Credit: Rosewood Miramar

How to Choose the Best Honey, According to a Michelin-Starred Chef

8 Minute read

12 Aug 2025

Journalist

Learn how to tell great honey from the rest—by color, taste, and where it’s made.

With years of fine-dining experience and a passion for sourcing, this chef knows exactly what to look for when buying honey.

At Rosewood Miramar Beach in Montecito, guests might spot a beekeeper in full protective gear tending the hives on the luxury estate. The honey harvested there is used exclusively at Michelin-starred Caruso’s and at the Miramar Club, where Chef Partner Massimo Falsini leads the culinary program.

What most guests don’t realize: the chef and the beekeeper are the same person

A native of Rome, Falsini built his career in some of the Italian capital’s most acclaimed fine-dining restaurants, opened a Ferrari theme park and luxury hotel in Abu Dhabi, and led a Michelin-starred kitchen in Napa Valley before joining Rosewood in 2018. Two years later, he took up beekeeping as a hobby—one that now supplies the resort’s kitchens and inspires a honey-harvesting guest experience.

“California is so rich in agriculture,” says Falsini. “We have a great variety of nuances in our honey—notes of avocado, citrus, and herbs like mint, eucalyptus, and sage.”

Once synonymous with a golden bear-shaped bottle, honey now fills entire grocery aisles. The market, valued at $9 billion in 2023, is expected to reach $15 billion by 2033, with California among the top producers.

At Miramar, Falsini’s hives yield honey scented with avocado blossoms and lavender pollen, with flavors of butterscotch and eucalyptus. It appears on menus in dishes like delicate sponge cake paired with the sweet-tart tang of pixie tangerines.

With more choice than ever has come more confusion. Here, Falsini shares how to choose the right honey for your needs—whether you’re a Michelin-starred chef or simply stocking your pantry.

Credit: Rosewood Miramar

Massimo Falsini at Rosewood Miramar. Credit: Rosewood Miramar

Shop Local

Falsini’s first rule: start close to home. Local honey reflects the vegetation in your area, making it a natural complement to seasonal cooking. Farmers’ markets are his go-to.

“The first thing I look at is if it’s produced locally,” he says. “That means in your county or your state.”

Read the Ingredient List

If you’re buying from a supermarket, check the label carefully—some brands blend honey with cheap fillers like high-fructose corn syrup.

“Please, read the ingredients,” says Falsini. “Honey should be the only ingredient.”

Think of Honey Like Wine

Honey’s flavor and color come from the flowers the bees visit. An avocado honey from Montecito will be dark brown with rich, full-bodied notes, while a wildflower variety will be lighter and more delicate. Bees absorb the characteristics of the plants they pollinate, creating natural variation.

“When the honey is very delicate, the product will be clear,” says Falsini. “It’s similar to red and white wines—the darker it is, the more complex it’ll be.”

Go for Glass

Glass containers don’t react with honey, preserving its clean, natural flavor. Plastic can leach chemicals over time, altering its taste.

“We don’t use any antibiotics or chemicals to tend our hives,” says Falsini—a chemical-free process he takes pride in as part of his farm-to-table approach.

Final Tips from Massimo Falsini

Buy local. “My recommendation is always to get a product as close as possible. The least amount of travel the product has done, the better it’s going to be.”
Skip the sugar. “If you need to use a sweetener, always use honey.”
Raw rules. “The less manufacturing is involved the more delicious the flavor is.”

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