OUR STORY
A group of passionate artists
building community through tea, food, and music
Cloud Pine Tea + Culture is a three-year cultural, culinary, and community art project created by award-winning musician Emily Lau and her team of dedicated staff, most of whom are her former undergraduate students (now best friends and colleagues)!
We aspire to create a tranquil, welcoming, and creative environment where friends and family can get together to enjoy handcrafted food and farm-direct tea and herbal tonics. We offer seasonal menus, always in tune with the changing weather and traditional medicine-knowledge.
While Emily's family hails from Chaozhou and Huizhou of Han and Hakka ancestry, the food at Cloud Pine pays homage to the colorful culinary traditions across China.
Food is made fresh and served immediately, and is best to share with the whole table whenever possible.
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We are committed to sourcing locally and equitably, treating guests and colleagues with kindness and generosity, we hope to embody the true spirit of tea: hospitality, connection, and health.
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In a time when every aspect of societal life conspires to pull us apart, we hope to be a place of discovery, safety, and joy for people from all walks of life.
OUR TEAM
Emily Lau (proprietor-owner, she/her): Emily Lau is an award-winning musician, composer, community-builder, chef, and tea-master. (www.emily-lau.com). Before she opened Cloud Pine, she had been hosting dinners, festivals, tea-tasting at her home for over a decade, introducing Chinese food, tea, and cultural knowledge to her friends and family in the USA. Born to a food, tea, and health-centric family of Han and Hakka Chinese artists and laborers, Emily is fascinated by how cultures interact and transforms over time. Emily travels the world for inspiration in cuisine and music, and visits mainland China at least once a year to keep up with current trends, source the best tea, and soak in the breathtaking scenery. Cloud Pine is a gathering place for all of Emily's various interests and communities, and is home to many treasured art work made by local artists who work with her on a regular basis.
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Jesse Ehrenberg (tea house manager, chef, tea-server, they/them): Jesse is a composer, scholar, musician, and chef who is particularly skilled in choosing and brewing the perfect cup of tea for your current mood and health condition. When not at the tea house, they enthusiastically invent new recipes for their friends. They also enjoy reading and learning about how history and worldview develops and intertwines with food and culture. As a musician, Jesse performs around Portland, and teaches piano lessons at the tea house during our off-hours.
Reverie (she/her) is a budding naturalist and student of indigenous ecology. She grows medicinal and edible plants, keeps bees, and studies with members of native tribes in preserving traditional knowledge. Reve is also hard at work on a fantasy novel with her partner, Jesse. She is well-loved at Cloud Pine for her cheerful and caring ways and excellent tea-brewing techniques.
María (she/her) is a visual artist, tea-apprentice, and pastry chef from Mexico City. She brings a wealth of cultural knowledge and interpersonal charm to Cloud Pine.
Old-timers:
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Azure is working as an intern at a technology company in Olympia, WA.
Zack is working as a meditation teacher and explores the American wilderness frequently.
Mykal is working on youth health in Guyana as a Peacecorps volunteer.