Plant-Forward & Ocean-Centric: A New Way to Craft Cheese

Below: Loaded with eye appeal, plantforward cheeses are delicious too.

Aboard the ships of the Lindblad Expeditions fleet, farm-to-table food has been a reality for some time, thanks to the innovative thinking and passion of Ana Esteves, Lindblad Expeditions’ Director of Hotel Operations. In 2017, Ana started a farmto-table program in Galápagos that bolstered local agriculture to the point where Lindblad Expeditions is now purchasing some 86 tons of fresh produce per year. And thanks to Ana’s leadership, other travel companies operating in Galápagos are following suit, measurably benefiting the islands’ economy. We are one of the only expedition companies provisioning fresh produce in the Southern Ocean—from hydroponic growers in the remote Falkland Islands. And Ana is cultivating farm-totable relationships in the Arctic, Baja, Central America, and Alaska, as well.

Our galley teams have been provisioning with sustainable meats and seafood, local whenever possible in all the regions we explore, for decades now. So, it’s not surprising to learn that Ana is in the vanguard again, leading a shift that mirrors a growing global trend, toward more plant-forward offerings on our ships.

“The shift toward plant-forward options, for me personally, and for the new inspiration of our menus, is being driven more by the real threat of environmental collapse, than vegan ethics, or vegan cooking,”

Ana explains. “Unlike Eleven Madison (the elite, culturally-significant, Michelinstarred Manhattan restaurant), which announced its switch to an exclusively plant-based menu; or (online recipe site) Epicurious’s decision to eliminate all beefbased recipes, our menus across the fleet will continue to be diverse, to satisfy the diverse desires of our guests, while widening to include multiple plantbased options for all meals daily.”

To kindle the plant-forward conversation on our expeditions, however, she’s chosen a dramatic focal point: cheese. Vegan cheese, to be specific.

Cultivated onboard, nurtured in a novel terroir of fresh sea air, far from cows, goats, sheep, or terra firma, the culinary team’s array of

cheeses, as the photographs featured here show, is stunning evidence of creativity, manual dexterity, and something along the lines of bio-mimicry.

Pioneered in the galley aboard the brand-new polar vessel National Geographic Endurance, these artisanal vegan cheese are made by sprouting and fermenting various nuts and seeds, and carefully monitoring their processes, as different seeds and nuts proceed at different rates. Almonds, for example, typically require 48 hours to transform; other nuts sprout within 6-12 hours. Artistry is involved in the blending, flavoring, shaping, and consistencybuilding, depending on the type of cheese. Then, each cheese is processed, aged, and stored for various intervals.

Given the success of these early efforts, vegan cheeses will soon be cultivated by all chefs of the Lindblad Expeditions fleet, reflecting, however subtly, the unique terroirs of each ship and destination. Will some future guests with heightened palates be able to distinguish cheese produced on National Geographic Orion in Polynesia from one crafted aboard National Geographic Explorer in the Chilean Fjords? Possibly. However, what’s certain is that tastings of these vegan cheeses will stimulate interesting conversations—as guests savor a new range of flavors, textures, and possibilities for adapting to a changing planet.

And cheese is only the beginning of Ana’s vanguard approach to fine expedition dining.

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An array of delectable vegan cheeses and condiments. Clockwise from upper left: 1. Matured Cheddar (Cashew) 2. Feta (Sunflower seed) 3. Mozzarella (Cashew) 4. Smoked Gouda (Cashew) 5. Matured Cheddar (Cashew)

ANTARCTICA & PATAGONIA

Navigating around the colossal, incandescent ice forms that dwarf our Zodiacs and kayaks, the sheer scope of the White Continent and its sheets of pristine white ice stretching as far as the eye can see will humble even the most intrepid of explorers. To the vast colonies of penguins—numbering in the tens of thousands on South Georgia Island alone—add majestic whales, leopard and elephant seals, and the Falklands’ remarkable gathering of 70 percent of the world’s albatrosses. Patagonia is also an enchantress, beckoning with its snowcapped saw-toothed peaks and the tumbling glaciers and gleaming icefalls of Glacier Alley. Dramatic landscapes—fjords, steppes, forests, and lakes—are stunning habitats for marine wildlife like humpback whales, dolphins, and penguins and avian species from massive condors and rheas to tiny parakeets and flamingos. Exclusive access to the remote island off the tip of Tierra del Fuego and a private nature reserve add to these expeditions’ wow factors.