Enjoy’s New Food Column—

Welcome To The Bountiful Hive

By Meg Maher-Soto

The early 1990s brought about a renaissance in the culinary arts. People’s tastes started to take on new directions and new dimensions. A growing awareness of fresh, natural foods presented with interest and flair had become chic. That is why I see it fitting to romance a culinary era that began over a decade ago, and is even more vibrant and exciting today, with a timely and informative food column for the Enjoy section of The Newtown Bee.

I have resided in Newtown for three years. Prior to Newtown, I lived in Stamford. I was born and raised in Pleasantville, N.Y. I attended Manhattanville College in Purchase, N.Y., and I chose English as a minor because of my love of writing.

I kept a journal as a young girl. I logged in the splendor of the seasons with its divine beauty and certain slant of light. I also wrote of heart-warming baking lessons assisted by my great Aunt Mollie and the warm, comforting smells of her kitchen.

I embraced life with the written word, and I have always desired to one day write about my love of food. It was while managing a French bistro in Armonk, N.Y., during college, that I became intrigued with the creativeness and sophistication of the world of fine food and wine. I graduated, and put all thoughts of law school aside (I was a political science major), and I remained in a career where I knew that I belonged.

A career in the culinary arts meant I could create, socialize, write and get paid for it! It was a natural fit for me, and, I remain in the food industry today. I married a chef (naturally), and my husband, Orlando, and I now operate The Cook and The Baker, our home-based catering business.

After college, I formed a small catering company based in Greenwich. At that time, I also entered the gourmet food industry as a buyer for several fine food markets, such as Hay Day Country Farm Market in Greenwich and Westport, Fresh Fields (Whole Foods Markets) in Greenwich, and Patisserie Salzburg in Rye, N.Y.

  I also managed the dining and special functions at The Stamford Yacht, a private country club in Stamford.

  I then entered the corporate food world, working for Sodexho Marriott Services. I was a retail operations manager for Warburg, Dillon, Read/UBS and Westvaco at 48th Street and Park Avenue, and later, at Bridgeport Hospital.

  Most recently, I worked as a consultant for LaBonne’s Epicure Market in Woodbury. I assisted the director of operations with planning and developing his gourmet food line. I also designed and implemented the international cheese department along with the gourmet perishables department.

  I have traveled many avenues in the food business and I feel these experiences have laid the foundation for writing a food column. I have covered the state from corner to corner in dining. When I day trip with my family, we always seek a “food route,” enabling us to discover the culinary finery of this state. We have found lively bistros, artisan bakeries, European patisseries, tea rooms, clam shacks, barbeque pits and down-home diners. I have dedicated myself to finding the best food, here in Connecticut, and it simply is what I love doing. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences with The Bee and its readers.

  By the way, judging from the intricate and fascinating accomplishments of the beehive, I see it fitting to name my column in honor of the world’s most efficient factory: the beehive. When you think that bees are the only insects that make food for humans and that one third of the human diet is derived from bee-pollinated plants, its bounty is indeed miraculous.

Furthermore, did you know that in order for worker bees to make one pound of honey, they will make 25,000 trips to forage the nectar, which equates to 55,000 miles of travel and two million visits to the flowers. Many beekeeper hives can make as much as 150 pounds of honey. The bees will travel the equivalent of 13 round trips to the moon!

Hence the name The Bountiful Hive.