HUNEE PRESENTS:
A GUIDED HONEY TASTING AT GIOIA WITH MARINA MARCHESE
September 27, 2026
3 - 5:30 PM
GIOIA
150 Wooster Street | NEW HAVEN, CT
Join us at Gioia’s rooftop for an intimate afternoon of honey, community, and discovery, while raising funds to promote nature-based trauma healing and equitable workforce development for youth impacted by foster care and other systems.
This annual event promises to be a unique and memorable experience!
We can’t wait to celebrate with you and raise funds to support Huneebee Project’s work in New Haven and Bridgeport.
THIS IMMERSIVE and EXPERIENTIAL FUNDRAISER INCLUDES:
A cocktail hour with artisanal honey-infused drinks and delicious bites courtesy of Gioia
A look into how bees make one of nature’s sweetest treasures, presented by an experienced beekeeper
A guided honey tasting led by Marina Marchese of Red Bee Honey and international best selling author that uncovers how each honey’s unique flavor, aroma, and character reflects the flowers and landscapes where it was made
An opportunity to experience and taste 5 raw honeys from apiaries around the country
A silent auction, with an assortment of gifts and one-of-a-kind, on-theme experiences
As a special gift, all guests will receive a complimentary signed copy of Marina’s most recent book, The World Atlas of Honey.
Taste honey from Hood Honey, Huneebee, Half Mad Honey, They Keep Bees, & Hindu Hillbilly
Carla Marina Marchese is the international best-selling author of The World Atlas of Honey, The Honey Connoisseur, Honey for Dummies and her personal journey into beekeeping Honeybee: Lessons from an Accidental Beekeeper. She is the founder of The American Honey Tasting Society (AHTS) and an instructor for the Italian National Register of Experts in the Sensory Analysis of Honey, where she received her formal training as a honey sensory expert.
In 2024, she was recognized with a WISE WOMAN award for her contributions to the Italian American community by The National Organization of American Women. She is the founder of the brand Red Bee Honey.Marchese has presented honey tastings at Murray's Cheese in NYC, Slow Food Nations in Denver, The Columbus Citizens Foundation, The Yale Club, Les Dames d' Escoffier - NYC, Museum of Food and Drink (MOFAD), The National Honey Board, Parkhurst Culinary Experiences, Vermont Cheese Festival, EATALY - Boston and Atlas Obscura.
She has appeared on numerous TV shows CBS Sunday Morning, the Discovery Channel's Moonshiners, PBS's Weekends with Yankee with Emmy award winner Richard Wiese, Dr. Oz, ABC's The Chew, Vice TV's The Untitled Action Bronson Show, and On the Road with Edible Nutmeg. James Beard Award-winning author Rowan Jacobsen dubbed Marina the “Red Queen” in his book, American Terroir, owing to her obsession with varietal honey.
What if your ticket could give a young person a seat at the table?
This year, we’re also inviting our community to sponsor a youth ticket so that a young person from our program can join us for the evening - without cost being a barrier.
Your sponsorship gives a young person the chance to:
🐝 gather with the Huneebee community
🍯 taste and learn about honey from beekeepers and honey experts
✨ celebrate the work they’ve accomplished
🤝 connect with people who believe in their future
For a young person who has spent a lot of time navigating systems, having a seat at a table like this can mean more than just attending an event. It means being welcomed, celebrated, and reminded that they belong in these spaces, too.
Sponsor a youth ticket to Hunee Presents and help us make sure every young person who wants to be there has a place.
Sponsorships are vital to offsetting the costs of hosting the event and will move Huneebee Project’s mission forward. All funds raised from Hunee Presents will go directly to supporting Huneebee Project’s Growing Futures Workforce Initiative - a therapeutic youth workforce development and economic mobility initiative designed to create meaningful employment pathways and connections for systems-impacted youth in Greater New Haven.
We are still accepting sponsorships! Learn more below or email Sarah Taylor, Co-Executive Director, at sarah@huneebeeproject.com.
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