With the dual philosophy of supporting all things local and offering up a diverse menu that truly has something for everyone, Andrew Barnes and Andrea Linebaugh have been serving satisfied diners at The Busy Bee, located inside Central Market York, for well over five years now. The stand was named in honor of Andrew’s grandfather, who served in World War II on the U.S.S. Biloxi, which was nicknamed “The Busy Bee.” The next time you visit, look around the stand: several ships’ bells serve as a reminder of some valuable lessons of the sea, one of them being, in Andrew’s words, “Taking a different tack is not only advisable but sometimes the only way to get where you are going.” (Words to live by, indeed.) We caught up with Andrew and Andrea to find out what they like best about the York food scene, why they’re so passionate about their vegetarian and vegan options, whether their cure for a hangover really works and more!
PA Eats: Has being part of York’s Central Market influenced your menu?
Andrea Barnes: Yes! We use as much as we can from within the walls of Market. We get our bacon, Canadian bacon, ham, beef and most other meats from JL Miller Sons. They even make Andouille sausage and mini bangers for us on request. We buy some of our produce and spices from Dietz Produce, Dennis Fitz, Mr. Nice Guy and Kramer Herbs. Most of our dry goods and nuts come from Penderbrooks. We get our croissants from Copper Crust and pretzel rolls, chips and some lunchmeats from Conrad’s. … We love buying from inside the market. We have to support each other. The things we buy in Market are often fresher than what we buy elsewhere.
Andrew Barnes: It was a founding principle of the stand. I could make more money buying elsewhere, but I truly believe in putting my money where my mouth is and supporting my local people. And the fact of the matter is that when the season is on, there is no better food around.
What do you like best about being part of the York, Pa., food scene? Where do you see it moving in the future?
Andrea: Andrew is such an amazing chef. Most people don’t realize that he has training in fine dining and for the majority of his career he has been a fine dining chef. He really won me over with his chocolate mousse before we began dating! For me it is connecting people with food that tastes good and is good for them. I love when someone orders an Indian or Middle Eastern inspired dish when they have never tried anything outside of the “American fare” category. Usually they ask a million questions in their skepticism! Their faces when they come back to report how much they loved the dish are great! All smiles and surprise! So broadening horizons and feeding people good food are the best parts of the food scene.
In the future, I see York really taking off. The food shows on TV have really helped Americans to understand that there is food other than hamburgers, pizza and Chinese! I think York is ready to accept a more diverse food culture. Andrew and I love to try new foods from around the world and incorporate them into our menu. You know when we’ve gone to Taj Mahal (our fave Indian restaurant) in Lancaster, Andrew will put specials inspired by what we ate on the specials menu the next week. Once we even put Vindaloo on the menu after we saw an episode of Red Dwarf when a character talked about it! Surprise tidbit: in York, Pa., every time we have goat on the specials menu, we sell out! We never thought we’d even sell one!
The Busy Bee’s menu really caters to everyone, with items as diverse as Lebanon bologna and tofu. Is that part of your food philosophy?
Andrea: Originally Andrew had mostly meat-centric items, but that meant his new girlfriend—ME!—couldn’t eat at The Busy Bee. I’ve been vegetarian for 29 years! He opened just a few months before we began dating. So, it was really our partnership that brought him around to realizing that there are vegans and vegetarians out there with little choice at most restaurants. Sure even Hoss’s has a salad bar, but really, I don’t want only salad when I go out to eat. So he came up with a great menu to serve the vegans and vegetarians who so often get left out. We now offer tofu on our salads instead of meat as a protein and we have a good array of sandwiches and soups that fill that need for our customers. Even some of our breakfast items are vegan. We also offer a few gluten-free items. Our philosophy isn’t really official, but we want everyone who walks up to our Market stand to be able to walk away with food they can be happy eating. So when you ask for complicated substitutions and changes on your item, we can do it because everything is made from scratch and we are in a market—if I don’t have it I can probably get it. We want our customers to leave happy. So, we make it happen.
