“For me, tea was the original comfort food. No matter where in the world my military family found ourselves, one of my mother's first acts, in her new kitchen, was to take a battered tea kettle, travel mugs and tea out of our "open-me-first box" and brew the cup that cheers ..."

That early experience instilled a love of tea that Elizabeth Knight has spent her life cultivating. Widely recognized as one of the country’s foremost authorities on tea and entertaining, Knight shares her passion as the founder of Tea with Friends, a website devoted to all things tea.

A certified English Tea Master, Knight studied with Edward Bramah, Executive Director Bramah Tea & Coffee Museum and completed the Whittard Tea Course and Examination, London, England. She is a member of the American Association of University Women, the Culinary Historians of New York, Slow Food International and the Specialty Tea Institute.

Elizabeth is the author of several bestselling books on the subjects of tea and entertaining including Tea with Friends and Welcome Home. Her latest book, Tea in the City New York - a tea lover's guide to sipping and shopping in the city has just been published. She writes for magazines such as Romantic Homes, Tea & Coffee Asia, and Tea A Magazine. Elizabeth is a frequent guest on national television and radio programs including WNBC’s "Today in New York," WOR’s "Food Talk," The Travel Channel, The Home Shopping Network and QVC. Sharing her love of tea and entertaining with others has been the basis for Knight’s work. As the former tea sommelier for the historic St. Regis Hotel, Knight is much sought after for speaking engagements and workshops.

She regularly speaks to national retailers including Bloomingdale’s and Marshall Fields, cultural institutions including The British National Trust, historical and botanical societies including The Missouri Botanical Garden and schools including New York University. As spokesperson for the 40th anniversary of Royal Doulton’s china pattern, Old Country Roses, she created and presented consumer programs in stores across the U.S.

Her latest offering is a series of guided walking tours through New York City based on her new book Tea in the City. For the first time, Knight will share her expansive knowledge of Manhattan’s “must sip and shop spots.” This unique experience is steeped in the expertise of one of the country’s leading tea authorities.