Every year, the National Honey Board conducts various Honey Summits throughout the United States, attracting some of the top bakers, brewers and distillers to educational seminars on using honey in food and beverage applications.
These are small, but impactful events. We recruit up to 25 of the best artisans in their respective crafts, and give them a complete immersion into the story of honey, from the bee to honey’s use in a bakery or brewery.
Through these events, we’ve had the opportunity to watch some of the best artisan bread bakers and pastry chefs in action, using honey to craft amazing bakery foods. We’ve also educated countless brewers on how honey can be incorporated into beer without losing its aromatic essence and depth of flavor.
These events are very rewarding for our team, and we love when past attendees are recognized for their work by the industry at large. This happened recently with the release of the 2018 James Beard Award semifinalists. A nomination for this award is the food industry’s equivalent to being nominated for an Oscar or Grammy.
We were excited to see this year’s semifinalists contain so many familiar names of bakers and brewers that we’ve worked with through our various Honey Summits. Congratulations to the following!
Outstanding Baker
- Tova du Plessis, Essen Bakery in Philadelphia
- Michelle Gayer, Salty Tart in Minneapolis
- Zachary Golper, Bien Cuit in New York City
- Lisa Ludwinski, Sister Pie in Detroit
- Sarah O’Brien, Little Tart Bakeshop in Atlanta
- Greg Wade, Publican Quality Bread in Chicago
Outstanding Wine, Beer or Spirits Professional
- Jeffrey Stuffings, Jester King Brewery in Austin
- JC Tetreault, Trillium Brewing in Boston