There really is a chef in the Lufthansa kitchen

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Written by Linda Hohnholz

When it is feeding time onboard a plane, I think of scientists and test tubes determining the type and amount of chemicals required to keep me alive in coach class long enough to make it through the f

When it is feeding time onboard a plane, I think of scientists and test tubes determining the type and amount of chemicals required to keep me alive in coach class long enough to make it through the flight. The mystery meals that are served or sold are usually not so terrible that anyone gets sick; however, nutritious is not a word found anywhere on the packaging.

Lufthansa recently held a New York event that convinced me that it is possible to dine in five-star luxury while traveling at 600 miles per hour, 6miles above the surface of the Earth.

FOR THE RICH AND CONNECTED

From the Farm to the Plane

When I consider dining – at any altitude – my first question is: how do the raw materials get from some far-away garden or farm to the prep kitchen and then to my table (or tray as the case might be)?

Was there a barnyard or vegetable patch that was sourced for my dinner? is there a chef with a degree from the CIA (Culinary Institute of America) busy creating a cordon bleu meal for me, or are the folks in the kitchen former science and math majors? I have been on many flights where food and cooking were not words to be used in polite company. Are the staffers responsible for my meal trained in the use of a countertop convection microwave or do they have advanced degrees slicing and dicing, mixing and stirring, and do they know how to use an oven?

Getting it Right: Use Food as a Marketing Tool

According to some airline executives, onboard catering is not about food, it is about entertainment at a ratio of about 80/20; meals are used to divert passengersโ€™ attention and mark the passage of time.

Lufthansa and LSG Geniuses

For people with the funds and power to fly business and first class with Lufthansa, meal time becomes a Broadway and Hollywood production – offering passengers a gourmet dining experience.

Lufthansa and LSG Sky Chefs are not new to the food business; they have had their ups and downs in preparing onboard food for thousands of passengers. Fortunately for travelers with deep pockets, the LSG Sky Chefs and Lufthansa have committed megabucks to satisfying passenger palettes with the very best salads, entrees, wines, beers, and spirits. The marketing objective: When there is a choice of airlines, travelers will vote with their taste buds and not with their wallet.

Focus on Organic

At a recent, genius-inspired luncheon for media at the Bouley (Tribeca) test kitchen, Lufthansa brought in almost a dozen chefs, and assorted c-suite executives, to prove to the skeptical media that at Lufthansa and SkyChefs, there really is a chef in the kitchen.

I was delighted to learn that not only do the SkyChef culinary artists start with real fruits and vegetables and chickens and fish and living animals, when possible – they source organic.

SkyChefsโ€™ Love for Food

One of the chefs, William Gilliam, found his passion for food while serving in the US Air Force. During his tour of duty, he visited international markets and restaurants, certain that when he became a civilian, he would focus on the culinary arts.

In keeping with his vision, he graduated from the CIA in 1996 and then joined the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in NYC, the Mamaroneck Beach and Yacht Club in Westchester, and became vice president of Culinary Operations, Corporate Chef Magic Brands Restaurant Group in Texas. Since 1999, Chef Gillen has been associated with LSG/Sky Chefs. Currently he is the Director of Culinary Excellence NAM Region.

What is SkyChefs?

LSG Sky Chefs is part of LSG Lufthansa Service Holding AG, the worldโ€™s largest provider of online catering and in-flight services. It prepares and delivers meals, beverages, and snacks to aircraft for domestic and international flights. The company partners with more than 300 airlines worldwide across 209 airports and operates almost 211 customer service centers in 52 countries, producing approximately 527 million meals a year.

In the LSG Sky Chefs facility in Frankfort, the daily food output includes 77,000 menus prepared for 53,000 passengers (3,300 First and Business Class meals); 80,000 bread/rolls; 18,000 portions of camembert; 60 kilos of king prawns; 24,000 bottles of beer; 46,000 newspapers; and 63,000 magazines.

Less than 2 Percent

For economy class passengers it continues to be a challenge for the airlines to bring edible food at a pre-determined price point (whatever that happens to be). While specific food costs for Lufthansa were not available, on an industry-wide basis, for business and first class passengers the cost to the airline in 2007 was between $25-$50 per passenger, per meal. According to a study done by Oliver Wyman (June 6, 2012, online.wsj.com) food costs for first class passengers adds to less than 2 percent of the costs of running an airline.

Basic Research Plus One

From the Lufthansa perspective, passengers should not select an airline based on frequent flyer points or price; rather the decision should be based on their stomachs. With strict attention to gourmet dining, the plan is that Lufthansa passengers will be reserving seats based on the gourmet meals and excellent service.

Market research, chemistry, technology, psychology – all are used by the Lufthansa and the LSG Sky Chefs team to develop their inflight menu for first and business class passengers. There are scores of chefs, nutritionists, science-focused food executives, along with time-management experts who spend tons of money and huge efforts trying to get inflight meals for upmarket passengers so close to perfection that the client will default on their airline selection to Lufthansa.

Who Knew?

