What's Cooking: The Philosopher's House tea room in Johnson City

Every town needs gathering places. Places people can join together for entertainment, for information and to share good times. Places that make you feel welcome.When the Philosopher's House opened almost two years ago, the plan was to become one of those places. The plan worked.Ren Allen, house manager of the downtown tearoom, says she and her staff are focused on "cultural education, being a third space, a community space for people to gather, to build community, to give people access to cultural programming and liberal arts programming that might be harder to get to in the region. For example, we have multiple different language classes, art classes, crochet groups, book clubs - people meet, hang out… it's kind of that third space that's a calming, very welcoming space for gathering with friends or maybe doing some remote work… reading a book… things like that.""Welcoming space" is a very apt description. The Philosopher's House is comfortable, from the seating to the decorations, to the smaller, separate seating rooms and the wonderful people you'll meet while you're there. During your visit, the friendly staff is open and willing to walk you through the tea options, which can be daunting for a neophyte such as myself. Take the time to hear what they offer, you may find yourself trying something new or revisiting an old favorite you forgot about."We have over fifty teas from around the world," says Allen. "We try to represent different regions, even the most popular hot beverage from a region, perhaps, like Rooibos from South Africa. It's not actually tea, or camellia sinensis, but it is the most popular hot beverage there, so we want to try to represent different regions of the world. We offer a Gongfu Cha service, which is the Chinese daily way of brewing, and in China, of course, tea and tea culture has been around for 5,000 years, so they've really perfected steeping styles, accoutrements, all of these things that are best suited for their teas.""And then in Japan, the teas that they grow, cultivate and produce, they have the best accoutrements and steeping styles for that, it's in a Kyusu pot. And then we have the more familiar British tea service with your teapot, your little candlelight warmer, sugar cubes and cream on the side if you want them and your fine china teacup. So, all different styles from around the world and of course, you can always come in and just get a mug of something and hang out. We try to make it very accessible." There are food options as well, with cracker and dip assortments, breads and pastries, and a rotating list of baked goods. But it's the tea that brings people in and keeps them coming back."Our most popular tea," says Allen, "is the Willow Tree Thai named after the Willow Tree music venue and coffeehouse located downtown, which we all loved dearly. When that was lost to the community, it created somewhat of a vacuum for a gathering space and we like to think that we have filled that space, but we wanted to honor the Willow Tree and it was their Chai Latte that they served, so it was the same formula, the same drink. It is our most popular beverage. It's more creamy and sweet and familiar."There are drinks for coffee lovers as well. Teas from around the world. Friends from down the street.Whatever you're looking for, there's a good chance you can find it at the Philosopher's House. They have live music on weekends, presentations throughout the week, Classes on the regular and opportunities to learn at every visit. It really is one of those places that makes you feel at home the moment you walk in.As Ren puts it, "If you're feeling a need for a little bit of a respite, maybe at the beginning of your day, we are open at 10 a.m. Some people like to come through at the end of the day to unwind after work and 'pause' before they go home. It's a wonderful space to step into. Like Jesse, one of the owners likes to say, 'your shoulders kind of drop, you breathe a little deeper.' There's plants and books and once a month there are cats up in the cat cafe. It's a place to pause, a place to gather and just step away from the busy-ness of life for a minute."So, if you have a minute and you feel like you need a short pause in your day, visit the Philosopher's House. You can find it at 117 West Fairview Ave. in Johnson City, or visit them online at thephilosophershouse.org.Questionnaire:Q: How long has your restaurant/tea house been in operation?A: We've been open almost two years (anniversary is mid December)Q: What do you consider the specialties at your venue and why?A: Our specialties are the tea services: British tea style, Gongfu Cha (Chinese style of Brewing) and Kyusu (Japanese style of Brewing). The east Asian styles are informative and cultural learning experience for those who have not learned about this before. The British style is more familiar and a lovely way to make every day special. We serve all of our teas by the mug, but when you want to pause and spend some time with us, the tea services are lovely way to slow down and make every day a celebration. Q: How did you learn to do what you do - what is your culinary education?A: The owners were introduced to tea and tea culture while living in Japan and spending time in Taiwan. They wanted to bring some of that influence and culture back to this region, where they are originally from. My personal engagement with Tea has been a lifelong interest in food and agriculture, punctuated by working at the teahouse and seeking out further education any chance I get. I devour books, podcasts, and videos to expand my knowledge of tea, its lineage, its history, and the different ways teahouses all over the world engage with it.Q: Why is your venue appealing to customers, and how do you maintain that appeal?A: Our venue is extra special because it is an old house designed to be welcoming like a friend's living room. We have plants filling the space, welcoming/comfy furniture, a fireplace, separate little side rooms decorated differently for people to sit in if they would like to be away from the main area, an in-house library, an outdoor courtyard filled with flowers, native plants, a fire pit, as well as a fountain, a Japanese floor seating area and a classroom space where many of our events and classes take place. It's a cozy space both indoor and outdoor for people to gather, meet their friends, work remotely, learn something new, and hopefully build community. Q: How do you think your venue differs from other venues and restaurants in the Tri-Cities region?A: It's a cozy space both indoor and outdoor for people to gather, meet their friends, work remotely, learn something new, and hopefully build community. Q: What are the advantages and disadvantages of your location?A: One of the best advantages of the teahouse is ample parking. There is a city lot that wraps around the entire teahouse, which makes it super easy for people attending classes and events to park and be very close to the entrance. The disadvantage is that we are up the hill from the immediate downtown footprint and I think people sometimes don't realize how conveniently located we actually are. The teahouse overlooks King Commons, and has a wonderful view of the mountains!Q: How often do you change the menu, and why?A: Our menu is fairly consistent because we have some of the best teas around, but we do bring in seasonal drinks and occasionally special food items like a small charcuterie box. Most of our food is simple and designed to go well with tea. We buy all of our pastries from Lazy Lady bake shop in downtown for example Q: What's your favorite cookbook or guidebook?A: The Story of Tea, and The Way of Tea are wonderful for learning more than just the preparation of tea. But my favorite "guide" is a podcast called "Talking Tea" which has helped me learn so much as well as hear from other tea shop owners and purveyors in the industry, who know far more than I ever will.