With Hotels With Great Taste, we’re pulling back the curtain for a peek at the “special sauce” that hotels use to create memorable, meaningful culinary experiences for their guests.

During my stay at Sirikoi Lodge, I opened the front door of my cottage one afternoon to find Nditu, the orphaned female giraffe who calls Sirikoi and its surrounding area her home, munching on some trees just steps away.

While it feels somewhat cliché to refer to a hotel as magical, I can think of no better word to describe the experience of staying at this Kenyan lodge. On a typical morning, you might see a herd of elephants stopping by for a drink mere feet from where you’re enjoying your breakfast, or a pair of impalas prancing around the property.

Despite being nestled beside a watering hole amid Lewa Wildlife Conservancy’s 93,000 acres of wilderness, Sirikoi is the kind of place where you’re made to feel at home, even while encountering sights that will have you rubbing your eyes in disbelief. The gorgeous grounds, twice daily game drives, incredible wildlife sightings, and savanna sunsets were all nothing short of breathtaking.

I found myself equally captivated by Sirikoi’s food program, much of which revolves around the more than 80 fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown on the property’s organic gardens. Head chef Zachary Macharia works in tandem with head gardener George Domiano to shape the lodge’s culinary approach, and the results are fresh, nourishing meals rooted in seasonality. Think farm fresh eggs fashioned into impeccably cooked omelets or scrambles, lunches made up of a medley of colorful salads, and simple dinners where the ingredients shine.

Both Macharia and Domiano have been working at the lodge for over 15 years. Domiano’s background in regenerative agriculture and organic farming led him to Sirikoi, which had an existing garden that cofounder Sue Roberts was eager to expand and transition to a 100% organic model. A proponent of regenerative techniques like zero tillage farming, Domiano joined the team in 2011 and assumed the role of head gardener in 2012. The garden has flourished under his leadership and now supplies the majority of Sirikoi’s produce, from the citrus and passion fruit served with breakfast to the broccoli and potatoes that accompany dinner.

The region’s climate is particularly amenable to growing most fruits and vegetables year-round. Many plants that would normally struggle to propagate in the local soil are grown through grafting, a process in which the root of one plant is used to grow another.

The garden and level of self-sufficiency it enables is just one example of Sirikoi’s broader emphasis on sustainability. During a back of house guest tour, I was struck by just how intentional and cyclical every aspect of the lodge and its grounds are. It’s a true ecosystem in and of itself.

For instance, black soldier flies do double duty breaking down leftover food waste to produce nutrient-rich compost that can be used in the garden, and breeding pupae that are fed to the on-site chickens. Likewise, used coffee grounds or tea leaves are fed to tiger worms, which produce a liquid that is fermented and turned into fertilizer. “We are working within nature, not against it,” Domiano explains.

In the kitchen, Macharia complements Domiano’s efforts with a focus on eliminating single-use products, discouraging suppliers from sending items wrapped in plastic and finding ways to cook without aluminum foil, which he does not keep on hand at all. Over time, he’s changed menu items to make use of locally available ingredients rather than sourcing items from far-flung places—like swapping local millet rather than the South American quinoa he once used.

Going into each season, Macharia coordinates with Domiano to determine what can be expected of the garden’s output. Macharia takes tradition, freshness, seasonality, and each of the 18 guests’ preferences into account when crafting his menus, drawing inspiration from his personal taste and research. Some of his favorites include vibrant curries and tricolor pasta made from garden vegetables. If a certain crop delivers a particularly big harvest, Macharia adjusts his plans accordingly to ensure there’s zero waste. And if there is excess produce for one reason or another, it is given away to Lewa community members.

The lodge is involved with the local community in several other ways, too, including a community garden program at a local lower primary school where Domiano runs trainings. “Sustainability is not just recycling,” Domiano says. In his eyes, it’s crucially intertwined with “coordinating with the community, helping the community, creating friendship with the community.”

Contrary to most hotel food I’ve come across, Sirikoi’s fare is especially craveable. I felt energized rather than sluggish, and it is wonderful in its simplicity and consistently well-executed. Lunch is typically served buffet-style alfresco, and while the menu changes daily, the spread is always laden with an assortment of colorful dishes that center the garden’s freshly picked vegetables. Dinner is preceded by a fireside drinks hour, which gives guests a chance to connect with each other and share highlights from the day’s game drives while sipping cocktails made with muddled herbs (grown on-site, of course).

As I write this, looking out my window at my frigid, barren Brooklyn street, I long to be sitting on the Sirikoi veranda eating a plate of brightly dressed tender lettuces, freshly baked bread, and handmade pasta while a herd of elephants gathers for a midday drink. It’s a setting that makes you acutely aware of the degree to which we humans are but tiny specks within the world’s vast ecosystem—and by contributing to that ecosystem and its future in its own varied and thoughtful ways, Sirikoi Lodge pays homage to that fact.