Meet the Chef/Owner: Tara Buzan of A Taste of Britain

With the Royal Wedding just a day away, it seems more than appropriate that this week's Meet the Chef/Owner comes from in Wayne. One step into this shop and you are transported to the UK. There are Cadbury chocolate bars, Royal china, a plethora of British teas, jams, scones and black and white photos of the Queen, her handsome prince and more. Tara Buzan is a delightfully friendly and savvy business owner who now raises her own family minutes from where she grew up.

Name: Tara Buzan

Age: 31

Hometown: Berwyn, PA

Resides Now: Wayne, PA

Favorite Thing about the Community: Walking trails, walking around town, the proximity of my family and friends, the beautiful homes, the history and all sorts of family stuff that there is to do.

Do you do any work for the community: Yes we make regular donations to the area schools, I am a strong supporter of breast and ovarian cancer research and make donations to those groups as well. In honor of the Royal Wedding viewing party at the Bryn Mawr Film Center we are donating scones and tea sandwiches for the event which is expected to draw 200 people. 

Are you doing anything special for the Royal Wedding: Yes, we are serving complimentary champagne all day and serving some of William and Kate's favorite things including banana flan, sticky toffee pudding and lamb shepherds pie in addition to our regular menu. We also imported some Royal china which is almost sold out.

Years in the Industry: In high school I worked at Chili's and at University of Massachusetts I majored in hospitality with a focus on restaurants. After that I worked at the Radnor Hotel. I started Easy Elegance in 2001 as a meal delivery service for working professionals but then it became more focused on catering eventually becoming a catering company. 

Earliest Cooking Memory: Definitely cooking with my mom. I grew up sitting and enjoying dinner with my family at the table, which is a rarity now. I wanted to instill that in my own family. My mom's Italian and her father was Guido who actually was a butcher. I would make escarole soup and pizzelles with her.

First Kitchen Job: In college I worked at this restaurant called the Pink Salmon or something like that and I made salads and worked the saute station.

What brought you to the industry: I grew up in a food culture so I was drawn to it.

Advice for Home Cooks: To not be afraid to try new things, to not stick with the same old routine. It's OK to improvise a recipe, when I make something new I usually find two recipes for it and put them side by side and pick and choose the ingredients and steps I want to use. This is why I am not a fan of baking (which is so precise and everything needs to be measured exactly). I add my own touch to things.

Favorite Thing to Cook: Making pasta with chicken ragu sauce, pork tenderloin with blackberry wine sauce and chicken curry.

How she became the owner of A Taste of Britain: I was running my catering company Easy Elegance and I came into contact with the original owner of a Taste of Britain and she was selling the business. The original location was in Berkeley Road in Devon and the original owner was British although I am not. I loved the store and what she was doing there. I decided it would be a good fit for me and I added my own spin to it, it's still a tea room but I operate my catering business from it as well. I have grown to love the ritual of tea, one sip and I am relaxed and feel better. I love scones, jams, etc. In the new location we feature lots of local artists. The artwork on the walls is by a local artist. The furniture is made by a craftsman from Malvern. 

Favorite Menu Item at A Taste of Britain: To eat, it's the roast beef and brie sandwich. In general though my favorite item is the full afternoon tea because it's special. It's great for two people to come and share.

Healthiest Menu Item: Salads including the roasted beet salad, summer mixed salad with berries and champagne vinaigrette and even the blue salad with greens and Stilton cheese.

Favorite Local Restaurant: Alba in Malvern, I love the food there, the open hearth kitchen, it's a dream restaurant. If I had a restaurant, it would be like Alba.

Favorite Restaurant in the World: There's an Italian restaurant in St. Bart's called Isola that is amazing.

Guilty Pleasure (food or drink): Chocolate peanut butter ice cream from Baskin- Robbins. I ate it everyday when I was pregnant.

Last meal on Earth: Prosciutto and perfectly ripe melon with red wine or sparkling rose'.

Favorite food TV shows: We watch Iron Chef, No Reservations, Man v. Food and we love Top Chef.

Memorable Kitchen Disaster: I was cooking here and making a big pot of Boeuf Bourguignon and the entire top caught fire. I don't know how it happened but the pot and its contents were ruined. We had to eliminate one of the three main course options on the menu that night as it was unsalvageable and there wasn't enough time to start over.