The company must be doing something right: in 2013 the SkyTrax/World Airline Award presented this airline second place for first class catering (just behind Etihad).

Designing a menu for sky-service is significantly different than developing a menu for diners with their feet on the ground.

Flying and Food

Serving food in airplanes is not a new concept; the Handly Page Transport, an airline company founded in 1919, served the first meals (sandwiches and fruit) on the London-Paris route (October 11, 1919). In 1936, United Airlines installed the first on-board kitchen, and passengers were able to dine on hot meals. By 1950, table cloths and silver service was added. Food preparation on Pan Am was done in four simultaneously operating galleys and dishes were cooked in 5-minute ovens.

Fast Forward

SkyChefs and Lufthansa proactively use resources to create the best dining experience. The flight test facility at the Fraunhofer Institute for Building Physics IBP in Holzkirche consists of a low-pressure chamber with a 16-meter-long section of an Airbus A310-200 suspended inside. Interior furnishings correspond to those of a standard aircraft and allow environmental parameters to be altered: air pressure, cabin external wall temperature, relative humidity, noise level, vibration, light, air circulation, etc.

Each day of testing takes 14 days of preparation. Research tools run from the design of questionnaires for the test subjects to the delivery and fault-free use of the on-board ovens. Pilots are in the cockpit (situated outside the low-pressure chamber) use a control station to ensure there is no turbulence during the flight.

What Happens @ 30,000 Feet

The reduced pressure in the aircraft affects passengers and their taste buds; the oxygen-reduced blood lowers the sense of smell and taste. At this altitude, food and drinks taste as if you have a cold. In the air, salt is perceived to be 20-30 percent less intense and sugar 15-20 percent less intense. The perception of fruity aromas and acids are more stable, making Asian dishes (with very intense aromas) remain stable at low pressure. Milder dishes (fish, poultry) require more seasoning with salt and herbs.

Although the research is sound, it is impossible to satisfy everyoneโ€™s tastes, and the food chemistry must be adjusted for the mainstream passenger – requiring the ingenuity and creativity of really good chefs.

Time Management

Another challenge for the airline chefs is to preserve food freshness so that the passenger experiences a positive dining experience. The problem is – the food has been prepared at least 8 hours before it is served. In an attempt to get it right, Lufthansa and LSG have been signing up celebrity chefs, presenting them with the challenge of designing and preparing tasteful meals at 30,000 feet.

Beyond the wants/needs of the โ€œaverageโ€ first and business class passenger, Lufthansa takes requests for special meals – from Kosher and Halal, to gluten and fat-free. To meet every whim and wish, LSG/Lufthansa has meal request forms online so that passengers can present their order in a timely fashion.

Airlines do their best to meet food demands, but busy onboard personnel may not remember that special meal orders. Better to be safe rather than disappointed, so inform staffers at the beginning of the flight as to specific meal orders. If this โ€œheads upโ€ is not done at the start of the meal, there may be โ€œno more availableโ€ during the service. Meal shortages are not uncommon and industry-wide it is estimated that this problem occurs about 1.2 percent (1998) of the time.

Size of Market

The global In-Flight Catering Services market is projected to reach US$16.5 billion by 2018, driven by the addition of new, efficient airplanes with more capacity accompanied by increased demand for quality and innovative food selections. Currently the industry directly employs over 100,000 people worldwide.

Before 2009, the increase in passenger volume translated into increases in the in-flight catering services market. When revenues began to fall in 2009, airlines focused on reducing overall costs, and airline catering was axed by several airline operators.

Safety

Food safety is a constant challenge, and a report of low-quality food served on air carriers was publicized. Beyond food taste, there were issues over the lack of hygiene in kitchen areas. Airlines are now vigilant in their quest to reduce food poisoning risks and potential bio-terrorism. Finally the role of food in air security is being recognized and addressed. The problem extends beyond Europe and North America. Food is put on a flight in one country and it enters an international supply chain. There are hundreds of opportunities for the food to become altered. This presents an ongoing challenge for airline catering that is budget-driven with the primary focus is that it is cheap and arrived on time.

However, in light of the fact that quality and hygiene have become a deciding factor for passengers selecting flights, the result is stringent security measures such as GPS tracking and 24-hour security surveillance to maintain food safety and the addition of celebrity chefs and test kitchen to insure a tasty dining experience.

Culinary Nirvana

For many years, the interior designers, engineers, and accountants have been at the forefront of airline amenities; finally, the chef is moving to the front of the line. It is culinary artists that are combining the research in the sourcing of raw materials, recipe development, and service to seduce the passenger with culinary nirvana. Food will always be considered and supervised by the airlinesโ€™ product development teams, but the culinary stars are moving to the front of the line and determining what will be placed on passenger tray tables.

Seduction by Chef

Fortunately for Lufthansa passengers, the marketing wizards have decided to let everyone know that there is a chef in the kitchen – enabling a quicker and easier decision when there is a choice of airlines. โ€œNow we know the Lufthansa food will be delicious. It is better to be seduced by the chef than by the accountant.โ€

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

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