Montreal Gazette

Culinary artisans help Accueil Bonneau show off their honey

Honey harvested from rooftop hives tended by men’s shelter sweetens treats

- SUSAN SCHWARTZ sschwartz@postmedia.com

Sweet treats made with honey produced at an urban beehive operated by Accueil Bonneau will be on the menu on Sunday afternoon as the Mois du miel de Bonneau is launched in the Old Port.

From Oct. 1 through 31, six of Montreal’s top chocolate, pastry and ice cream artisans — Les chocolats de Chloé, Patrice Pâtissier, Les Givrés, Crémy pâtisserie, La Fabrique Arhoma and Fous Desserts — will use honey harvested by the apprentice beekeepers of the day centre in culinary creations they sell on their premises.

At the Sunday launch, there will be tastings of the honey harvested. The tastings will continue all month in participat­ing Metro stores, where the honey will be available for sale. Metro is a longtime partner of Accueil Bonneau,

The launch will be between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. at Fleury-Mesplet Park, at the intersecti­on of Bonneau and de la Commune E. Sts. in the Old Port. In the event of rain, it will be held at Accueil Bonneau, 420 St-Paul St. E.

The event, free and open to all, will feature the honey treats created by the artisans and the opportunit­y to learn more about the project. As well, a new branding image for the Miel de Bonneau project, created from an illustrati­on by artist Marc Séguin, will be unveiled.

This has been the fifth consecutiv­e summer for the Miel de Bonneau, a social reintegrat­ion project in which men from the day centre are in charge of everything from maintainin­g the beehives, harvesting the honey and helping to sell it.

More than 40 men have participat­ed in the program in some capacity since Yves Ménard, a Montreal criminal lawyer and apiculture enthusiast, donated four hives in 2014. His goal was to help the men who use the centre. Ménard will also attend the Sunday launch event.

The project has grown and today Miel de Bonneau is responsibl­e for a total of 72 hives — on the rooftop of the day centre as well as on the roofs of businesses in and around Montreal.

Proceeds of the honey sales at Metro go directly back into the Miel de Bonneau program. In 2017 about 7,000 jars of honey were sold.

Alvéole, an urban beekeeping company that helps teach the skills needed to maintain the hives, is involved in the project.

In addition, social workers and volunteers travel with the participan­ts to the hives as they apprentice as beekeepers.

In the process, the men develop a sense of accomplish­ment and self worth as they become more self-confident and more confident around the bees. Ultimately, they learn to look after the hives themselves. For them, le Mois du Miel is a chance to see the fruits of their labour noticed.

In addition, observed Alvéole co-founder Alexandre McLean, the movement contribute­s to the transforma­tion of cities into oases for pollinator­s and increases awareness of the role of bees.

 ?? PIERRE OBENDRAUF ?? John Levasseur and John Ungar, right, tend to beehives on the rooftop of the Accueil Bonneau, a shelter for men.
PIERRE OBENDRAUF John Levasseur and John Ungar, right, tend to beehives on the rooftop of the Accueil Bonneau, a shelter for men.

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