Learning day
WORK • Thursday Routine
STEVE SCHWARTZ • CEO • Art of Tea
Neighborhood you live in: Pico-Robertson
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
My day starts at 6am. Before I head to our headquarters in Monterey Park, I ground myself with group meditation and prayer, followed by an intense workout. Every morning is different, but if I'm tasting teas or blends we’re working on, I try to do so before breakfast or lunch when my palate’s clear and my senses are more enlivened. On another day, I might be visiting one of the gardens we work with for the botanicals that we incorporate into our blends, or checking on one of the facilities that dries our tea leaves to see how they have withered since the evening based on humidity.
What’s on the agenda for today?
To give the highest possible effort, I schedule my week so I have specific areas of focus each day and can be fully present on the tasks at hand. It's not perfect, but my goal is to structure my week on customer-facing days, team meeting days, and days of learning.
Although all of these are blended at times, I aim to focus my Thursdays on learning and education. Training is a foundational service we offer — I trained the first U.S. tea sommelier at Caesar's Palace in Vegas — and this is something I love to do for our new hospitality partners. Today, I'm visiting Huntington Gardens, a long-time collaborator that offers a tremendous afternoon tea experience in the Rose Garden Tea Room.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
My wife and I have planned a delightful walking date, a little tradition we cherish. Depending on the time, we'll either stop by Bianca in Culver City for some tea and a treat, or enjoy a cocktail at South Beverly Grill. It's a perfect blend of relaxation, conversation, and enjoying some of our favorite spots in the city.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I love hiking. SoCal is filled with great trails and herbal foraging. I take my dog with me on Sundays and get out and move. I love Carbon Beach and Corral Canyon in Malibu, where there's access to all the incredible native flora and fauna such as wild sage, cowboy cologne, anise. Getting into nature often inspires blends we craft at Art of Tea.
Any weekend getaways?
Our weekend plans consist of turning phones and computers off and having a digital detox from Friday night to Saturday night. This helps recharge our internal batteries, and I'm able to really enjoy time with my wife and kids without distraction.