Andrew: I must interject here. Ever since my time at The Omega Institute, which is where I really got the fire lit under my behind to cook and which is primarily vegetarian with loads of special dietary needs, I have recognized the importance of personal dietary choices, voluntary or not. Whether they be for moral, ethical, religious or health reasons, a person’s dietary choices are sacrosanct. I have no wish to condemn a Jainist to yet another cycle because of my carelessness or ignorance of their needs, feed pork to a Muslim or Jew or add chicken stock to a dish that’s vegetarian because “they’re just not hungry enough.”
I worked at a well-known local restaurant where there was only one vegetarian option on the menu, which was eggplant parm with marinara (in which meatballs were cooked). I have also had chefs berate me for taking special care in making my vegetable stock, or even the simple fact that I do make vegetable stock; it was always, “Just use chicken stock, they’ll never know the difference.” I have also long held a belief that if a dish is really really good as a vegetarian dish it will be even better when meat is added.
What are some of the highlights of your recently launched “new” menu?
Andrea: One of my favorites is the “She was a Showgirl” vegetarian wrap with quinoa pilaf, basil pesto aioli, feta, spinach, red peppers … YUM. Another new thing we started doing is mushroom burgers. They are whole grilled portobello caps with several different choices of yummy toppings on a kaiser. A crowd favorite is the Mediterranean salad. It’s chicken, onion, capers and olives sautéed in white wine and lemon on a spinach, tomato and feta salad with a Grecian-esque dressing. Of course it’s also available with tofu!
What do your catering services entail?
Andrea: We can provide everything you need to make your event run smoothly. In addition to customizing a menu for your tastes, we can provide linens, tables, flatware, glassware, all place settings. We do not have a liquor license, but if you provide the alcohol, we can provide the bartenders, mixers and accoutrements needed to serve your guests. We can fully staff the event.
Even The Fizzy Bee can get in on the act. We have a portable soda fountain and can bring it to your event. What this means for you is fun soda flavors, made from scratch, by us with nothing artificial—the full “Old Timey Soda Fountain” experience at your event.
We see “The Cure for the Common Hangover” on your breakfast menu. Does it work?
Andrea: Andrew swears by it! I’m not one for drinking, so I can’t say for sure!
Andrew: Sure does! And you can now pair it with a Hangover Helper from the Fizzy! (By the way, I just got some feedback on this drink today, and it has been confirmed independently that it does actually work.)
Why bison for your burgers?
Andrea: As a vegetarian, I haven’t eaten bison for 29 years or more! I can tell you that bison is much leaner and is more rich and flavorful than beef. Drew has always preferred it to beef, even for taco meat and spaghetti sauce at home.
Andrew: For me, it’s not so much a preference of bison to beef, but a preference on how the animals are treated and processed and their environmental impact. And in that instance, bison is WAY better than beef.
A large portion of your menu is vegetarian- and vegan-friendly. Why was doing that important to you?
Andrea: In the beginning, it was listening to me and understanding that vegans and vegetarians are an overlooked segment of the population. Andrew would want me to go with him to a steakhouse or burger joint and I’d groan and complain about eating yet another baked potato and salad! I always wanted to go Japanese, Chinese, Indian, anywhere with a little bit of variety for vegetarians. It was really seeing that my menu choices when we went out were very limited. For our anniversary I wanted to try a newish restaurant in town that we hadn’t eaten at yet. I checked the online menu and decided against it. There was only one vegetarian entrée and it didn’t sound like something I’d enjoy. We don’t want to be that restaurant. We want everyone to be able to find something they can eat and enjoy.
Find The Busy Bee in Central Market York, located at 34 W. Philadelphia St. in York, Pa. Visit their website and follow ‘em on Facebook, and be sure to check out the details of their other Central Market hub, The Fizzy Bee.
- Food photos: The Busy Bee
- All other photos: Alexandra Whitney Photography
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