As from 1st October for three months, the triple Michelin-starred chef Arnaud Lallement will be joining the Air France team. For the first time on board La Première (The carrier’s first class cabin), he will create two new starters and seven new main dishes to delight and surprise its passengers.
“Becoming a chef was a childhood dream for Arnaud Lallement. Nothing strange for a boy whose father owned a restaurant near Reims, L’Assiette Champenoise. Very early on, the young chef started doing all he could to fulfil this ambition: an apprenticeship with the best chefs crowned by winning the title of chef of the year and 3 stars in the Michelin Guide. And all this before he was 40,” states Air France.
“The chef’s secret? Refined and uncomplicated cuisine. No frills. Arnaud Lallement cooks in the same way as he lives his life: concentrating on what’s important to be completely authentic.”
Through his cooperation with Air France and Servair, lovers of refined dishes will have the opportunity to taste these culinary delights from October until the end of December 2017. On the menu, customers will find classics from L ‘Assiette Champenoise, such as the royal langoustine and farmhouse pigeon, as well as dishes especially concocted for the occasion such as potato gnocchi with black tru es and white wine sauce.
Catering is one of Air France’s most famous offerings. Those travelling in La Première on Air France means enjoying the expertise of some of the world’s most famous chefs. The company (together with the Servair Culinary Studio chaired by Joël Robuchon) already has worked with the likes of Michel Roth, Anne-Sophie Pic, Guy Martin and now Arnaud Lallement.
The Big Picture
I live half the year in France. I love France. I love Air France, and have been flying them regularly since 1969. But really, Arnaud, it’s an A-I-R-P-L-A-N-E. Who is going to plate these miniature works of art? The flight attendants? Or are the complex dishes going to be arranged in the Servair catering center and then sit – for hours – until they’re pulled out of the galley bins inflight? Hugely impractical, to say the least. Cuisine like this needs to be served on the ground, where a trained chef can oversee the entire process – not at 35,000 feet.