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Honey Stars in P.F. Chang’s New “Garden to Glass” Menu and Promotion

Fresh, quality ingredients are the hallmark of P.F. Chang's just-launched "Garden to Glass" cocktail menu. No wonder P.F. Chang's chose to highlight honey in its new libations, along with hand-squeezed juices and premium spirits. "We agreed that honey was the ideal ingredient to unite our Garden to Glass cocktails," said Mary Melton, beverage director of P.F. Chang's. "It is made by bees from the nectar from flowers. What could be a more perfect, natural fit?"

P.F. Chang's new, honey-inspired Garden to Glass menu features the following cocktails:

  • Cucumber Collins
  • Twisted Whiskey Sour
  • Honey Thyme G&T
  • Anejo Buzz

P.F. Chang's worked with master mixologist Kim Haasarud of Liquid Architecture to create the new honey cocktail menu and collaborated with the National Honey Board (NHB) to launch employee training (including honey sampling) and co-op marketing initiatives via Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Garden to Glass menu also is featured in in-store signage at all U.S. P.F. Chang's locations.

The NHB also consulted P.F. Chang's early on regarding the different honey varietals and regional options. "Ultimately, we chose Orange Blossom honey for our new cocktails because of its delicate citrus notes," said Melton, "and because of the floral feeling it lends to our Garden to Glass initiative." Orange Blossom honey is made by honeybees from the nectar of the blossoms of orange trees and is, therefore, typically found in California, Florida, and Texas.

"Honey is increasingly tapped as an alternative sweetener for cocktails and nonalcoholic beverages," according to Haasarud, who also spearheads beverage innovation for the NHB. "Honey not only sweetens drinks but can also add balance, complexity, and mouthfeel, as well as flavor notes based on the honey varietal."

The honey-inspired cocktails are available at P.F. Chang's 211 locations nationwide. To find the P.F. Chang's location nearest you, visit www.pfchangs.com.

One Sweet Summer – Omni Hotels Partner with National Honey Board on Summer Pool Menu

You may have seen us posting a lot on our social media channels about our partnership with the Omni Hotels & Resorts. We are so excited to make the official announcement about our collaboration and would like to keep our loyal honey lovers and fans in the know!

This partnership kicked off with a two-day honey immersion event at the Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort in Amelia Island, Florida. There, Omni chefs, National Honey Board Chef-Ambassador David Guas, and master mixologist Kim Haasarud combined their talents and expertise to create an array of honey cocktails and dishes that are featured in this year’s poolside menu. The menu launches this month at 34 Omni properties nationwide.

This in-room video highlights Omni’s ongoing love affair with bees and honey, as well as the people and inspiration behind the new menu items.

Here is just a snapshot of some of the tasty items you will find on pool menus around the country:

  • Honey Grapefruit Crush
  • Pink Moon Shandy
  • Wildflower Honey Punch
  • Gold Blossom Margarita
  • Honey Roasted Chicken Salad
  • Ale & Honey Braised Brat
  • Lemon-Alfalfa Honey Hummus

You can read more about this exciting partnership here.

Now, did you know that five Omni Hotels actually have beehives onsite and have incorporated the honey into their various offerings? Check out these five fun facts:

  • Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort has eight beehives that churn out an estimated 1,200 pounds of honey per harvest.
  • Omni Chicago Hotel is the newest hotel to join the honey craze. This is its first year having bees, and it won't meet them for the first time until the second week of June.
  • Omni La Costa Resort & Spa rescued a swarm of wild bees that landed on its property. This hive has been operating for almost two years now.
  • Omni Barton Creek Resort & Spa has a third-party organization—Central Texas Bee Rescue & Preserve—handle its 60 hives in remote areas of the resort's golf courses.
  • Omni San Antonio Hotel at the Colonnade keeps its bees on the rooftop of the hotel next to its herb and vegetable garden. The hotel offers guests small jars of “rooftop honey” along with a card that tells the story of the honeybees’ arrival to the Colonnade.

This sweet collaboration will make for one tasty summer indeed!

BJ’s Restaurants Honey Promo

Pure all-natural honey stood front and center at BJ’s Restaurants from October 30 through November 12, 2012, in a “Snacks and Small Bites” limited time offer (LTO). BJ’s partnered with the National Honey Board to showcase the restaurant’s new Fresh Watermelon and Feta Salad with Honey Vinaigrette, among other sides and small bites, with tabletop signage and stanchions featuring the Honey ONE logo in 127 restaurant locations nationwide.

BJ’s and the National Honey Board also promoted the honey-inspired LTO via Facebook and Twitter to reach nearly 500,000 consumers via social media.

“We’re thrilled for this opportunity to demonstrate honey’s versatility through BJ’s terrific new honey-inspired menu item,” said Catherine Barry, director of marketing for the National Honey Board. “We expect BJ’s Fresh Watermelon and Feta Salad with Honey Vinaigrette to be a hit among its customers, who know they can count on BJ’s for great-tasting food.”

Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge

NHB Awards Scholarships at Inaugural Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge

After intense deliberations, the National Honey Board (NHB) named Culinary Institute of America (CIA) Hyde Park student Perry Xu Cao the Grand Prize winner of the inaugural “Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge.” Cao was awarded the $5,000 Grand Prize Scholarship for his Goat Cheese Tempura with Honey Dipping Sauces, following a morning of fierce but friendly competition at the August 20 Sweet 16 Honey Recipe Challenge’s “Final Four” cookoff event at CIA Greystone in St. Helena, California.

Cao’s winning recipe was a simple yet elegant appetizer, featuring multiple varietals of honey infused with aromatics to create mouth-watering sauces, providing a delicious balance to the crispy, citrus-laced, and savory goat cheese tempura.

“We are absolutely delighted with the outcome of the Final Four Cookoff,” said Catherine Barry, director of marketing at the National Honey Board and one of three judges. “The decision-making process was incredibly difficult, as each student showcased a delicious and compelling way to highlight honey in their dishes. In the end, we chose a recipe that showcases several honey varietals beautifully, complementing other flavors of the dish, while giving a nod to honey’s natural origins with a sprinkling of flowers on the plate.”

In addition to Catherine Barry, the hand-picked panel of judges for the Honey Recipe Challenge Final Four Cookoff included honey aficionados and professional chefs, Ray Martin, formerly with BJ's Restaurants and the Cheesecake Factory, and J.W. Foster, executive chef at the Fairmont San Francisco, who regularly incorporates honey into his menu, thanks in part to the property’s own rooftop beehives. The four finalists, representing the top entries in each of the Honey Recipe Challenge’s four categories (Appetizer, Sides/Salad, Entrée, and Dessert) are as follows:

$5,000 Grand Prize Scholarship Winner:

Goat Cheese Tempura with Honey Dipping Sauces (Appetizer)
Perry Xu Cao (CIA Hyde Park) of New Rochelle, NY

$1,000 Finalist Scholarship Winners:

Honey-Seared Ahi Tuna with Citrus and Greens (Sides/Salad)
Jennifer Shea (CIA Greystone) of Lake Villa, IL

Ba Kwa Style Pork Burger with Honey-Lime Pickle, Sweet Thyme Aioli, and Okinawan Sweet Potato Fries with Kecap Manis (Entrée)
Eric Hodet (CIA Hyde Park) of Fairfax, VT

Honey and Blackberry Ice Cream Sandwich (Dessert)
Courtney Weyl (CIA Greystone) of St. Helena, CA