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The Local-First Vision of the Ka'ana Kitchen

By: Ka'ana Resort / 06 Aug 2019
The Local-First Vision of the Ka'ana Kitchen

You may be coming to Belize to experience wild adventures in our unspoiled jungles, discover ancient traditions that still live in today's Maya peoples, and relax in the luxury of Ka'ana Resort... but we've got one more thing for you to add to your list: a foodie exploration! 

Everyone from our chef to our gardeners prioritizes the local-first ethos of Ka'ana. 

Ka'ana has a unique food concept, considering that a third of the menu comes from our own garden. This adds to the variety of wholesome, fresh, local and definitely seasonal meals you can experience during your stay.

The Local-First Vision of the Ka'ana Kitchen

In simple terms, Ka'ana menus are all about comfort foods. If you think of home-cooking, farm-to-table and diversity of local ingredients, that's what you'll find at the heart of every Ka'ana meal. From our kitchen, you can expect staples such as cornbread prepared in an age-old fire-made terracotta clay dish. We also have seasonal-inspired dishes, such as the summer medley of local pineapple sorbet, chilled yellow watermelon cubes, crushed coconut milk and pineapple caramel with mint and lemon basil. These are all familiar flavors, many grown right here in our garden, but combined in innovative ways that make your tongue dance for joy!

Some of our favorite ingredients that populate the kitchen shelves are baskets filled with our garden greens: radish, arugula, chaya spinach, sweet peppers, habanero peppers, Spanish pumpkin, passionfruit, and herbs that range from the Latin American must-have cilantro to garlic, chives, lemon, basil, and parsley. Free-range eggs from our hens are collected at sunrise every morning to add farm-fresh flavor to your breakfasts, and the market herbs and spices such as tamarind, recado rojo, and epazote show our love of supporting small local farmers. 

It's these local flavors that make the Belizean food experience so exciting.

Ka'ana has developed a vision of using honest ingredients in its menus. Fortunately, in Belize, the local food culture is very much a working person's culture. People still go home and cook family meals with fresh vegetables, meat, and local herbs and spices. It's this simple, honest tradition that inspires us. Corn is still a staple and comes through on our menus as it would in local cuisine through corn tortillas and corn-based dishes made from masa. Belize produces incredible fruit and vegetables which are available all year round, thanks to our gorgeous weather, with exciting seasonal surprises. These are the tools that drive our Chef's creations.      

The Local-First Vision of the Ka'ana Kitchen

When choosing a restaurant during your stay in Belize, look for those that deliver a simple concept with incredible execution. Expect friendly service, fresh food sourced nearby, and a few surprise elements that make the meal something you'll never forget. Ka'ana offers all of this through our simple concept of local, homestyle cooking, and a feeling of being utterly spoiled in a comfortable family environment where you walk away with everyone knowing your name (and your drink order). 

Our small team of passionate chefs and gardeners have worked tirelessly over weeks and months to grow each and every vegetable on your plate. So settle in with our delectable wine list, the blazing fire as your backdrop, and listen to the sounds of the jungle as our friendly staff look after every bit of your experience. And when dinner is served, we hope you savor each and every bite!

Bon appétit!

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