41( How do you envision Chado evolving in the United States? 2A( Some of that will be determined by my wife, Reena. She
runs the Chado tearooms. She is the face of Chado, and what Chado is today is all because of her. She is responsible for the flair and the style that goes into making Chado a success. The Hollywood store should be a great location for us. If you come to Kodak, you can't miss Chado. We will probably open a few more stores around Southern California, but we don't know how much bigger we really want to get on that front.
RETAILING: Devan Shah's wife, Reena, runs the three Southern California loca- tions of the Chado tearoom, with a fourth opening this month.
41( In 2010 you published "James Norwood Pratt's Tea Dictionary," which has quickly become an authoritative text in
the industry. How did that project happen? 2A( I had a lot of customers who would come to me and say,
"We're starting a shop with 30 teas. Can you describe them for our menu?" On my computer, I started collecting all the descriptions I would give to customers. I decided it would make a good book and started working on it, but then I said to James, "Why don't you just write it?" He's a great writer, and a big part of where I am today is thanks to him. The "Tea Dictionary" is one of the greatest satisfactions I've had.
41( What drives you to continue to work in tea and develop new
projects after so many years? 2A( I don't know what else I'd do. Tea has become such an inte-
gral and enjoyable part of my life. I enjoy drinking it, tasting it, talking about it. When I first started in the United States, I said to people, "If you want to do a tea tasting, I will come." I've done tea tastings for people all over the country, at all hours of the day. Also, tea is a mystery beverage. It evolves every year. It changes and changes, and that's fun.
FRESH CUP MAGAZINE "'
COURTESY OF DEVAN SHAH