Thanksgiving at Chan Chich Lodge feels familiar yet completely unique. The day begins with forest light streaming through the trees, coffee roasted only a few miles away, and a kitchen alive with the rhythm of the land.
Here, food does not arrive on trucks or travel thousands of miles. Instead, it comes from Gallon Jug Estate, a 3,000-acre working farm that supplies the lodge with fresh vegetables, fruit, honey, coffee, cacao, and pasture-fed beef. The same land that protects wildlife and rainforest also nourishes our guests.
“We build the menu around the farm,” says our chef. “It keeps the food honest and lets people taste what this place really is.”
The Harvest Behind the Holiday
November marks the start of the dry season and a busy period for the farm. Cassava, pumpkin, callaloo, and herbs thrive under clear skies. Meanwhile, the final coffee beans dry in the sun. Cacao pods are opened for fermenting, and honey from the estate hives is freshly bottled.
These ingredients shape our Thanksgiving menu every year. Guests on the All-In Explorer Package enjoy all meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, prepared daily with produce from Gallon Jug. Non-alcoholic drinks and local beers are included. In addition, guests on other plans can easily add meals or join a guided farm tour during their stay.
A Table Worth Travelling For
Thanksgiving dinner here might include free-range chicken roasted with Belizean spices, cassava mash, grilled vegetables, and honey-glazed plantains. For dessert, guests often enjoy Gallon Jug chocolate, made from cacao fermented and roasted on the estate.
Dinner is served on the open veranda as lanterns glow and the forest hums nearby. Guests and guides often sit together, sharing stories from the trails or the day’s harvest. Consequently, the evening feels less like an event and more like a gathering, built on local food, easy conversation, and gratitude.
Experience It Yourself
Guests visiting in November can walk the gardens, join the Organic Farm Tour, or see cacao drying for the next batch of chocolate. Every meal tells part of the story of how Belize grows its food and how Chan Chich keeps that connection alive.
Whether you come for the holiday or another time of year, the same care goes into every plate, grown, prepared, and served right here in the heart of Gallon Jug.
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