Meet the culinary magician bringing local flavours to luxury cruises
Hydroponic herb gardens and cutting out the middle man when it comes to sourcing local produce are just two ways that Scenic’s Discovery Yachts create memorable dining experiences, explains Tom Goetter, Scenic Group’s vice-president hotel operations
How do the ships’ menu choices link to itineraries?
There are up to 10 dining venues on Scenic Luxury Cruises and Tours’ ocean-going Discovery Yachts. For each we source local ingredients from each region and focus on the location, service and ambience to ensure our dishes create amazing memories which guests can talk and think about for years. We don’t claim to have the best carbonara in Rome or ceviche in Peru but we take inspiration from our global destinations to create new takes on the classics and modern tasty dishes for our guests.
What’s the secret to getting the best ingredients?
At the locations which we visit more often I’ve been able to build strong relationships with suppliers. For example, in Ushuaia I bring gifts every year to our main vendor and spend time making pasta with her 80+ year old mother. This is a tradition which is built on loyalty and respect to each other.
When we’re in a new area or somewhere we don’t visit often I make sure to work a lot with local agents to connect with new amazing vendors. There is no middle man, I take care to source the best ingredients that I possibly can. Onboard our fruits and vegetables are ‘Kings and Queens’ to ensure we reduce waste and uphold quality.
What creative culinary experiences can Scenic guests have?
On our yachts we offer the Scenic Épicure experience, where guests can book to join some of our expert chefs for a masterclass on cooking dishes local to wherever in the world the yacht currently is. These take place at a special cooking station on board which has large TV screens for showing the techniques up close and our state-of-the-art hydroponic herb garden.
Scenic Eclipse is a very special vessel, for which expedition is a big focus, and this has inspired me to do the same with the cuisine. We’re aiming to have a great environmental focus on food and encourage guests to be more mindful in what they eat. For example, we are reducing buffet options and are committed to using minimal frozen products. To do so we have dehydrators onboard to make fruits and vegetables more sustainable during the longer cruises.
Guests’ experience with local cuisine continues away from the Discovery Yachts as they’ll often have a chance to sample local foods while on excursions. For instance, on recent cruises in Japan guests hand rolled their own sushi, while those sailing in South America can join a Freechoice Excursion to the Chilean village of Codpa to sample traditional Pintatani wine.
How do you grow herbs onboard?
On ocean vessels you’re not allowed to use any soil onboard for safety reasons and so we use hemp sheets, which allow the herbs to grow. The ‘gardening’ is very clean and organised and we pamper and harvest the 32 different herbs that we are able to grow. The overall quality is more intense and delicious for the simple fact that we only harvest herbs when we really need them.
How might ships of the future manage their produce onboard?
Currently Scenic’s Cherish The Planet commitments see us ensure that in the kitchen we always source sustainably, whether this be by supporting local producers or the previously mentioned growing of herbs onboard. I would love to see our fleet of ships eventually not need deliveries anymore via airplanes and ships, with all ingredients sourced locally only or grown onboard. I’ve always been a dreamer and a believer and think this can be done.
Do Scenic’s Discovery Yachts have some cool kitchen gadgets?
We try modern toys and techniques in the kitchen to help reduce waste as our first priority. For example, we use flavour blasters at bars to create smell effects in cocktails and we use modern smoker inserts, which allow us to make vegetable ash in modern rational ovens from old and leftover vegetables.
If you were putting together the perfect menu, with dishes from Scenic’s restaurants, what would you pick and why?
I love so many different dishes from around the world and the beauty of my job is that every dish has its place and time. Across Scenic’s restaurants I’d go for the brand-new Filipino Night Market concept. We have transformed traditional based dishes in completely new ways and I absolutely love to have a street food market on our vessels. In the Night Market, I’d go for the Filipino Dragon Roll as a starter, Naughty Adobo as a main and Baklava Upside Down as a dessert. When it comes to a drink a Samurai Rock would be ideal, it’s a simple yet classic combination of sake and lime juice.
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