Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

We have all been cooped up so long and the urge to let loose is so pent up, who could blame some of us for jumping the gun on certain celebrations?

And while I am not looking forward to seeing Christmas decorations the day after Halloween, I am all for starting Oktoberfest early!

Fortunately, our friends at Night Shift Brewing apparently agree.

In fact, they will be bringing their famed fest back for the first time since 2019 on September 25 at their facilities in Everett and on Boston’s Lovejoy Wharf.

In addition to live music from the Hofbrau Spieler Band and other appropriate entertainers, the September-fest will feature special themed foods that range from beer pretzels to whoopee pies, and, of course, special beers, including aMarzen style Lager, German style Pilsner, and new Hefeweizen. There will also be a Stein-holding contest and the first 50 people to check in get a free Stein to hold forever!

Lest people think that Night Shift is just about beer, I can attest that their hard ciders and seltzers and other beverages (including their craft coffees) are all aces too! However, as it is ALMOST October, we will let Night Shift’s famed beers shine as they do all year.

www.nightshiftbrewing.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

I know I have been talking a lot about honey lately and that I have been celebrating apiarists from around the world. 

Lest you think that I want to tease or leave out anyone who is not quite ready to venture out, however, I have news that will help bring the honey home no matter where you are!

The folks at Bees and Thank You have recently developed what might be called the GrubHub of hives.

Partnering with local, sustainable beekpeeers and farrners, Bees and Thank you have assembled a series of what they call Bee Well Boxes that can be delivered on a regular subscription basis to you or to anyone else who needs a little extra sweetness (and couldn’t we ALL these days?!).   

In addition to bringing subscribers the freshest and best bee-related products, the progam also supports local producers and helps strengthen the hives that help support not only our immune systems (another key element these days). 

With the proceeds, Bees and Thank You hope to build bee sanctuaries every 500 miles across the nation. These, in turn, will help pollinate local crops and support the food chain upon which we all depend. So by sending a box of honey, you can also send a message that you support local farmers and the environment!

https://www.beewellbox.com// https://www.beesandthankyou.org

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

I got more honey news for National Honey Month!

Though many are already in love with Bushwick Kitchen’s buzz-worthy Bees Knees honey varietes that include spicy, salted, and Meyer lemon flavors, Bushwick has recently introduced a set of single-serve honey straws that can be taken on the go for worktime tea, an emergency cooking ingredient, or just a nutritious jolt of natural energy any time of day!

Just like Bushwick’s big bottles, their single-serve sweeteners allow home chefs and professionals to add a squeeze of flavor to any dish or drink. And just like the full-sized bottles, each straw has the added benefits of salty brine, tangy lemons, and hot habanero to add special kicks that most other honeys can’t match.

In addition to their honeys, Bushwick also offers their Weak Knees sriracha and a set of Trees Knees syrup flavors that includes butter, coffee, cinnamon, gingerbread, spicy, and bourbon and that can be bought with Bushwick’s own cinnamon oat pancake and waffle mix.

This just in- Bushwick is about to release a set of hot sauces that are part of a partnership with Angry Orchard ciders, so you can be sure I will be raving about them again soon!

In the meantime, slather on what they got and enjoy!

bushwickkitchen.com.

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

I just found out that September is National Honey Month! 

As a huge honey fan and bee booster, I am thrilled to have a chance to pollinate business for my many apiary associates, including such rich and sweet friends as Boston Honey Company (who recently opened a new facility and store in Holliston), Red Bee in CT, Johnston Honey from MN (which I just finished and need to get more of!), Nakakono from Africa, and Pacific Resources and Wedderspoon from New Zealand! I am also happy to add to the list of bee-utiful bee-tailers Maggie’s Farm in Greenfield, MA (who I found through the MA Department of Agriculture).

Started by a husband and wife team that includes a former educator who left teaching to, as he puts it, “live my agricultural dream,” Maggie’s hives hardy Russian bees to make a light honey that is great in tea as well as a rarer dark honey that is good with apples for Rosh Hashahnah, as part of a homemade barbecue sauce, or simply on its own! 

As Maggie’s never mixes their honeys, each batch is different, like a fine varietal of wine, making repeated (even regular) orders easy to justify. They also make beeswax candles, soaps, and lotions, and even sell their own beekeeping supplies for those who might be inspired to leave other pursuits to get jive with a hive.

Honey is great at any time of year, but as it is National Honey Month, let us all give a little extra wiggle-waggle for our friends – both local and international – who bring us this environmentally-supportive treat!

bostonhoneycompany.com

redbee.com

johnstonhoney.com

nakakono.com

nakakono.com

wedderspoon.compri-nz.com

maggiesfarmandapiary.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

After months of delay, Hub Hall at TD Garden is finally set to open!

We talked about the opening when it was originally slated pre-pandemic,but all of the vendors have hung on (and more have apparently been added!) and the TD Garden food scene is ready to grow like never before!

While I have already raved about Guy Fieri’s Tequila Cocina and heard great things about Banners Kitchen and Tap (both of which are also at the Garden, as is an impressive live music venue that is already hosting events), the Hall will surely take things up a notch with its New England-wide array of fan favorites, including Mida Apizza, Lily P’s Fried Chicken, Naco Taco, Castle Island’s famed Sullivan’s, and North End legend Mike’s Pastry.

Another Hub Hall hub will be Cusser’s, the takeout twin of the popular fish house Mooncusser, which recently grabbed award-winning Top Chef Carl Dooley from Cambridge’s Table at Season to Taste and which also recently added a full liquor license that they purchased from the sadly departed L’espalier.

So whether or not you got tickets to the game or the teams are worth watching, Causeway Street will once again be the place to be thanks in great part to the amazing food at Hub Hall and all around the arena.

www.hubhallboston.com

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!

Matt’s segments for “Connoisseur’s Corner” usually air on WBZ (1030 AM) Saturdays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25, and 11:55 AM and Sundays at 7:25, 8:25, 9:25 AM.

Recent samples can be found at Recent samples can be found at https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1002-Connoisseurs-Corner-28654273/.

If you have ideas for future segments, please send them to Matt@Matts-Meals.com.

Also, please follow me on Twitter @MattsMeals73.

Thanks for listening and thanks for supporting our friends and neighbors in the food-service industry!