April 20-21: Oxford Beer Festival

We are mere days away from the Oxford Craft Beer Festival, which will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Saturday, April 20, and Sunday, April 21, at Colonel’s Quarters at Castle Hill.

I have a special interest in the event since I’m organizing the VIP area, which involves six Oxford chefs being teamed up with craft brewers to create unique dishes that either integrate or pair with craft beers. All VIP ticket holders have access to the general admission area as well, and will have access to special brews, complimentary food and water/soda, and entrance into the festival one hour early (at noon).

Also happening in the VIP area will be a silent auction featuring beer-themed items as well as items donated from local Oxford businesses such as RockIT Computer Solutions, Sweet Cheeks, Deal’s Auto Repair, Lafayette Carpet Cleaning and more.

Some things to know before you go (for all ticket holders):

• Online ticket sales are ending soon.
• There are only 100 VIP tickets available per day.
• Ticket prices increase by $10 at the door.
• There should be enough free parking, but for those who would like a ride to the event, there will be a shuttle going to/from the JCPenney parking lot ($10 fee).
• There will be some fun gifts/crafts for purchase at the event, so don’t forget to bring some extra pocket change with you.

Check out the Oxford Beer Festival site for event information and ticket comparison. General admission is $35/pp/day and VIP admission is $75/pp/day.

Find out more about the VIP chefs in the videos below.

Tim Woodard from Little Easy Express Lunches and Catering (Cooking Sunday, April 21)

Sam Thamutok from Rice & Spice (Cooking Saturday, April 20)

Sean Adams from Honey Bee Bakery (Cooking Saturday, April 20)

Erika Lipe from Lenora’s (Cooking Saturday and Sunday)

Jon Myrick from Proud Larry’s (Cooking Sunday, April 21)

Rob Ray from McEwen’s (Cooking Saturday, April 20)

Party at Honey Bee Bakery November 2nd

On Wednesday, November 2, from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., in celebration of Honey Bee Bakery’s 3^rd birthday and its grand opening for dinner, Oxford is invited to an afternoon “Friends of Honey Bee” party filled with delicious food created at the bakery; a showing of artwork from local artists; music; and wine.

Similar to lunch, every dish offered at dinner is homemade, southern, simple, affordable, and utilizes local ingredients whenever possible. A renovated and redesigned dining room helps promote an intimate dining experience, and the bakery is also now licensed for brown bag services, so feel free to bring a bottle of your favorite wine when you try out the new dinner menu.

Honey Bee Bakery is no longer serving breakfast during the week, but the weekend brunch is still offered Saturday and Sunday until 2 p.m. The bakery’s new hours are Tuesday 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Wednesday through Friday 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sunday 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.

New Yum at Honey Bee Bakery

OK, I’m going to start by saying that I have never been a fan of pimento cheese. However, when I caught a glimpse of the new pimento cheese sandwich at Honey Bee Bakery on Jackson Avenue (near Belk’s) I knew there was something different about it. Chef Sean Adams later divulged that he blends it for less time to give it a chunkier consistency and then adds roasted jalepenos to the mix! The taste is very different than any other pimento cheese I’ve tried.

Needless to say, the pimento cheese sandwich isn’t the only new menu item that’s shown up lately at Honey Bee. There are new lunch combos and trios; a roasted veggie sandwich; daily specials such as pork tacos and pizza; and two daily soups that constantly rotate (I recommend the coconut curry lentil). Oh, and let’s not forget about the homemade breads and sweets.

The new menu isn’t live at the website yet, so you’ll need to stop in to check it out. Sign up for the daily specials email while on the site or in the restaurant to receive email updates about what’s on the menu for the day.

New Brunch Hangout

In my opinion, there’s always room for another breakfast spot on a lazy Sunday morning. Happily, Honey Bee Bakery (thehoneybeebakery.com) is now offering brunch all day long on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays (Fri. 7-5, Sat. 8-5, Sun. 9-2).

The new fall brunch menu features items such as butter pecan pancakes, bananas foster french toast, ambrosia, French press coffee and fresh orange juice.

Did someone say pancakes?