Amongst other labels, Mike is a chef, kayaker, traveler and adventurer - passionate about eating your environment and changing the way we eat to a more sustainable and less crazy system. A regular speaker and chef at Food Festivals he is based in Suffolk, England where he has built (and is continually developing) a sustainable homestead with his partner Lucy which they use as a base for workshops, talks, demos and pop-up events. When he's not there he's often to be found in the arctic (or other cold places) researching food and kayaking. He's also known to do occasional consulting on food projects, as well as private events. Please get in touch if you want a chat, talk ideas or book Mike.
mike@mikekeen.co
Kayak expedition
In Spring 2023 Mike will be kayaking from southern to northern Greenland. Setting off from Qaqortoq in April (date dependant on sea ice), kayaking solo for over 2600 km along the coast until reaching Qaanaaq in the north.
Mike will be surviving on solely Greenlandic native foods along the way – A clinical neuro and gut microbiome scientist based in London will be taking samples of Mike’s gut microbiome before, during and afterwards to see how the difference in diet affects his physiology during such a long endurance attempt. At several stages Mike will also be towing a micro-plastic measuring device to monitor plastic pollution levels along the coast.About Mike
Mike is a well-known chef adventurer. His upcoming book is food and recipe based and covers his time in Greenland researching the migration of both the Norse and the Inuit a thousand years ago as the two groups adapted and thrived off the challenging bounty of a harsh and unforgiving environment. An advocate of living off the land, his ‘eat your environment’ food philosophy is a fascinating and logical read. Taking it a step further on this expedition Mike hopes to bring awareness of how illogical and damaging the current global food system is as well as highlighting the benefits of eating local. With the added scientific analysis of micro-plastic pollution levels, Mike sincerely hopes his expedition will add weight to climate change awareness and bring further focus on the beautiful country of Greenland and its progressive attitude.
The Expedition
2 identical kayaks – one for training – Mike is based on the East coast of England and will be training in the North Sea as well as an intensive fitness program with a well known fitness figure. The other kayak will be sent to Alluitsup Paa in South Greenland via Aalborg in Denmark along with the gear for the expedition.
Starting upon confirmation of the expedition, Mike will be contacting people at stages all along the route in readiness for food supplies.
Mike will head to Alluitsup Paa in late April for preparation, a week later the kayak will be expedition ready and Mike will set off for Qaqortoq, approximately 60km north where the expedition will start. Planning on 30km travel per day Mike hopes to reach Qaanaaq in July– he will actually travel a further 60km north to the settlement of Siorapaluk – the northernmost permanently inhabited place in the world. It also happens to be home to kiviaq – a food dear to Mike’s heart. The kayak will then be given to the settlement and Mike and his gear will fly back to England. Following ocean currents analysis Mike will be pulling a micro-plastic monitoring kit, samples of which will be sent to Norway for analysis.
Mike also hopes to be joined along the way on several legs by both locals and well-known public figures, with the aim at raising awareness of the reasons for the expedition and the charities involved.