United Airlines has partnered with Netflix’s hit series Chef’s Table to curate a menu for business-class travelers on long-distance flights to experience the flavors of the airline’s hub cities, like Denver.
The airline announced it will begin serving new onboard meals designed by 11 chefs on Saturday for United Polaris international business class travelers on select flights. Recent James Beard Award winner Penelope Wong, owner of Yuan Wonton in Denver’s Park Hill neighborhood, is one of the chefs who will be featured in the lineup.
The Chef’s Table meals will be available on Denver flights to Rome, London, Frankfurt, Munich and Tokyo, United said.
After being in the running for four years, Wong of Yuan Wonton finally earned a James Beard Award for Best Chef in the Mountain region in June. Getting a James Beard Award is one of the most prestigious awards in the culinary industry and often compared to winning an Oscar for restaurants.
Yuan Wonton at 2878 Fairfax St. specializes in Asian dumplings and wontons using mostly Chinese and Thai flavors, with Wong saying the menu was made to “immortalize” the childhood recipes she grew up with.
Wong’s three-course meal on United Airlines flights will include shokupan bread with smoked trout, lemongrass, Chinese celery and trout roe as the appetizer, a kale salad with cherries, golden beets, Grana Padano cheese and honey ginger vinaigrette and five-spice duck wontons with duck brodo, Swiss chard and chili oil as the main entrée.
Dishes by Penelope Wong of Yuan Wonton for United Airlines new Chef’s Table dining program launching Aug. 1. (Courtesy photo, United Airlines)
“I am truly excited about this partnership with United Airlines and Chef’s Table,” Wong said in a news release. “Sharing my story through a series of tastes and bites allows a glimpse into my internal struggle of growing up Asian American, but just how delicious that struggle can be when embraced.”
The culinary program will also include other award-winning chefs who have been inspired by the United hub cities they live in such as Chef Nancy Silverton in Los Angeles, Chef Jenner Tomaska in Chicago and Chef Tomos Parry in London.
“Our 11 featured chefs have crafted menus specifically engineered for 35,000 feet, ensuring ingredients and flavors remain exceptional despite the altitude,” said Justin Connor, president of Chef’s Table Projects.
Business class travelers can preorder their meals as soon as five days before their flight and up to 24 hours before departure, United said.
The courses will run from Aug. 1 through October and United will feature a new seasonal lineup starting in November.
“At its core, this collaboration with Chef’s Table is rooted in a shared ambition to redefine what in-flight dining can be,” said Aaron McMillan, United’s managing director of Hospitality Programs. “Because our leading global network reaches into the world’s greatest food cities, we’re able to work hand-in-hand with world-class chefs and translate their points of view into dishes intentionally designed for the realities of travel and inspired by destinations we serve.”
