Green House Tea Room Offers New Take on Tradition
If the idea of having afternoon tea evokes thoughts of dainty lace doilies and having to adhere to complicated Victorian etiquette, the owners of a new business in Bethlehem hope you will come and visit with an open mind.
Richard Graessel and James Wheeler recently opened the Green House Tea Room in a historic South Side property Graessel owns, where they are putting a unique stamp on traditional tea service and introducing it to a diverse new clientele.
The friends first met over 25 years ago when they were working as Pennsylvania state troopers. Over the years, they had discussed various ideas for business partnerships, but had never hit upon one that felt right until shortly after Graessel bought the apartment building at 403 Cherokee Street in 2021. As he explained it, his vision for what became the Green House Tea Room was inspired by an afternoon tea his mother gave his daughters as a birthday present, on which he tagged along.
“I thought, ‘hmm, that’s a business that might work,'” he recalled. Once Wheeler saw the house’s remarkable first floor interior–replete with elaborate woodwork and a wood-burning fireplace–he also became a fan of the idea. After that they began a year-long process of creating a luxurious, welcoming setting Graessel that described as having a Great Gatsby vibe.
Although neither man had prior restaurant experience, Graessel has a background in home repairs and remodeling, which enabled them to complete much of the work themselves. Their extensive renovations involved demolition to restore parts of the home’s original layout and resulted in two dining rooms and an alcove area, which combined seat around 40 people.
The Magnolia Room is the brighter of the two spaces. The Green Room–which is the home’s original dining room–is lushly decorated in shades of green, down to jadeite dishware. Both the room and the business are named after the man who built the house in 1905. Graessel explained that Charles H. Green owned a successful plumbing business in the 400 block of Wyandotte Street. After he died in 1957, the property became a Lehigh fraternity before it was converted into apartments.
Since opening in early June, Graessel and Wheeler said the response to the tea room has been enthusiastic.
“People seem to love it,” said Wheeler, who like Graessel has college-age daughters who love the tea room concept and encouraged him to open it.
Also supporting the men are a small staff that includes manager and South Carolina native Sara Downing, and Graessel’s mother, Judy Hillebrand.
Graessel said he hopes that as more people discover the tea room, he will learn more about the property’s history from guests who may have once lived there or who grew up in the surrounding neighborhood.
Currently, the Green House Tea Room offers reserved seatings Wednesday through Sunday at 11:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. Each seating lasts two hours and includes assorted custom-blended teas from Fieldstone Roasters in Upper Black Eddy, served by attentive staff so there’s never a need to fuss with tea bags.
To ensure that no table leaves hungry, tea service is accompanied by a tiered sandwich and dessert tray, on which are served assorted finger sandwiches, scones, almond shortbread, macarons, chocolate torte, cheesecake, honey and goat cheese-stuffed dates and chocolate-covered strawberries. The sandwiches include varieties such as smoked salmon with herbed cream cheese, Waldorf chicken salad, curried egg salad and cucumber with cream cheese and fresh dill. Gluten-free options are available upon request. On Saturdays and Sundays, the Green House Tea Room is also offering a “Royal Afternoon Tea” with a complimentary mimosa or champagne for guests over 21.
In addition to their locally-blended teas, Graessel and Wheeler said they will soon be sourcing a black tea blend directly from a Paris exporter they know. They also plan to package and sell their custom tea blends on the premises, so guests can brew them at home. Each tea on the menu is available for sampling before guests order and all of their teas are available daily. Currently featured are Cream Earl Grey, Royal Empress, Forest Rainbow, Long Island Strawberry and Choc-O-Mint teas.
Both off-street and on-street parking are available.
In the future, Graessel said they hope to expand seating onto the home’s large wraparound porch, which overlooks the corner of Cherokee and Fourth streets. They also have plans to host live music and have already hosted a private event.
Reservations are required and can be placed by calling 484-510-4466 or online. For more information, email greenhousetearoom@gmail.com or visit TheGreenHouseTeaRoom.com. For updates, follow the Green House Tea Room on Instagram (@thegreenhousetearoom).
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