Flying start for Black Cat’s Cauldron Tea & Herb House in Vilna

By Irene van der Kloet

In Vilna, the historic main street with buildings that have a story or two to tell stands out.  Amid these landmark buildings, a new business opened recently: The Black Cat’s Cauldron Tea & Herb House, owned and run by Kathy Underwood. “I moved to Vilna in November; I bought this and the house next door. I live next door”, Kathy says. She wanted to buy a farm but could not do the work anymore; it was too hard physically. “I changed my criteria of what I was looking for, and then this place popped up immediately. And I thought to myself: I can open a store; I am a registered herbalist and am an excellent cook. Maybe I can incorporate a little of that. Everyone was thrilled with the idea of a tea house, so that’s what I did. I opened December 1st, my kitchen was certified December 21st, and I’ve been steady ever since,” Kathy proudly explains. “The community has been very accepting of what I am doing. Everything I need, I have here. I work with the local restaurant (Porky’s), and we sometimes share ingredients. I make everything from scratch. I only have one menu every day; that’s what it is. On Fridays, I always make cinnamon buns. People like my organic tea, and I also sell tea in tins. In December, when it was so cold, everyone was waiting until I got the kitchen going and then I was swamped. The town is nice, and the people have been very supportive.” Not only does she have the bakery and lunchroom, but she also sells jewellery, organic tea, crystals, candles and metaphysical supplies, and she reads cards. Local people supply her with jewellery; she is big on buying locally and tries to stick to that. The name is a play on what she has and her name (her friends call her Kat). Kathy hasn’t always been a store owner. She has an interesting bio: she was trucking for forty-two years and has seen significant parts of Canada and the U.S. Then she had a store in Whitecourt that fell apart during the pandemic. These days, she teaches herbal workshops and does herb walks. “The herbal workshops are about how to use herbs. Herb walks are more about identification. We tend to use common herbs, but Alberta has a wealth of local native prairie herbs that can heal almost everything, and most people don’t even realize that. My herb garden was close to two acres at the farm, and I grew about three hundred medicinal plants there. I use my herbs and other spices while cooking; I don’t use salt.” The tea and herb house is open on Saturdays and has a patio on the side, which will be available in the summer. Opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 11 to 5.

https://www.loc8nearme.com/alberta/vilna/black-cats-cauldron-tea-and-herb-house/7051125/