Our Bees & Garden
ROOFTOP EDIBLES FROM OUR VERY OWN HERB & VEGETABLE GARDEN
For twenty-three years, Fairmont Waterfront has embraced community partnerships and the sustainable living philosophy of Eating Local. Planted in 1996, the hotel's charming 2100 square foot herb garden became one of the first ever green roofs in the heart of downtown Vancouver that is a wealth of inspiration for our culinary team.
Under the West Coast sun we grow and farm a variety of organic herbs, vegetables, fruits and edible blossoms including rosemary, lavender, bay leaves, tarragon, garlic, kale, leeks, rainbow chard, carrots, peppers, green onions, strawberries, pumpkins and apples.
From our rooftop to your fork, enjoy this fresh bounty in Chef’s culinary masterpieces.
THE BUZZ ON BEES
In keeping with Fairmont Waterfront’s commitment to sustainability, the third floor terrace is buzzing with apiary action. The hotel welcomed honeybees to our rooftop in 2008, where they produced a harvest from three hives while forming a symbiotic relationship with our existing herb garden.
Each summer, the hotel is home to over 250,000 honeybees producing up to 600lbs of honey throughout the season. Our ‘bee buddies’ forage over 26 square miles around Vancouver, bringing back honey from over 60 different species of plants, but primarily from two sources: blackberry blossoms and American bamboo blossoms.
Did you know? Our industrious bees have to visit approximately 1 million flowers to produce one pound of honey!
In 2015, mason bees were introduced to the hotel’s garden in an exciting partnership with Hives for Humanity. As part of their Pollinator Corridor Project, we engage with the community and help build up local super pollinator bee populations by providing forage and habitat for them in Vancouver green spaces. The hotel built a Pollinator Hotel affectionately known as the 'Bee & Bee' to host these and other indigenous bee species.
What are super pollinators? They are tiny docile bees that don't produce honey. They live in harmony with our existing honeybees, and are essential for the garden (and the planet).
Fairmont Waterfront was able to sponsor this project and other great initiatives with Hives For Humanity through a Fairmont CAREs grant.
BEE SURE TO TRY THE HONEY
Producing our own honey has allowed the ARC team to creatively flex their gastronomic muscles. All year long, our culinary team creates seasonal mouthwatering honey infused dishes. In addition to using our rooftop honey in chocolate, pastries, salad dressings, and signature cocktails, our culinary team creates mouthwatering seasonal dishes to showcase the many uses of this sweet ingredient.
Our Bee's Knees Sundae is a delicious concoction featuring rooftop honey caramel, salted-honey pecan, and torched honey marshmallow.
For a refreshing libation, try the Flaming Rosemary Gimlet made with our signature Fairmont Waterfront West Coast Wild Gin from Wayward Distillery. This unique spirit starts as our pure rooftop honey that is gently fermented into mead and then distilled into spirit that captures the delicate and bright aromas of locally sourced and organic botanicals.
Come see why it’s more important than ever to give bees a chance.