Wildfin American Grill Harvests Honey from Rooftop Beehives

Issaquah-based WildFin American Grill is excited to announce its first rooftop honey harvest.

The first restaurant in the area to produce its own wild honey right on the property, Wildfin has five beehives on their Issaquah restaurant rooftop for the sole purpose of producing a unique “Issaquah honey” for their guests.

“When I tasted honey from a bee keeper friend, I knew we had to find a way to make our own,” says Wildfin President Attila Szabo. “The honey was like nothing I’d tasted before. I got to thinking about how we could make our own local harvest that works with our sustainability philosophy. To be able to produce something like this for our guests would be a special treat and provide value to the health of our local eco system.”

Amidst startling information from the USDA that honeybees are dying off at an alarming rate, Wildfin took the initiative to put two hives on their roof in 2012. The first harvest was small as the bees began to establish. WildFin added three more in 2013. All five hives have grown and, despite growing North American fear over honeybee health, WildFin’s bees are thriving.

“I think the secret to our bees’ success is in the surrounding environment and in how we manage them,” Szabo says. “Commercially made honey, much of it coming from China and South America, comes from bees that are placed in the middle of one crop, which provides a very one-dimensional flavor profile not to mention limited nutrients for the bees. Additionally, all the honey produced is harvested and the bees are fed a sugar water mixture to sustain them through the winter. Our bees have as many different sources of nectar as the land around them can provide. During the harvest we leave honey for the bees to sustain them through the winter. Altogether this practice is more natural and healthier for the bees.”

The City of Issaquah has a number of fruit trees and flowering shrubs and bushes in public areas, providing substantial nectar nearby. Additionally, in undeveloped areas and parks nearby blackberries, wildflowers and flowering trees provide more food for the bees, as do neighbors’ gardens. The result is a rich, complex dark amber honey.

WildFin Rooftop Honey Inspires Tasty New Dishes

WildFin will incorporate its signature Rooftop Honey into several new dishes, available at both the Issaquah and Renton Landing restaurant locations, including:

·         Oven roasted Snoqualmie Valley brussel sprouts with bacon and spicy WildFin Rooftop Honey lime glaze

·         Jalapeno cornbread griddle cakes with sweet cream butter and WildFin Rooftop honey

·         WildFin Rooftop Honey yogurt berry parfait

·         WildFin Rooftop Honey Greek yogurt with Oregon berry jam and all natural granola

WildFin American Grill serves “The Catch of the Northwest” daily with local and regional produce, meats and seafood, all in a comfortable and relaxing neighborhood atmosphere. WildFin is located in Issaquah and at the Renton Landing.