A4 • Friday, April 23, 2021 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com
SignalViewpoints
The art of Chinese tea comes to Broadway
R.J. Marx
Yin Na and Mark Celletti of Tea Artist.
SEEN FROM SEASIDE
R.J. MARX
Chinese tea culture rose in the Tang
dynasty in the seventh century and spread
to Japan, Korea and throughout Asia.
For Yin Na and Mark Celletti, tea is their
passion. The couple are opening Tea Artist
in the city’s historic Gilbert District, serv-
ing teas, baked items, puddings, fruit drinks
and ice cream.
Na, a certifi ed tea art specialist and uni-
versity professor from Chongqing, China,
calls the venture “a dream come true.”
“She’s been an art and calligraphy stu-
dent, and she has a master’s and now a doc-
torate in Chinese art history,” Celletti said.
“And tea studies are a part of that.”
Drinking tea is not simply to quench
thirst, but is artistic, a way to appreciate the
realm of aesthetics,” Na writes in her book,
“Tea Art of China,” which was edited and
designed by Celletti.
People have come from all around the
world to take her weeklong course in China,
Celletti said, including a variety of tea tours
through provinces. “For some teas, you
must walk to the land where they grow, and
personally see,” she said. “You will under-
stand it if you experience it in person.”
She also has a Chinese government certi-
fi cation. “If you want to serve tea, you have
to pass the test,” Na said.
Na and Celletti met through their passion
for tea during’s Na’s visits to the Pacifi c
Northwest to lecture and share her knowl-
edge of teas. They married in China in 2018.
Chinese tea culture rose in the Tang
dynasty in the seventh century and spread
to Japan, Korea and throughout Asia.
For Yin Na and Mark Celletti, tea is their
passion. The couple are opening Tea Artist
in the city’s historic Gilbert District, serv-
ing teas, baked items, puddings, fruit drinks
and ice cream.
Na, a certifi ed tea art specialist and uni-
versity professor from Chongqing, China,
calls the venture “a dream come true.”
“She’s been an art and calligraphy stu-
dent, and she has a master’s and now a doc-
torate in Chinese art history,” Celletti said.
“And tea studies are a part of that.”
“People are really fascinated by what
she has to share and have a great fascina-
tion with Chinese culture and she’s a great
ambassador for the Chinese culture,” Cel-
letti said.
Seeking to establish their own store, they
scouted locations, looking from Belling-
ham, Washington, south to the California
coast. They landed in Seaside in January,
a city where Celletti has long vacationed.
“This was always my childhood fantasy
place when I was young,” he said.
Like Celletti, Na fell in love with Sea-
side, describing it as a “city of stories.”
Tea Artist is designed to be a fun place,
Na said, decorated with an ocean theme
using silk wall prints.
Drinks will be prepared using a blend of
Western and Chinese methods, Celletti said.
Na advises visitors to create their own
style, using fruit, fl avorings and diff erent
kinds of teas.
“My experience associated with tea
taught me a lot,” Na writes in her book.
“These experiences are not just a look, a dip
and a drink. These outward observations are
ultimately for inward refl ection — in order
to fi nd the most authentic self and the most
beautiful thing in my heart.”
Tea Artist, at 737 Broadway, is set to
debut in May.
“We can’t wait to open,” Celletti said.
“People have been walking by every day
and asking when we’re going to open.
There’s a real buzz in the community.”
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Kudos for
wellness center
Kudos to Seaside’s
Community Wellness Cen-
ter aka Sunset Empire Park
and Recreation District,
where there is indeed some-
thing for everybody.
COVID-19 compli-
ant, the board, administra-
tion and staff have a created
a safe environment inclu-
sive of activities covering
the life span. Silver and Fit
benefi ts, youth sports and
playgrounds, a skate park
are all available. It is heart-
ening to see a community
invested in public health.
Patti and Tom Smith
Gearhart
Park district
brings social
equity to Seaside
“Ensuring all people
have fair and just access
to benefi ts to high qual-
ity parks and green spaces,
recreation facilities, youth
sports and programs that
create healthy, resilient and
economically vibrant com-
munities”: This is social
equity and a goal of the
SEPRD board.
Reelect us and reject
those who don’t grasp the
benefi ts and very high qual-
ity of our programs, espe-
cially our Sunset Pool.
As a special district,
SEPRD has been on this
path for decades striving to
achieve equity with a bal-
ance of cost recovery and
inclusion providing broad
community benefi ts. We
continue to engage with
everyone as we expand
community access with
expanded indoor recreation,
our scholarship programs
and sensible cost recovery.
We want to serve those
“who can’t see over the
fences.” We will tirelessly
advocate for those who
cannot do so. SEPRD has
grown to be more than a
pool.
