vibrations of reciting the poem out loud. The poem can be a living, tactile thing.

tC: Each art has a different type of storytelling process, what process do you go through to prepare for your art?
Eric: Good question – I have to admit that lately I haven’t had much of a process. I try to read different poetry and experience it performed, and then some thought will pass through my head which catches my attention. Time helps to accumulate inspiration.

tC: Do you have a favorite piece?
Eric: One of my favorite poems of all time is “The Love Song of J Alfred Prufrock” by TS Eliot. It embodies everything I would like my poetry to be.

tC: Do you have a favorite part to your process?
Eric: Yes – finishing the poem! Actually I also like finessing it so the sounds of the words work rhythmically as well as getting feedback from people to make the poem better.

tC: Who are your mentors/idols? What other artists do you like?
Eric: Along with TS Eliot I like some of the classic writers such as Walt Whitman, Robert Frost, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and Alan Ginsberg. Lately I’ve been enjoying slam poetry and attended open mic nights to hear some really good poetry performed. There are some amazing new voices out there.

tC: What’s your favorite drink at tahCha and why?
Eric: My favorite would have to be Basil Lemonade, because I like basil and I like lemonade, but who would have ever thought to put the two together? Magic! However if I had to pick a tea it would be Vanilla Rooibos.

tC: What’s your favorite food at tahCha and why?
Eric: I seem to eat my fair share of Turkey Pesto wraps. Yum…

tC: How did you find us?
Eric: I heard about you guys from a friend. He said I should hang out here. So glad I did!

tC: Why do you keep coming back?
Eric: There’s something warm and bright about the place, both lively and comforting at the same time – that is, only when I’m not working behind the counter! It’s an ideal place to spend time with great food and great people.

LaTonya T with her favorite tea

Walk into the teahouse any day around lunch time and you’ll meet LaTonya, one of tahCha’s rockstar employees. Since I have the pleasure of working with LaTonya, I already know how baller she is. However I’d like all of you in the tahCha communiTEA to know how fabulous she is.

tahCha: How long have you lived in Georgia?
LaTonya: I have lived in Georgia all my life. I’m what’s known as a “Georgia Peach”!

tC: Why did you start working at tahCha?
LaTonya: In the beginning I was simply seeking gainful employment. But since becoming a teatender I’ve grown to love the business and all the aspects of teatending.

tC: What is your favorite part about working at tahCha?
LaTonya: My favorite part about working at tahCha is the fact that the atmosphere is one of peace. Not to mention I get to meet an army of really great people.

tC: What goal are you currently working toward?
LaTonya: I want to be a substance abuse counselor because there is a major need for substance abuse counselors. That’s the goal I’m currently working towards.

tC: What is your favorite beverage at tahCha?
LaTonya:  Breast Friend Tea is my favorite because I’m a breast cancer survivor. This tea promotes breast health and it tastes great!

tC: What is your favorite tahCha memory?
LaTonya: My favorite tahCha memory is when we first got crossaints on the menu. Mady and I ate about 2 or 3 a piece before we found out they were for the teahouse! They’re just that good!

tC: What is your favorite dessert at tahCha?
LaTonya: Peanut Butter Brownies!

Your Creative Work Matters too!

Title: Right Brain Business Plan
Location: tahCha Tea House
Link out: Click here
Description: Calling all Creatives! Meet Jennifer Lee, the author of “The Right Brain Business Plan” at tahCha Tea House
Start Time: 07:30
Date: 2011-06-21

tahCha teahouse Regular Daniel S.

These are the profiles I’ve most been looking forward to working on: the ones about our customers! I love my coworkers and the artists who exhibit their work here but there is something special about our clientele. The people who come into tahCha have such an interesting story and I am excited that it is my job to get them. We’re starting out with our first regular, Daniel S. Here’s the quick interview I had with Daniel.

tC: What is your favorite drink here at tahCha?

Dan: Vanilla Rooibos because it’s great. The aroma is almost better the tea. Red tea is very good for you. Chocked full of antioxidants and such.

tC: What about your favorite food?

Dan: The scones, especially butterscotch. Although I have found a love for the sour cherry/white chocolate as well. They’re awesome.

tC: How did you find us?

Dan: About a year and a half ago looking for pizza and saw the tahCha sign and wandered in. Just thought I’d poke my nose in and check it out for a bit.

tC: Why do you keep coming back?

Dan: tahCha is a holistic experience for mind, body and spirit. It’s the atmosphere the tea creates.

Preferred Medium: Photography

What first interested you in India? I have many friends from India. They encouraged me to visit their country.

Do you have a storytelling process? I am usually on a tour. I take photos in the order that I visit a city or town. I like to take photos that expresses the essence of that person or place. I am inspired by the thought of sharing my work. I always like to capture the positive aspects of any place that I visit.

