Costa Cruises and the Costa Cruises Foundation join forces with Ángel León to develop the “food of the future”.
Article from CruisesNews magazine no. 63 – December 2022
By Virginia López Valiente
An infinite love for the sea and a passion for culinary excellence are the cornerstones of the collaboration between Ángel León and Costa Cruises. This partnership extends beyond the menus and dishes created by the Spanish chef aboard the ships, now encompassing a pioneering project worldwide, groundbreaking for its environmental, social, and scientific aspects: the cultivation of "marine grain," which Ángel León and the Aponiente team are experimenting with in the Bay of Cádiz, Spain. This marine plant benefits the ecosystem by enriching its biodiversity, helps mitigate climate change by absorbing and storing large amounts of carbon, and, above all, is capable of producing, from its seeds, a "superfood" with exceptional nutritional properties, which could become the "food of the future.".
Thanks to the support of the Costa Cruises Foundation, research and development work on "marine grain" will be strengthened. The cultivation area of the "marine garden" in the Bay of Cádiz can be expanded, increasing grain production.
Ángel León, known as the “chef of the sea” and awarded three Michelin stars for his restaurant Aponiente, is a leading innovator in haute cuisine. For over a decade, he has equipped Aponiente with a research and development center focused on incorporating new foods and other seafood products into the human diet. The goal is that one day people will be able to sustainably eat seafood that isn't necessarily fish, which is too often affected by overfishing.
In 2017, Aponiente launched a pioneering project worldwide to recover a native marine plant species, Zostera marina, in a 3,000 m² "ocean garden" in the Bay of Cádiz. But the true treasure of Zostera marina is its seed, renamed "sea grain" or "sea rice" by Ángel León, which can be eaten raw or processed into flour and related products such as bread and pasta. It is a food with significant nutritional properties: gluten-free, rich in omega-6 and omega-9 fatty acids, it has a higher quantity of high-quality protein and carbohydrates, and 2% less fat than terrestrial cereals. A "superfood," then, which, if properly refined, could be a key resource in the future for combating the hunger and malnutrition problems plaguing various parts of the world. Furthermore, its cultivation is sustainable because it can grow without fresh water or fertilizers. It is also much more productive and profitable than other types of land grains, and can become an economic asset for depressed areas, such as Cadiz, which is going through a deep economic and employment crisis.
You began your collaboration with Costa Cruises as one of the chefs at the Archipelago restaurant, located on the Costa Smeralda and the Costa Toscana. Why did you decide to work with a cruise line, and specifically with Costa Cruises?
My fascination with the sea dates back to my childhood and has only grown, becoming my source of inspiration and my driving force in life. I believe this is one of the most important things I share with Costa Cruises. This relationship allows our culinary philosophy to continue transcending borders and sailing the seas. There's no better place to savor our dishes than in such an immersive experience as enjoying them on the high seas. Furthermore, we share a common commitment with Costa: sustainability. It's a very overused word these days, but one we've been fighting for for many years, discussing and working on it at many levels: gastronomic, social, and economic.
What does working with a cruise line mean for the so-called Chef of the Sea?
It allows us to cultivate our boundless love for the sea and culinary excellence. Aponiente without the sea has no meaning; what is Aponiente without the sea? What would Costa Cruises be without the sea?
Fortunately for both parties, this synergy is not limited to the menus and dishes created by Aponiente on board the ships, but we can extend it to a pioneering project worldwide, due to its environmental, social and scientific aspects.
How has this collaboration developed in practice, in terms of menu design, staff training, etc.?
It's been quite complex for us, both conceptually and logistically, to create 30 different menus for diverse destinations. We need to know the ingredients of each place, personalize the offerings, and adapt them to our culinary philosophy. And then there are the gastronomic menus for Archipelago for 5 different destinations (Caribbean, Asia, Middle East, etc.).
The training has been very interesting; we've learned a great deal and have been fortunate to have a wonderful team at Costa Cruises who have given us their support and expertise. We only serve a maximum of 40 covers per service, while they serve 6,000, so for us it's been a huge conceptual shift in terms of logistics, infrastructure, and organization… but very rewarding, especially seeing that everyone is happy.
At the christening of the Costa Toscana, you mentioned that you had been looking for someone to financially support your research into cultivating marine superfoods. You have just signed a collaboration agreement with the Costa Foundation. Tell us about this agreement and its objectives.
It represents a very positive alliance financially, as their economic support provides an extra boost to hire qualified personnel to lead this project. I am, after all, just a chef who needs a team, in addition to our biologist and project leader Juan Martín, to help me continue making progress hand in hand with science.
This is a turning point that helps us reach the key milestones we've agreed upon with the Costa Cruises Foundation: to collect 100 kg of marine grain within three years. We also need logistical and human support through scholarships at Italian universities, which can refer students interested in getting involved in this exciting project.
My fascination with the sea comes from childhood and has only grown to become my source of inspiration and my driving force for living.
Sustainability is the unifying concept for the Costa and Angel León projects. Are we truly moving towards a more sustainable world? Do you really believe that customers appreciate this environmental commitment?
Without a doubt, sustainability is our common thread. It's development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Companies that support this long-term commitment, such as Aponiente and Costa, are undoubtedly the future, and not only in our case because of the environment—the sea, which is our closest element—but also from a social, human, and economic perspective, by supporting local businesses and regional products.
How do you see yourself professionally in the next 5 years?
Navigating and growing, and always researching to make that still unknown sea visible.
