With support from the Maui Culinary Academy and Whole Foods Market Kahului, Slow Food Maui presents Helen Nielsen, Maui Natural Bee, as its featured guest for its Taste Education Series in February. The session will focus on the lives of honeybees and their efficiency, the benefits of consuming local honey and useful ways to use honey in kitchen and bath. A beehive will be on display (no bees) and honey tastings will be shared.
“After considering the plight of honeybees around the world, and the relatively healthy, isolated environment we have in southeast Maui, we started raising bees about three years ago,” said Helen Nielsen, Maui Natural Bee. “We currently have about 35 hives and we are completely energy independent, powering with solar and collecting rainwater.”
Maui Natural Bee provides local artisan honey and Kiawe and Christmas berry honey to the Maui community. The products are available at farmers markets or directly from Maui Natural Bee. To order, contact Helen at bees[at]maui[dot]net.
In addition to Maui Natural Bee, Nielsen is well known for her community work. She is one of the original founders of the Hawaiian Island Land Trust (HILT) and its current board president. As a business owner, Nielsen is active in many of Maui’s community projects, along with her husband Jonathan Starr. She divides her time between Wailuku and her energy-independent home in Kaupo.
Taste Education is a nine-part “food focused” educational series presented by Slow Food Maui in partnership with the Maui Culinary Academy and Whole Foods Market Kahului. Organized to honor people who grow and produce the food we eat, the series brings local food producers in our community to the forefront so others may learn about their work, how their product is made and where to find it.
Date: Wednesday, February 29 (Always Held on the last Wednesday of each month. Mark your calendars!)
Time: 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.
Place: Maui Culinary Academy, UH Maui College, Pa’ina Building, 310 W. Kaahumanu Ave., Kahului, Maui, Hawai‘i
Cost:
$15 for Slow Food USA members
$20 for non-members
Seating is limited. Advance reservations and payment are required. Please note that we cannot guarantee participation if payment is not received prior to the event date.
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Slow Food Maui’s next Taste Education session is a field trip to Maui Brewing Co. for a grand tour and tasting by Owner Garrett Marrero and General Manager Lyndon Honda. Here is an opportunity to learn about creating handcrafted beers using local ingredients and environmentally sound practices while enjoying a behind-the-scenes-tour of one of Hawaiʻi’s fastest growing companies.