A Calgary restaurant is the first in the downtown core to install bee hives as a way to enhance their food and help the environment at the same time.
The Calgary Petroleum Club recently added a colony of about 150,000 bees, as well as an edible flower garden to feed them and an herb garden to give their kitchen an added kick.
Sean Cutler, executive chef at the Calgary Petroleum Club, says they made the choice to raise bees at the location to do their part to help the environment.
"We're taking steps to help bees out. They're a bit in trouble right now, so anything we can do to help them out is going to help us out."
There's a sweet benefit to raising them too, Cutler says.
"We're getting their honey so we can incorporate that into our menus, into our drinks and really celebrate what bees do for us in cooking."
The honey will be used as sweeteners in vinaigrettes and dressings, syrups in drinks and many other creative ways.
He adds they expect to expand the garden in the near future as well.
