Celebrity chefs take to the skies

Plane food doesn’t have the best reputation, and people love to complain about it. One family even sued American Airlines for killing their father with a chicken dish on a flight from Barcelona to New York.

photo from the infamous Virgin Airlines complaint letter

But don’t get too attached to your mystery meat and stale dinner rolls. Celebrity chefs have taken to the skies and hopefully their influence will trickle down to economy.

While we’re still lucky to get free peanuts in coach on most domestic flights, the front of the plane is experiencing a revival of aviation’s more glamorous past, when flying was only for the wealthy and passengers ate lobster with Christolfe dinnerware on the Concorde. Don’t worry, you’ll still get your bag of broken pretzels on airlines like Ryan Air and Air Asia, but if you occupy a first or business class seat on Air France, for example, you can expect something like Basque shrimp and turmeric pasta with lemongrass. Celebrity chef Joel Robuchon calls his onboard menu “a simple recipe, absent the superfluous, with a purity through which the full flavor of each ingredient is fully expressed.” That’s pretty fancy for a meal at 35,000 feet!

Air France is just one of the airlines backed by a celebrity chef. United Airlines enlisted famous Chicago chef Charlie Trotter, who created two menus, one for first class and one for business. Delta is working with Miami-based Michelle Bernstein, who is in charge of bringing 5 star cuban fare on flights over three and a half hours.

There are, however, some clear leaders in the in-flight food business. Singapore Airlines works with a team of eight world-renowned chefs, Qantas has an eight course prix-fixe option and Virgin Australia offers a three-course lunch and dinner menu for all classes – even economy!

Gordon Ramsay has made his own contributions by introducing the “Plane Food Picnic” out of London’s Heathrow airport. Passengers can choose from a starter, a main course and a dessert to take away in an insulated lunch box. A three course meal will set you back about thirteen euros, but to those averse to plane food, it’s well worth it. The roasted rump of Hereford beef has gotten excellent reviews.

Do any of you have plane food horror stories? Have you tried Gordon Ramsay’s picnic lunch or feasted on Michelle Bernstein’s braised short ribs on a Delta flight?