The acquisition of the
Sunset Recreation Cen-
ter prioritizes increases for
youth and adult sports for
broader community ben-
efi t, visitors, too. We con-
tinue to have charrettes
with stakeholders to focus
on the highest best use = of
the campus.
SEPRD used a govern-
mental fl ex-lease to pur-
chase the campus without
any new taxes. It is man-
ageable debt within a care-
fully crafted budget. We’ve
saved our residents about
$14 million and will gener-
ate millions in revenue that
feed our local economy.
SEPRD has laid the cor-
nerstone for the next gener-
ation of SEPRD users and
wellness partners. We’ve
secured the indoor gyms
and classrooms to pro-
vide preschool and child-
care venues that are safe;
the highest priority of the
District.
Unfortunately, Pat-
rick Duhachek, my oppo-
nent, has aligned himself
with a vicious misinforma-
tion campaign. Apparently
he doesn’t understand our
mission or our community
values, though he sits on
our budget committee and
voted to approve our bud-
get this fi scal year. He belit-
tles our strong fi nancial
position and tax rate estab-
lished in 1969.
SEPRD brings equity
and inclusion every day to
our underserved families
and youth. Build our future.
Please reelect the current
Board: progressforSEPRD.
com. Join our Facebook
page.
Thank you.
Michael Hinton
SEPRD Board
Vice-President
Will work to
improve district
I’m John Huismann and
you’ve read my writing
many times before if you
read letters to the editor.
I’m writing today to let
you know I am running for
the board of directors of
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District in the
May 18 election. You know
I’ve been a vocal critic of
SEPRD. Well, I’m not just
a critic, I’m also willing
to step up on behalf of my
community and work hard
to make things better there.
I’m joined by four like-
minded people who are also
very disappointed with the
way the current board has
discharged their responsi-
bility to care for SEPRD.
We are all running under
the banner “It’s time for a
change.” My fellow can-
didates are Jackie Evans,
Stephen Morrison, Pat-
rick Duhachek and Al Her-
nandez. We all have dif-
ferent life experiences and
bring diff erent skill sets to
the table. The great thing
is that we all spend some
time together each week
and have grown to like and
respect each other in the
process.
So, what’s the latest at
SEPRD? In the due dil-
igence process, prior to
buying Broadway Middle
School, they learned the
school is contaminated by
asbestos, black mold and
lead paint. They did not
immediately remove the
child care that they have
been running there for three
years. They actually put
more kids at risk by moving
their preschool to BMS!
There are no state-
ments by any engineer-
ing fi rm stating it is safe to
occupy the building given
the contaminants found
there. Have all parents
been provided this infor-
mation so they can make a
safe choice for their chil-
dren? If not, I believe this
could raise large liability
issues for SEPRD going
forward. I have to wonder
if their insurance carrier is
aware they are using a con-
taminated building for child
care.
Given what I’m seeing I
have to ask: Are you satis-
fi ed with the job the current
board of SEPRD is doing?
I’m not and that’s why I’m
here asking for your vote!
Please also vote for those
running with me. We will
work for you!
John Huismann
Seaside
Seaside School District,
6 p.m., www.seaside.k12.or.us/
meetings.
Citizens Advisory Committee,
5:30 p.m., work session, cityof-
gearhart.com.
Gearhart Small Business
Committee, 6 p.m., cityofgear-
hart.com.
MONDAY, MAY 24
PUBLIC MEETINGS
Contact local agencies for
latest meeting information
and attendance guidelines.
MONDAY, APRIL 26
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
City Hall, 989 Broadway and
livestream on YouTube; cityof-
seaside.us.
TUESDAY, APRIL 27
WEDNESDAY, MAY 5
MONDAY, MAY 10
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District Board
of Directors, 5:15 p.m., 1225
Avenue A.
Seaside Urban Renewal Bud-
get meeting, 6 p.m., City Hall,
989 Broadway.
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
cityofseaside.us.
THURSDAY, MAY 6
TUESDAY, MAY 4
Gearhart City Council, 5 p.m.,
public hearing, state revenue
sharing, cityofgearhart.com.
Sunset Empire Park and
Recreation District Board
of Directors, 5:15 p.m., 1225
Avenue A.
Seaside Planning Commis-
sion, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway.
CIRCULATION
MANAGER
Jeremy Feldman
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER
Sarah Silver-
Tecza
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
Kari Borgen
R.J. Marx
PRODUCTION
MANAGER
CONTRIBUTING
WRITERS
John D. Bruijn
Skyler Archibald
Darren Gooch
Joshua Heineman
Rain Jordan
Katherine Lacaze
Esther Moberg
SYSTEMS
MANAGER
Carl Earl
TUESDAY, MAY 18
WEDNESDAY, MAY 19
Gearhart Parks Master Plan
Seaside City Council, 7 p.m.,
cityofseaside.us.
Seaside Planning Commis-
sion, 6 p.m., 989 Broadway.
Seaside Signal
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