Meet Leslie
In 2005, my father was diagnosed with terminal cancer. What followed was one of the hardest years of my life — and the year that changed everything, including what I understood about tea, family, and what I was really meant to build.
During that year, my mother and I cared for my dad at home. In between the hard moments, we had what he called “good conversations” — long, unhurried talks about our family history, our Caribbean roots, and the value of living a life you actually love. It was through those conversations that I learned something I had never known: we are a family of tea drinkers, rooted in Dutch ancestry. And more than that — my paternal great-grandfather had worked at the Haviland China Company in New York City. That’s why our home was always filled with the most beautiful teacups, saucers, and plates. A real, living link to the tea industry — right there in my own family tree.
Somewhere in those conversations, something shifted. I had spent years dreaming of opening a boutique coffee house — but the Starbucks era arrived faster than I did. My dad’s illness put a different kind of clarity in front of me. The light bulb came on: the dream was never coffee. It was always tea.
It was during these conversations that the light bulb went on for me—the realization that maybe my dream was not to open a coffee house; but a boutique tea house.
My father passed away in June 2006. Shortly after, I made one of the most significant decisions of my life: I left my career in healthcare and committed fully to entrepreneurship. I named my first business Lola’s Tea House — in honor of my mother — and opened our doors in 2007. The support I received from family, friends, my church community, and the local business world was something I will never forget. With God’s grace and my father guiding me, Lola’s Tea House became something real and something beautiful.
Like all businesses, it evolved. Lola’s Tea House closed in 2012 — and from that chapter, The Tea Experience NY was born. Today, The Tea Experience NY is a full-service tea party catering company and online tea shop, offering over 30 varieties of organic loose-leaf teas, curated teaware, and our SimpliciTEA subscription. We have been in business since 2007, and every cup we serve carries the same intention it always has.
Every cup we serve, every box we ship, every party we host carries that story with it. My father taught me that no meal is complete without a cup of tea. I built this brand to make sure you always have one worth savoring. I am so glad you are here.