One of the highlights of a voyage on SeaDream Yacht Club’s luxurious SeaDream I and SeaDream II is the honest-to-goodness gourmet dining. Every dish is prepared to order and, in my opinion, the food I’ve been served is outstanding. So, I was pretty dismayed to learn they have introduced a “Raw Food” menu option, boasting that it is the first of its kind at sea. Admittedly, with my confirmed preference for meat and potatoes (I don’t even eat sushi), the once-radical form of vegetarianism called the “raw foods” or “living foods” sounded weird and personally unappetizing. However, its popularity is creeping into the mainstream and gourmet raw food is now being offered in addition to the regular menu aboard SeaDream’s mega-yachts.Not exactly uncooked, “raw” refers to a style of preparation in which all ingredients are raw, organic and vegan (no fish, meat, eggs or dairy), and nothing is heated above 118°F in order to retain healthy micro nutrients. SeaDream’s Norwegian owners, Linn and Atle Brynestad were excited by the health benefits they personally experienced while eating “raw” during an extended stay at the Hippocrates Health Institute in West Palm Beach, Florida, and afterwards they asked the Executive Chef, Renate Waller to bring her “raw food” expertise to SeaDream’s galley. Renate worked with SeaDream’s Corporate Chef, Sudesh Kishore to create a special, optional menu of gourmet raw food dishes.
The Hippocrates Health Institute was created over a half century ago and since then has developed the Life Transformation Program into the definitive blueprint for transitioning to a healthier lifestyle. The Institute helps people radically change their health by teaching them how to trade nutrient-deficient, “dead” foods to a diet rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, and plant-based proteins. Replete with fresh sprout and vegetable juices, wheatgrass, colorful salads, nuts, seeds, and fruit, the Hippocrates plan is said to supply the oxygen, enzymes, alkalinity, and bioelectrical charges vital to cellular and general health.
Thankfully, SeaDream’s reputation for providing a stellar culinary experience remains of utmost importance to the company. “The raw food menu is an added option. If you come aboard to enjoy filet mignon and double chocolate mousse, by all means it’s on the menu” said Kishore. He added “Nobody else at sea is offering this style of raw cuisine, and because we serve at most 112 guests, we can. One might assume raw food is boring or bland, but guests who chose to try it are in for a tasty surprise.”
SeaDream’s Chef shared several of the dishes being served from this optional, new raw food menu. Beverages include Watercress Tang, a liquid mélange of watercress, Anjou pear, lime and pineapple, and the Blood Apple Blaster, a blend of apple, ginger, red beet, lime juice, and agave. Salad options include Asian style Cashew Curry Salad that is crunchy and slightly spicy. An entrée such as Vegetable Lasagna uses pasta-like noodles made from spinach leaves and coconut meat, layered between a spicy cauliflower mash topped with a sun-dried tomato marinara. Even SeaDream’s Pastry Chef is on board with raw food desserts, creating a Cashew Lemon Cheese Cake with a crust made from almonds and dates and a filling that includes cashews, lemon juice, almond milk, and coconut butter. For those who prefer sugar free, that’s also available. You really can have your cake and eat it too.
Just don’t serve me any of that lasagna—I’m allergic to spinach and will stick with the filet mignon and double chocolate mousse.
Image Courtesy of SeaDream Yacht Club
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