That buzz you hear around your favorite Fairmont these days might be something other than street traffic or business banter.
In keeping with the company’s early adoption of a “farm to the fork” commitment to organic, sustainable and local cuisine, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts is adding honey bees to its array of fresh food sources that are local and green.
While Fairmont chefs in the past have partnered with local farmers, fishermen, cheese makers, organic meat producers and other purveyors, growing herbs and honey on the hotel roof sets a new pace.
Three queen bees and their entourage of over 10,000 are now in residence atop the roof of Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York. The queens have settled into their 14th story triple-hive apiary, and Executive Chef David Garcelon views the new hives as a natural extension of the hotel’s longstanding rooftop herb garden.
“You can’t find a supplier much closer than your own roof,” Garcelon quips, and he anticipates that “…our bee colonies will deliver some irresistible honey for our guests, and at the same time assist with promoting our ecological commitment to bee culture.”
The Fairmont Waterfront in Vancouver, British Columbia, has two rooftop hives, containing 60,000 bees each, and The Fairmont Algonquin in St. Andrews by-the-Sea in New Brunswick has welcomed a queen and her colony to nearby Kingbrae Gardens, a 27-acre horticultural treasure on the Bay of Fundy coast. Chef Ryan Dunne anticipates his first honey harvest this fall, and looks forward to including it in culinary triumphs at the hotel’s four restaurants, all of which are in sync with the “100-mile menu” of local and sustainable ingredients.
Honey is part of the take-home experience, too. Groups at Fairmont properties like The Fairmont Newfoundland and Fairmont Winnipeg receive small jars of the sweet delicacy from local farms, marked with the hotel’s logo.
While the bee product may be the big new buzz at Fairmont properties, it’s only the latest in sustainable culinary surprises, says Serge Simard, Fairmont’s vice president of F&B.
“We want our guests to know that when they dine at Fairmont, they can count on the very best, freshest ingredients—and a true experience of the destination through their culinary choices,” he says. “There will always be a range of sustainable options for them to consider.”
