Our client Casa Bonita sources a litany of ingredients from their gardens and the community making the cuisine not only delectable but uber-local.
Foodies rejoice: now you can really, truly know where your next meal is coming from while on vacation. High-end resorts and hotels are expected to use high quality ingredients in their culinary concoctions, but a new trend emerging reveals renewed interest in locally grown, sustainable dining for the luxury traveler. London’s Telegraph reported on this trend in an article that cites numerous examples in the US and abroad where travelers are taking a much more ‘active’ role in dining.
If you find yourself pining for an Italian foodie excursion, a ritzy villa in Florence takes guests “on the hunt” for their dinner. What for, you ask? It’s a quest for the elusive tartufo bianco (white truffle) to be used in some inevitably fabulous creation for dinner, of course. Although I’m a believer that truffles make any dish worth eating, this does sound a bit exhausting (and perhaps fruitless?) but nonetheless exciting.
Luxurious Agro-Tourism
Although the article is fascinating and timely, this isn’t the first time I’ve seen and actually promoted this trend! At Casa Bonita Tropical Lodge in the Dominican Republic, and they were pioneers for uber-local food harvesting! Their divine restaurant Pat’s Organic Garden is not a misnomer: all vegetables, fruits and herbs are grown on site in the garden and prepared for guests in the kitchen. Travelers looking for a complete agro-tourism experience (vis a vis truffle hunting) can actually harvest their own ingredients!
Now, this is what I’m talking about: luxurious sustainability. In addition to the organic garden, carnivores will be happy to know the fish is caught by local fishermen (try the succulent Fresh Fish Ceviche) and cheese is produced by young adults in the neighboring communities. Not only is this food going to taste great, guests can rest easily knowing they are contributing to the betterment of this vibrant community.
The idea is to reduce one’s carbon footprint by keeping all foodstuffs on the property and the surrounding area. Sometimes we forget how much fuel it takes to ship a case of mangos to the US, but it’s something worth considering.