Noeme Santos -Executive Chef Amazon Operations

By Rob Anderson

When we first made the agreement in 2018 to create the most amazing fly fishing operation in the Amazon, there were a few basic things to consider first. 1. Private fishing in a pristine environment where we control the fishing pressure and the seasons. 2. A trained guide staff to take our anglers fishing 3. An amazing menu not seen in other fishing camps in the jungle.
Well, we accomplished our first three goals, and we now have the most private fishing operation in the world, trained guides that are amazing and the best food you can serve in remote jungle locations.
Noeme Santos is our food resource for local cuisine, exotic ingredients and the most amazing soups and desserts anywhere you can dine. Our menu went from what is considered normal in the Amazon, buffet style dining with many options of maintenance food for the week. Most camps offer very basic food. Rice, beans, potatoes, pasta, meat, and fish. The meals look similar night after night.
We have a dedicated weekly menu in our camps that include things like, Peacock Bass fish tacos, Paella grilled over an open fire with fish and meats, Brazil Nut Crusted Arapaima, authentic Tambaqui roasted over open flame and many specialties for appetizers and nightly deserts.
Cook to order breakfasts and serving hot food at all meals non buffet style has been our mission from the beginning and Noeme is the best!!!

Noeme was born in 1980 in a small village named Samauma. The remote village is a few hours boat ride from Manaus. Noeme still lives in the same village she grew up in. Her husband Nadson Silva is our camp manager and has been with the operation for over 25 years. In the early days Noeme had to take a canoe to school. The village is larger now but is still very small and remote and home to Noeme and her family still today.
Noeme and Pelado are also foster parents to a little girl named Ayla. Ayla was turned over to the couple after their son could not take care of her anymore. Ayla is 4 years old and the cutest sweetest little girl there is and they also have a son Madison who is in school studying to have a better life.

Noeme started working in the tourism business as a nanny when she was a teenager. She fell in love with cooking while working there and was assisted at home by her mom. She was hired as a cook assistant next and has been involved in fishing operations for over 25 years and has been our head chef since the beginning.

Life in the Amazon is not easy. Most families struggle daily to put food on the table and take care of themselves. Pelado and Noeme are no different. Even with everything going smoothly in life, there are monetary struggles. Spending so much time in the jungle has opened my eyes to the struggles here and is why we launched our Care&Share program along with our new fishing company in 2019. It is important to us to give back to the land and the people we meet along the way. No one left behind.
It is really unfortunate, what happened to Noeme, please take a minute to help out an amazing human being. Anything will help, $10. $20 everything helps. Without our help we fear that Noeme and Pelado will not be able to overcome their debt and they will always be looking up at the bills for this accident. Please help us anyway you can. It is only money; quality of life is on the line here.

Check out some more stories!

Zoom Meeting July 7 2022

Join us for an exciting free get-together on zoom. We are going to discuss our upcoming seasons and events and recap some events and outings we have just finished. The highlight of the night will be our January 2023 season at our centerpiece fishing location in the Amazon jungle.

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