Time Out Market NYC hosted an exclusive media event by the National Honey Board last week to celebrate National Honey Month, featuring chef-driven honey dishes and a curated menu from top restaurants before public release. Attendees will also enjoy a sensory honey tasting from Chef Ian Ramirez and insights from NYT bestselling author Carolina Gelen, all celebrating honey’s flavors while supporting bees and beekeepers.
The first thing that caught my eye when I walked up to the roped-off section of the rooftop of Time Out Market was the absolutely massive beehive placed upon a table, swarming with hundreds of honeybees. Now, I was aware that this would be an event about all things honey, but seeing the actual producers in a public place like this was still a shocker for me. I am an aficionado of insects, though, so I enjoyed watching them go about their jobs for a bit behind the glass, but I also marveled at the passion that whoever brought the hive must have had for bees and honey.
I would soon learn that this passion would be the most standout thing throughout the evening. The event was hosted by the National Honey Board to celebrate National Honey Month, and as they delved into the various types of honey, its sources, its uses, and ways to protect and conserve it, I could get a sense of just how much personal investment was behind each word they spoke. It was very refreshing, especially since honey is usually something that is overlooked or taken for granted. I welcomed the appearance of NYT bestselling cookbook author Carolina Gelen, who gave a brief introduction and described her personal love for honey. She described recipes where honey would perform as a substitute for sugar, and others where it was a main ingredient in its own right, and how it can give a little extra depth of flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. Her recipes were different and creative, and got me more excited for what the night would have to offer.
Author Carolina Gelen enjoys some honey
-courtesy of NHB
After introductions from Jacob of Jacob’s Pickles himself, as I sipped a honey-infused cocktail, the event began with Chef Ian Ramirez presenting a selection of honey, as well as various accompaniments that went well with each type. I, for one, was astonished purely at the variety of honey, as I had been simply accustomed to the standard Costco brand honey. Wow, my eyes were opened. We tried blueberry, buckwheat, orange, and coffee honey, and the first thing I learned was that the “flavor” wasn’t a flavor at all— rather, it was a designation of the plant that the honeybees that produced the honey fed on, giving it a uniquely different taste and mouth feel. For example, the blueberry honey tasted generally standard, with a general sweet/sour taste that paired excellently with sour sides such as finger limes and yuzu. On the other hand, the buckwheat tasted savory and paired well with umami salt or parmesan cheese, and the orange was spicy and went with habanero pepper sauce or chili flakes. I tried the coffee plant honey by itself, and it felt almost a combination of the three others, but with a distinctly gritty feel in my mouth. Each had its own flavor profile that was completely different, and many people around the room had preferences for different honeys for different reasons. It was amazing, adding so much depth to something that I use almost daily, and that I was realizing I knew almost nothing about.
I try the various flavors of honey
-courtesy of NHB
Next, we got the opportunity to sample a curated menu that revolved around, you guessed it, honey. This menu would be showcased at Time Out Market for two days, but we were getting the opportunity to try it early in all its glory. The lineup perfectly showcased how the golden ingredient could elevate both sweet and savory dishes with depth and balance. Fornino’s corn & n’duja pizza combined the smoky sweetness of roasted corn and creamy burrata with spicy Calabrian sausage, all tied together by a fiery honey drizzle that tempered the heat with rich floral notes, while Rogue Panda’s honey black pepper beef leaned into bold contrasts, where the glaze fused honey’s natural sweetness with sharp black pepper, coating tender steak and crisp vegetables in a glossy, aromatic finish. Tanoreen’s goat cheese-stuffed Medjool dates, my personal favorite, took on a luxurious edge, as tangy cheese and earthy za’atar met the nutty crunch of pistachios, all amplified by the syrupy richness of honey. Jacob’s Pickles supplied the star item, a hot honey chicken biscuit sandwich that was layered with crispy fried chicken, Nashville spice, and tangy pickles, with clover honey adding a mellow, soothing sweetness that cut through the heat. Finally, Doughnuttery’s Honey Nuts transformed mini vanilla doughnuts into irresistible bites, with honey powder and sugar creating a warm, fragrant coating that lingered with every munch. I had five of these little guys and had to hold myself back from taking the whole box. This menu in all was superb, and really highlighted the variety of uses that honey has—it is not only a dessert ingredient, but rather a formidable force in a whole plethora of foods and cuisines. I could not wait for the rest of NYC to get their hands on it.
Several delicious Jacob’s Pickles’ hot honey chicken biscuit sandwiches
-courtesy of NHB
What also deserves mention is the absolutely stunning assortment of items included in the gift bag at the end of the night. All honey-oriented products, I marveled at the sheer variety of honey dips, sauces, and spreads that were included. First was the standard packets of honey, although they had protein and were in almond butter and peanut butter flavors. I also received a bottle of honey butter (which I have already used several times), root beer made with honey, a protein bar with honey as an ingredient, a sweet honey Japanese barbecue sauce, a bottle of honey iced tea, and a Barr Hill bottle of honey syrup for crafting cocktails (included was a flier that detailed several cocktail recipes I could use it with). I also got a container of Jacob’s Pickles and a box of biscuits to eat with all of this honey. If I didn’t love it before, I definitely love honey now.
This event really inspired me. Not only did I get the chance to try out flavors of honey that I couldn’t even dream up, but I got the chance to meet the makers themselves, the bees, try some honey-inspired foods, as well as have a chat with the National Honey Board about their favorite topic. I now had a newfound appreciation for the sweet delicacy, as well as a sense of urgency about its protection, both through vegetation and bees, both essential to its creation. Caring about honey simply because it tastes good is a bit selfish; I also value deeply the role that bees themselves play in the ecosystem, carrying forward plant fertilization that fundamentally holds up so many species of flora that we and many other animals depend on. If I can give a single closing thought, it would be to try to add some more honey into your diet today, and SAVE THE BEES!
