From Hive to Boston Catering Kitchen: FCK’s Beekeeping Journey 🐝
Fresh City Owner, Pete Minich takes up beekeeping to inspire future ingredient transparency.
Learn how locally sourced honey inspires our Boston catering menus and why bees matter to your next event.
As a Boston-based catering company, we know food inside and out. We’re masters of cuisines from around the world, building diverse catering menus that range from street-food-inspired flatbreads to polished corporate cocktail receptions. We test new recipes in the kitchen, refine our cooking techniques, and focus on the details — from how we poach and simmer to how we chop and plate.
But we’ve realized there’s one particular area where our clients want more: where does our food actually come from?
So this month, we’re shaking things up on the blog with a closer look at one of our own — Pete Minich, our owner and CEO, who’s been exploring a whole new side of food production: the ancient art of beekeeping.
From Caterer to Beekeeper 🐝
Pete started beekeeping this past year after enrolling in a course with the Plymouth County Beekeeping Association. What began as an interest in helping local pollinators quickly grew into a true passion.
Over the past six months, Pete has learned the ins and outs of managing hives, caring for bees, and even preparing for his very first honey harvest. Here’s a quick look at the life of a hive in New England:
Spring/Summer: A new hive arrives with about 10,000 worker bees and a queen. The queen is carefully introduced in a sugar-plug cage over five days, so the hive can adapt to her scent. By summer’s end, the hive grows to 60,000–80,000 bees — all focused on protecting the hive, raising newborns, and producing honey.
Fall: The queen slows her egg-laying, and the hive reduces to around 10,000 bees to survive the winter. If there’s extra honey beyond the 50 lbs needed for the hive’s food supply, it’s time for harvest.
Winter: The hive rests, buzzing quietly until spring kicks off another cycle!
Q&A with Pete 🐝
We asked Pete a few questions about his new beekeeping journey:
Will you harvest honey this year?
“I think I might be able to harvest a small amount. A hive needs about 50 lbs of honey to survive the winter, and I’m over that number. I’ll make the call in the next couple of weeks.”
What will you do with the honey?
“If we harvest, we’ll share a little with VIPs, friends, and family. But the big goal is to use it right here at Fresh City Kitchen. We go through over 100 lbs of honey a year across our breakfast, lunch, and happy hour catering menus. It would be incredible to say we’re cooking with honey from our very own bees in Scituate.”
What have you learned so far?
“Bees are fascinating. They’re incredibly organized, and that structure helps them adapt to challenges. I’ve also learned how tough it is for bees — between varroa mites, which weaken hives, and pesticides that threaten their survival. On a lighter note, I’ve discovered that different hives have their own personalities. One of mine is mellow (I call it The Grateful Dead), the other is much more fiery (The Clash). So far, The Dead hasn’t stung me… I can’t say the same about The Clash!”
Fun facts to share with Fresh City Clients?
Worker and drone bees live 2–3 months in summer, but a queen can live up to 5 years.
A queen lays up to 2,500 eggs a day.
It takes 21 days for an egg to hatch.
Bees communicate about food sources by doing a dance.
Honeybees can even recognize human faces!
From Hive to Our Corporate Catering Kitchen 🍯
At Fresh City Kitchen, honey is more than a sweetener — it’s a signature ingredient that shows up across our menus. Some of our fan-favorite dishes featuring honey include:
Hot Honey Soppressata Flatbreads
Asian Slaw served with our Asian Salads & Grain Bowls
Soon, you may even see “Scituate-raised honey” in our ingredient lists. We can’t wait to share it with you.
Why Bees Matter 🌿
Bees don’t just make honey — they pollinate plants that make our food system thrive. Supporting bees means supporting local agriculture, healthier ecosystems, and fresher ingredients in the food we serve every day.
At Fresh City Kitchen, we’re proud to keep learning about food at every stage — from seed and pollinator to plate. And thanks to Pete’s new passion project, we may soon be bringing a little extra “buzz” to your next catered event.
Get In On The Catering Buzz!
Whether it’s hot honey-glazed flatbreads, seasonal salads, or chef-crafted buffets, Fresh City Kitchen delivers office-friendly catering inspired by New England’s seasons.
👉 Explore our menus
👉 Contact us to start planning your next office meeting or event