Secret Teatime

Secret Teatime is a clay maker space tucked away in Scarborough, where owner Helen Kong creates her handmade ceramic wares, teaches pottery classes, and welcomes studio members of all levels to play with clay while sipping tea.

Helen is an ongoing student of tea in both the Chinese and Japanese Ways of Tea. The philosophy of tea grounds and inspires her practice—shaping not only the pottery she makes, but also the multi-sensory tea and food gatherings she hosts, and the rhythm of everyday living.

Especially during times of creative or life burnout, sharing tea with others and collaborating with local businesses, creatives, and makers helps her reconnect and recharge. Through these gatherings, Helen hopes to create pockets of belonging—spaces where community, rest, and quiet connection are supported and shared.

This account shares events hosted or co-hosted by Helen, mainly across the Greater Toronto Area—though who knows where the wind may take her.

Expect gatherings centered around pottery, tea, rest, food and tea pairings, exhibitions, tea lounging, and more. Many events are collaborations with local tea practitioners, kitchens, food establishments, galleries, creatives, and makers.

Each gathering holds a spirit of *Ichi-Go Ichi-E* (一期一会) — “one time, one meeting.” Depending on the collaborators and the moment, every event is a little different, and every meeting is unique.