Chefs in sky to serve Etihad passengers

By Lee Hyo-sik

Etihad Airways, the United Arab Emirates’ (UAE) flagship carrier, plans to have experienced chefs onboard flights connecting Incheon with Abu Dhabi next year to serve first-class passengers freshly prepared meals as part of efforts to provide a high-quality premium service.

The airline is currently offering the unprecedented in-flight meal service to its diamond first-class passengers on flights between Abu Dhabi and Sydney, Melbourne, London and Paris.

It will expand the ``first-class chef service’’ in 2012 to other routes connecting Abu Dhabi with Incheon, Frankfurt, Geneva, Narita, Brussels, Milan, Munich, Casablanca, New York and other international destinations.

Etihad operates A330-200 airplanes on the Incheon-Abu Dhabi route, which was launched in December last year. The daily flights provide 2,800 seats each week to and from Korea, while code sharing with Asiana Airlines.

The airline has hired about 110 chefs since launching the premium service in May. They are fully qualified and classically trained international chefs dedicated to food service excellence in the firm’s first-class cabins, it said, stressing the majority have been engaged in the culinary business for at least 10 years.

``We require a minimum of six years of professional experience in five-star restaurants and hotels. Some of our chefs come from Michelin-starred restaurants. Besides serving first-class customers, they contributed to developing new menus for our lounges and in-flight service, which also benefits passengers in business and economy cabins,’’ an Etihad Airways spokeswoman in Seoul office said.

Notably, chefs are provided with a pantry stocked with prime cuts of meat, sauces, par-cooked items, spices and freshly chopped vegetables. ``It means our chefs can prepare and personalize dishes onboard in the same way chefs in a restaurant kitchen do. We just cannot wait to serve our premium customers onboard the Incheon-Abu Dhabi route,’’ the spokeswoman said.

The airline has recently completed a redesign of its first-class menu, which is now called ``the Mezoon Grille.” This offers a variety of choices in in-flight dining, allowing passengers to choose from a menu of four main dishes ― beef, chicken, lamb and seafood. Four types of sauces and four side options are also available.

Chefs are on standby to create customized sides and sauces to suit individual tastes.

``By introducing first-class chefs and renewing our unique food and beverage menus in business class, Etihad Airways has created the best in-flight culinary team in the skies,’’ the spokeswoman said. ``We have continued to elevate our in-flight dining service. Our innovative team is changing industry standards and finding new ways to bring a fine dining restaurant experience to our guests, both on the ground and in the air.’