Courtesy of Ballard Bee Company

Come late March or April, 4 Western honeybee hives from Corky Luster’s Ballard Bee Company will be installed on Bastille’s growing rooftop garden.

Chef Shannon Galusha will integrate both extracted and comb honey from the hives into the menu at Bastille this summer, following collection in May and June from blackberry blooms.

Chef Galusha is still considered all the ways to use this sweet amber bounty, from honeyed vinegars, combs to accompany the cheese program, savory dishes and desserts.

While Western honeybees are usually dormant from October to March, with our warmer winter this year in Seattle, there is some collection happening now from crocuses, pussy willows and heather pollen. Once collection begins in earnest, Bastille’s bees will produce two major honey flows from Big Leaf maple and the aforementioned blackberry.

Built for Man is a local fashion-forward company here in the Northwest. According to their website it is “filled with light yet stylish pieces made of natural fibers, our collection is designed specifically to provide you with the most comfortable layering items for this season and every season after.”

They had a fashion show on Tuesday night in Capitol Hill where they showcased some amazing knits from their Fall/Winter 2010 collection – which were all hand loomed and woven in Peru.

They “provide rural communities in Peru with a loom which enables these communities to improve their quality of life and continue their ancient traditional looming techniques. Utilizing the most luxurious yarns—Pima Cotton, Baby Alpaca, and Silk—these communities bring our designs to life and help us to create garments that stand out for their practicality, comfort and style.” You can read more about it on their blog, The Loom Project.

If you’ve never felt baby alpaca let me assure you it’s soft and very luxurious! If you’re interested in checking out the newest collection, head on over to David Lawrence which opens next week at The Bravern!

Their collection consists of: Shirts, Corvatts, Sweaters, Hoodies, Unkus, Scarves, Hand & Arm Warmers. Check them out!