Today we’d like to introduce you to Benjamin Vickers.
Benjamin, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I started baking in my college dorm room, but the hobby soon took over my full attention. I attended the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, in 2013 where I earned my degree in Baking & Pastry. As a young pastry chef, I worked throughout New York and the east coast including Dominique Ansel Bakery in NYC, and Blackberry Farm in Tennessee.
I returned to my hometown of Lakeland in 2017 to accept a position as pastry chef of Nineteen61, where I began to bake sourdough bread as a side project for friends and colleagues. The first loaves of bread that were actually sold was February 14th, 2018, which we now consider Honeycomb’s anniversary.
That year, I made the leap of working full-time on Honeycomb, with myself and one apprentice. We opened a booth at the Lakeland Farmer’s Market and used a shared kitchen space for production. In September 2019, now a team of 6 with market locations in both Lakeland and Winter Haven, we opened our first storefront in Downtown Lakeland. A few months later, we were gifted with a pandemic and an unprecedented shock to our business model, economy, and way of life.
2020 was also a year of great opportunity, however. We let the lease to our building expire, and focused on our mobile market locations which had minimal operational costs. We became the region’s first organic flour mill; using the flour in our own products and selling bags of flour to newly-minted home bakers. We also began work on Honeycomb’s next storefront location.
In partnership with Six/Ten, we relocated our operations to Downtown Winter Haven, where we currently enjoy baking out of the renovated historic Spears Gulf gas station. We now have a team of 8 hardworking craftspeople in the artisan bread bakery, espresso bar, and cafe kitchen.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Our business model has been shaped by my past experiences in the industry, by the economic turbulence of recent years, and by the great renegotiation between workers and employers, we are currently experiencing.
The onset of the Covid19 felt like drowning. I didn’t take a paycheck for six months that year in order for my staff to not miss a paycheck. I took free meals from my parents wherever I could and applied for whatever grants I could qualify for. But had I not relied on the support and kindness of my loved ones, I wouldn’t have the wherewithal or tenacity to hold our course.
The decision to close our first shop in downtown Lakeland was truly heartbreaking and felt like a period of utter defeat, but it kept the business lean and relatively stable through the worst of 2020 and set the groundwork for a much larger, better-built, and healthier storefront in Winter Haven.
Now we are facing a different struggle. The true struggle. One of growth and responsible management of our resources. One of building a culture of kindness and integrity within our team. One of creating a fulfilling work life and economic security for our families, and of providing care to our guests.
The culmination of our struggles and efforts over the last four years feels like finally stepping up to the starting line.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Honeycomb Bread Bakers?
Honeycomb is an artisan bread bakery. We specialize in rustic loaves of crusty naturally-leavened sourdough breads, focaccia, croissants, bagels, and challah. We focus diligently on the care and quality of our service and products, from the ethical agricultural sourcing of our organic grain, dairy, and coffee; to the granular details of plating dishes and placing spoons on saucers. Though Honeycomb is a small and humble cafe, the great effort and attention our craftspeople take with our guests is evident and palpable. They are our greatest asset and each exemplify Honeycomb’s core values of honesty, generosity, humility, and grace. Our loyal guests return to us time and again because we provide excellent quality for value, and we make them feel cared for.
Is there something surprising that you feel even people who know you might not know about?
Many guests are shocked at the amount of labor we put into even simple items. Our most popular loaf, the Honeycomb Country Sourdough is comprised of only three ingredients: flour, water, and salt. However, the dough must be developed over the course of three days by highly-skilled and attentive hands. A croissant that takes all of thirty seconds to gobble down is also the result of many hard hours of skilled labor carefully laminating layers of European-style butter and organic flour, naturally fermenting with our sourdough starter, and shaping with precision. The silky, velvet texture of our roasted red pepper and tomato bisque is thanks to a process of refining and straining that goes beyond the typical restaurant throwing ingredients in a blender. Time and again, guests are surprised by our willingness to take those extra steps that contribute to a higher level of refined quality–and are delighted with the results.
Pricing:
- Loaves of bread: 6-7$
- Handcrafted pastries: 3-4$
- Craft coffee and tea: 3-5$
- Breakfast and lunch: 3-11$
Contact Info:
- Website: Honeycombbread.com
- Instagram: @honeycombbread
- Facebook: @honeycombbread
Image Credits
Benjamin Vickers
Amy Sexson