Where to catch Mr. Ratliff online: ArthurRatliffPhotography.com

Name: Ujjagar Singh Wassan Preferred Medium: Water color Why are you participating in the Inside India exhibit? I was invited to by Arthur. Do you have a storytelling process?I want my paintings to touch, entertain and enliven people’s lives in some way. Painting for me is emotionally truthful process, an umble ode to the Creator of this beautiful world! Where to catch Mr. Wassan online: Fine Art America

	Name: Leon Borchers Preferred Medium: Oil on canvas What first interested you in India? The culture and the color are fascinating in India.

	Name: Mary Renshaw Preferred Medium: Greeting cards Why are you participating in the Inside India exhibit? I was invited to by Arthur. Do you have a storytelling process? Building off of inspirational materials. Select things that reflect the personality of what I am using. I keep playing with the materials until I see a connection.

Name: Debra Booth Preferred Medium: Photography What first interested you in India? The pursuit of yoga. For years and years I did hatha yoga as a more physical exercise, but when I went to India in 2000 I became more interested in yoga as a more spiritual exercise. Do you have a storytelling process? For me it’s a bit of discovery. It’s so different from here; it’s not what should I take pictures of, but what shouldn’t I take pictures of. Where to catch Ms. Booth online: DebraBooth.com

Name: Will Hawkins Preferred Medium: Photography What first interested you in India? I went for a business trip in February 2009. I went because I was the most knowledgeable for a certain project at work. I took about 300 pictures in one day of travel, some of which are being used for the show. Do you have a storytelling process? I don’t really have a storytelling process. I take pictures of things that are interesting.

Name: Younes Sediki Preferred Medium: Photography Why are you participating in the Inside India exhibit? The history, magic and mythology surrounding India is what first interested me in India. Do you have a storytelling process? It used to be to try to take as many pictures but then I switched to take as few, with the idea being that I would focus more on the images and get rid of less. I’m hoping to capture images that keep your eyes open and that you’ll still be thinking about later.

	Name: Clyde Draughon Preferred Medium: Watercolor Why are you participating in the Inside India exhibit? I was invited to by Arthur. What first interested you in India? Had wonderful, trip to New Dehli, Agra and Rajastan 5 years ago. Where to catch Mr. Draughon online: Georgia Water Color Society’s Member Galleries

Name: Nancie Sill Nancie has always had a keen interest in photography and travel. Starting when she was 20 she hitchhiked across Europe and took slides with her father’s Zeiss Ikon. In her last position with the Coca-Cola Company she travelled extensively in Europe, parts of Russia and Turkey…with her camera. She has now been an independent travel agent working with SkyGate Travel for 10 years and has continued her travels including Machu Picchu and Peru, Morocco, China, India, the Mediterranean, Egypt, Greek Isles, South Africa, and now Israel. She is a member of the Decatur Digital Photography Meetup and the Southeastern Photographic Society and recently went on a photo workshop to Provence with renowned photographer, Brian Peterson.

Name: Sherry Adams Sherry is a ReMax Real Estate agent who lives in the Embry Hills area. She has always enjoyed both traveling and photography. She is very interested in photographing people in foreign places and has traveled widely. In addition to India, she has been to Africa, South Africa, Morocco, China, multiple places in Europe, Greek Isles, Istanbul, Machu Picchu and Peru, the Mediterranean and now Israel. She longs to go to Tibet and Mount Everest. In her profession, she does flyers of her properties with many photos. She has a good sense of composition and takes wonderful candid shots primarily with point and shoot cameras. She particularly enjoys travel photography.

Other artists participating in the Inside India Exhibit:

Yoel Baka and Renee Wheeler

Firoozeh Bowden

Mady S. with her favorite tea

Name: Madeleine S.

GA resident: 4 years

Favorite part about working at tahCha: Interacting with people. I’ve grown to love our customer base and the types of people that come in. They’re all really diverse and it’s a really chill place.

Goal in life: I want to be a juvenile justice attorney. Working at tahCha for the past year and seeing the kids come in that are in the age range I’d be working with helps remind me that they’re not all crazy and that they’re good kids. I get to see how providing an outlet for kids to stay out of trouble is helpful to the community.

Favorite craft: Painting

Favorite skill: Learning mixology.

Favorite drink at tahCha: Pumpkin Chai

Meridee L. with her favorite tea

Name: Meridee L.

GA resident: 10 years

Favorite Drink:  Huang Jin Gui Oolong

Fun fact you learned from working at tahCha: I now know how to help my allergies in the summer by drinking rooibos, I haven’t had to take allergy meds since I started here six months ago!

Favorite part about working at tahCha: All of the different people that come in, from all different walks of life. This brings them together in one environment.

Goal in life: I’d like to be a marriage and family counselor further down the line, I’m working on a psych degree currently. Working at tahCha, I constantly get to analyze people. I read people quickly, tell their moods and try to get them what they want. It still surprises me that without any alcohol people will sit down and tell me all about themselves.

Mara Davis from 92.9 Dave FM Vlogs from tahCha.

Check out this great event at tahCha!