G A LLEY E QUIPMENT
The DaVinci
institute was
established by
catering expert Paula
Kraft and former
flight attendant
Scott Arnold
FLAVOUR
AT ALTITUDE
businessjet inter iorsinternat ional . com 061
JULY 2019
Alex Berry, director of OnAir Dining, agrees that
galley space is the primary challenge. He says the skill
of a caterer is to make the best use of that compromised
space in terms of meal planning and packaging. “It’s very
similar to understanding that you have a restricted space
in the kitchen, even if you go away camping or in a
caravan,” says Berry. “It’s all about where you place certain
items and how much storage you have. If we were asked
to provide restaurant food, which would usually come
in glamorous packaging, we would fast-chill and package
it in more economic packaging, so that it can be stored
safely and correctly on the aircraft. Then the food can
be reheated and brought back to its original quality.”
SPACE EXPLORATION
He adds it doesn’t matter whether it is an aircraft, a yacht
or a commercial kitchen, the key things are space for
preparation and storage, and efficient equipment.
Where appropriate, Kraft suggests that aircraft owners
involve flight attendants in the decision-making process
for galley upgrades during refurbishment or when buying
a new aircraft. With their experience, flight attendants
can come up with very clever solutions to the problems
they encounter. “There was one company we provided
training for, that consulted its flight attendants when
refurbishing the aircraft,” says Kraft. “It was a large
One of the biggest challenges for inflight caterers is
adjusting for the impact altitude has on tastebuds.
“An aircraft has humidity close to a desert and so your
body reacts differently to food,” says Alex Berry. “The
effect of salt is lost at altitude. Commercial aircraft
food is heavy on salt, which makes it very drying on
the mouth and makes the flavour cloying to an extent.”
OnAir Dining’s solution is to use Himalayan mountain
salt, which is very high in flavour but very low in sodium.
The company also tries to use ingredients high in
umami, which is unaffected by altitude. These include
shiitake mushrooms and seaweed.
“All foods can be recreated to taste excellent at
altitude, but some do it more naturally,” says Berry.
“Sushi, for example, is almost built for aviation in terms
of flavour. However, its preparation is very complicated,
and it has to be handled very professionally.”
MAIN AND INSET: THE DAVINCI
INFLIGHT TRAINING INSTITUTE
OFFERS COURSES COVERING FOOD
PREPARATION, SAFETY AND SERVICE
SKILLS FOR FLIGHT ATTENDANTS