WINTER HAVEN, Fla. — A slice of the past, with a heavy coating of dedication for the craft, Honeycomb Bread Bakers' commitment to customer satisfaction is as pronounced as the grooves in a perfect cinnamon roll.
"All that our guests need to know about it is it tastes good and that we really care about what we are doing," Founder Benjamin Vickers said.
Vickers is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. His talent is undeniable but his humbleness is what stands out.
"There’s a lot of weaknesses that I have that are made up for by the skills and artisanship of my team," Vickers said.
An artisan bakery, everything is from scratch and the focus is on quality. The Honeycomb itself carries a lot of meaning here.
"When we slice into a really well-baked sourdough we should see a Lacey crumb powder made up, and that’s where the name comes from," said Vickers.
The Golden Bee motif, seen in many places throughout the bakery, was a favorite symbol of Vickers' growing up. He said he loves how it represents the intersection of the industrious world with the untamed wild. The perfect metaphor for what he's doing in downtown Winter Haven.
"I don’t need a huge chain of Honeycombs, I want to make a positive impact where I am and with what I am capable of doing," explained Vickers.
Not far from Honeycomb, you'll find one of the best burgers in Winter Haven.
The owners of Adler's Burgers, Wade Waston, his wife Jackie and business partner Jeremiah Waters, have seen their burger named the best in Florida by BuzzFeed - and one of the best in the nation by Yelp!
"At first we thought it was Florida, we’re like 13 out of the top 25 that’s fantastic! But then we read the small print and saw 13 in the U.S. we were very proud of that," explained Watson, owner of Adler's Burgers.
So what makes it so great? The secret, they say, is simplicity.
"Simplicity has been our friend so far," said Watson.
A well-seasoned grill, high-quality meat, great bread — that's the formula that has people drooling over this brand new location in Winter Haven and frequently asking about where their immensely popular food truck went.
What about the name, Adler’s? That’s Wade and Jackie’s son’s middle name.
"We wanted to name the restaurant after him but his first name is Sheriff, and we thought that might be a hard read, people googling Sheriff," explained Watson.
There’s nothing criminal about enjoying one of these. The same way this whole idea was concocted is maybe the best way to enjoy it.
