Bees sweeten the menu at Sandy Springs favorite Ray’s on the River

SANDY SPRINGS, Ga. - A group of dedicated “employees” has been working non-stop for more than a year to sweeten the menu at Sandy Springs favorite Ray’s on the River.  But, to be perfectly honest, it’s not the customers that they’re trying to make happy.

“They’re very loyal to their queen.  So they will work…and work…and work.”

Brooke Vacovsky is a beekeeper, and she’s talking about the more than 100,000 bees populating the restaurant’s pair of beehives. Located on a shady spot right along the river, the hives were installed in spring of last year, after general manager Nick King had the idea to add hyper-local honey to the menu.

“[I] brought the idea over here, and partnered with our executive chef, who is also very passionate about the idea,” says King.  “Anything local is what we started with.”

And it’s doesn’t get much more local than this; the bees pollinate flowers right on the Ray’s property, then come back to the hives to make honey.  Last week, beekeeper Vacocsky suited up to finally remove a few frames and extract honey — careful to leave some behind.

“I always make sure the bees have enough food for the winter,” Vacocsky says.  “In Georgia winter, that’s about 40 to 50 pounds.  So we’re going to be harvest any surplus beyond that.”

This is the first real honey harvest to come from the Ray’s on the River hives, so Vacocsky says the yield won’t be particularly large.  That said, it will be enough to sweeten some cocktails and menu specialties.

“One of the dishes is going to be a honey salmon on a bed of quinoa,” says King.  “And we’re going to take that honey and it’s going to be caramelized on the top.”

King says the hope is to collect more and more honey each year, and to be able to use it at all three Ray’s locations (Ray’s on the River, Ray’s in the City, and Ray’s at Killer Creek) and eventually bottle and sell it.  

Which means before long, Ray’s Restaurants might just boast the sweetest menus in town.