Last week was New York City Honey Week, a week of events devoted to bees, honey, and a lot of education. As sponsors, we attended some of the fantastic events, and even engaged many bee enthusiasts at our Honey Fest booth!
On Friday, September 16th, we attended a table-to-farm, 7-course, honey-themed, Sweet Life dinner at Edgemere Farm on the Rockaway peninsula. Food and fun loving chef Whitney Aycock of Slice O’Whits and Ole Man Chili and pastry chef Tracy Obolsky of the Rockaway Beach Bakery delivered a night of sweet culinary lovin’. The meal was served al fresco under the harvest moon (and looking up to the farm’s 10+ hives sitting atop a storage container / farmhouse) for the grateful group who were able to snag tickets before they sold out within two hours of being posted online. The menu included Farm Salad (herbs, farm honey, and cherry tomatoes), Focaccia (roasted garlic, eggplant and honey), Honeyed Corn and ‘Jap Johnny’ Cakes (smoked mahi, smoked honey, and chili), a selection of local cheeses with honey drizzle and cracked black peppercorn, a Honey Whole-Roasted Swine with Bragg’s vinegar slaw, a variety of sweet desserts including freshly-made mini honey donuts and, of course, a signature Honey Beer.
Honey Fest, the culminating event of NYC Honey Week, was held on Saturday, September 17th, at Far Rockaway Beach. We were lucky to be part of the 6th annual Honey Fest. It was a celebration of many businesses and programs with a clear passion in mind; the welfare of honey bees and drive to spread the word. At our booth, we displayed a custom beehive and interacted with children and adults with our educational tools. With hundreds of people passing by, we were able to speak about both The Best Bees Company and our sister nonprofit, The Urban Beekeeping Laboratory and Bee Sanctuary. There were many other vendors, with unique bath products, food items, wax candles, and of course, local, raw honey. At the end of the event, votes were tallied up for a honey tasting contest. Best Bees was honored to present the winners with prizes. The winner, Brooklyn Queen, won a complimentary HoneyDNA analysis from Best Bees. The runner up, Mizz Behavin Apiary, won a signed copy of The Bee: A Natural History, by Noah Wilson-Rich.
Thank you to New York City Honey Week for the chance to be a sponsor and be part of these educational events!
