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The Leader • Saturday, June 8, 2019 • Page 1B

Rainbow Lodge participating in bee education initiative By Zarah Parker zarah@theleadernews.com

Rainbow Lodge owner Donnette Hansen loves bees, so much so that she’s a beekeeper-in-training. With June being National Pollinator Month, her restaurant is partnering with the Whole Kids Foundation in its initiative to help spread bee awareness. The “Give Bees a Chance” campaign seeks to raise $100,000 to bring 50 new educational beehives to schools and nonprofits across the nation. This will give students the chance to see up-close the workings of a beehive and impart to them knowledge about the endangered bee population. “I can’t imagine better lessons for kids as they learn about life than to study the life and habits of bees,” Hansen said. With bees playing an important role in the pollination of more than 100 types of vegetables and nuts, the foundation decided to connect with chefs during its campaign. So bee dinners were created, featuring bee-inspired menus. Rainbow Lodge, 2011 Ella Blvd., is one of three on the campaign’s website featured as a participating restaurant. The other two are in Atlanta and California’s Bay Area. Proceeds from the dinners, including Rainbow Lodge’s event on Thursday, June 13, will go toward the campaign and educational beehives. Some will be located in the area. “Since placing our Lodge beehives, I have a new respect for pollinators and their importance in our food chain,” Hansen said. The honey bee population saw an unexplained loss in managed colonies in the winter of 2006-07, and while symptoms were identified and termed as colony collapse disorder (CCD), no single factor has been shown to be the cause, according

Rainbow Lodge, which has two beehives on its property at 2011 Ella Blvd., is participating in the Whole Kids Foundation’s “Give Bees a Chance” campaign.

to the United States Department of Agriculture. Because bees are vital to food production, there have been more and more initiatives over the years to convey their importance to people who might see bees as pests. The foundation and its “Give Bees a Chance” campaign aims to relay that message to students early in their education. “These opportunities help empower kids to become stewards for pollinators and the rest of the natural environment,” Nona Evans, president and executive director of Whole Kids Foundation, said in a news release. Hansen said the team at Rainbow Lodge appreciated the work of the Whole Kids Foundation in supporting schools and inspiring families to improve children’s nutrition and wellness. “This dinner is a fit for Rainbow Lodge for many other reasons, too,” she said. “We have our own hive program which gives us ultra-local honey for the restaurant and our guests. Our acre-plus of land is also home to our kitchen gardens and citrus grove, whose harvests grace our menu features seasonally.” Rainbow Lodge Executive Chef

Mark Schmidt and Hansen created a special menu for the bee dinner. The menu includes a bee-inspired cocktail called Garden Buzz, which is composed of cantaloupe-infused

gin, fresh citrus juice, cilantro-salted honey syrup and a seasoned bee pollen rim; and Hamachi and Scallop Ceviche, with summer melon, coriander and morcilla crumble at reception. Dinner features a first course of pan-roasted duck breast, squash blossom fried rice and a five-spice confit spring roll; a second course of coffee-rubbed antelope loin, butternut spoonbread, pickled blackberries and plum demi; and a third course of sweet corn bavarois, fennel ice cream, candied fennel and a tomato macaron. “Beekeeping warms my heart, and I am excited to be a part of this event,” Hansen said. The Rainbow Lodge dinner is sold out. To donate to the “Give Bees a Chance” campaign, visit https:// www.classy.org/campaign/givebees-a-chance/c230577.

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ing changes to their diets. For instance, since most reflux incidents occur when the person is lying down, a wake-up coffee generally is ok, especially if you don’t drink any more for at least 10 hours before bedtime. That’s the amount of time it, generally, takes for 75 percent of caffeine to dissipate. According to Dr. DaVee, avoiding any “trigger” foods later in the day may reduce the frequency of reflux, since most reflux occurs while people sleep, and gravity is no longer working to keep food and fluids down in the stomach. Self-diagnosis may be tempting, but it has downsides, according to Dr. DaVee. “A lot of times, the patient is correct, but the symptoms of acid reflux can also be caused by other conditions, including heart attack or esophageal cancer,” he warns. “It’s important for a primary care physician or gastroenter-

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Was it the triple-spicy Thai noodles that provoked a new attack of heartburn? A cozy after-dinner cup of coffee that triggered another acid-tinged sleepless night? The fresh tomato and sausage pizza that sent you reaching for a dose of antacid – again? You could be one of the more than three million Americans who suffer from acid reflux. If you are, those over-the-counter acid-blockers you depend on for relief may not be the solution. Acid reflux or GERD (gastroesophageal reflux disease) occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus (the tube connecting the throat and stomach) instead of flowing down and out to the small intestine. Dr. Tomas DaVee, a boardcertified interventional gastroenterologist affiliated with the Heartburn and Reflux Program at Memorial Hermann Greater Heights Hospital, warns that antacids only relieve the symptoms without treating the underlying cause. Long-term, chronic acid reflux can lead to bigger problems, including inflammation (esophagitis), acid erosion or even esophageal cancer. Any of several things can cause GERD. One of the most common problems is a hiatal hernia – a small hole in the diaphragm that allows a small part of the stomach to push through into the chest, preventing proper functioning of the valve that keeps acid where it belongs. Other things that can trigger heartburn symptoms, according to Dr. DaVee, are obesity, insufficient motility (muscle contractions that move food down the esophagus) or spicy, caffeinated, acidic or fatty foods and beverages. Dr. DaVee advises patients to monitor their reactions to specific foods and adjust intake or timing, rather than make sweep-

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