Skift Take
Much like lie-flat seats and mobile check-ins, menus designed by celebrity chefs have gone from a special feature to a standard for major carriers. Airlines can continue to set themselves apart by moving the end product beyond edible to delectable.
Airlines from around the world have started hooking up with their hometowns' hottest celebrity chefs in an attempt to create business- and first-class menu selections that passengers will look forward to eating.
However, creating an in-flight meal is a completely different beast from cooking a world-renowned dish that travels only a few feet from kitchen to consumer. The chefs have to work closely with airlines' kitchens to create menus that stand the test of time and altitude.
Curious about these partnerships and how these famed chefs translate their cooking skills into in-flight products, we turned to a few major airlines in the U.S., Europe, and Australia.
Who's is the Kitchen?
Delta’s current culinary team is made up of chefs Michelle Bernstein, Michael Chiarello and Linton Hopkins, as well as restaurateur Danny Meyer and Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson.
The menus, designed for Delta’s BusinessElite passengers, are altered seasonally and made to match certain routes’ departure cities and destinations.
Bernstein was the first to join in 2007 and Delta continued to expand the team to focus on different routes, cabins, or aspects of the meal.
For example, Chiarello designs Delta’s Western menu for flights from the West Coast to Japan while Hopkins designs meals reflective of the American South for flights from Atlanta to Europe.
Meyer helped Delt
