Air France announces 2023 partner chefs & there's a Montreal connection

Air France has announced the names of the 17 chefs with whom it will be working this year. 

In the months ahead, 17 chefs will take turns in creating exceptional dishes in La Première and Business and in airport lounges over the coming months.

Air France says it is reasserting its role as ambassador of French fine dining around the world, reaffirming a commitment to introducing customers to the quality and diversity of France's gastronomic heritage with fresh, seasonal and local produce, as well as a vegetarian dish, in all travel cabins.

Air France designs these menus with the help of some of the most prestigious chefs with the expertise of its catering partner, Servair.

A high-flying French dining experience

On board long-haul flights from Paris, French Michelin-starred chefs Arnaud Lallement, Régis Marcon, Anne-Sophie Pic, Emmanuel Renaut and Michel Roth will this year take turns to sign exclusive dishes.

For the very first time, Mauro Colagreco and Thierry Marx will also be contributing their skills to this exceptional team of chefs.

With vegetarian compositions, red and white meats from France, and fish from sustainable fishing, all the chefs are committed to showcasing the local produce of their regions in France and sharing their culinary heritage and passion.

In the La Première suites, the company’s most exclusive travel cabins, the Meilleur Ouvrier de France pastry chefs Philippe Urraca and for the first time Angelo Musa will bring an elegant and sweet touch to the menus in this cabin worthy of the finest restaurants.

Air France also continues to offer menus signed by top French chefs on long-haul flights departing from airports worldwide.

The company continues to work with the triple Michelin-starred chef Julien Royer in the La Première and Business cabins on departure from Singapore.

Originally from Auvergne, Royer is at the helm of the Odette and Claudine restaurants in Singapore.

On departure from Reunion Island, in the Business cabin, the menus are signed by chef Jofrane Dailly from Reunion Island, who works at the Diana Dea Lodge in Sainte-Anne.

A Montreal connection

In 2023, Air France will offer menus signed by chef Olivier Perret on flights departing from Air France’s destinations in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, Quebec and Vancouver).

He will focus on offering French gastronomy with fresh ingredients for menus in the Business cabin.

Originally from Burgundy, the chef also presides at the restaurant Le Renoir at the Sofitel Montréal Le Carré Doré.

Culinary collaborations

Air France intends to further develop its partnership with these exceptional signature chefs, notably on departure from the French Caribbean, USA and Japan.

On its medium-haul network, in the Business cabin, Servair corporate chef François Adamski, Meilleur Ouvrier de France and Bocuse d’Or winner, signs the lunch or dinner dishes served on board all year round.

Air France also collaborates with several chefs in its Paris airport lounges.

At Paris-Charles de Gaulle, the Alain Ducasse teams have created dishes for the Air France La Première lounge.

And in the other lounges located in terminal 2 E (halls K, L and M), Ducasse Paris regularly unveils new dishes to be enjoyed among the entire offer.

In the lounge located in terminal 2F, François Adamski teams up with talented chefs to sign innovative, seasonal menus.

Following in the footsteps of Chloé Charles, Amandine Chaignot will be illustrating her talent for the company’s customers.

At Paris-Orly, Guy Martin, who is used to signing the menus served on board Air France flights, will for the first time sign a dish on offer in the long-haul lounge at Orly 3.

Finally, in the short-haul lounge at Orly 2, customers will be able to continue to enjoy the choux pastries signed by pastry chef Philippe Urraca.

Responsible catering

On all flights departing from Paris, Air France has committed to offering 100 per cent French meat, dairy produce and eggs as well as fish from sustainable fisheries in all its travel cabins and its lounges at Paris airports.

The company offers fresh, local and seasonal products. A vegetarian option is also available in all cabins and dishes are systematically labelled with Nutri-Score A or B certification in Economy and Premium Economy cabins.

In addition, kids and infants’ menus are exclusively made from organically sourced products.

Air France is also committed to recycling and eliminating 90 per cent of single-use plastic on board its aircraft by end-March 2023.

For more on Air France’s sustainability initiatives, click here. 

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