TravelingForMiles.com may receive commission from card issuers. Some or all of the card offers that appear on TravelingForMiles.com are from advertisers and may impact how and where card products appear on the site. TravelingForMiles.com does not include all card companies or all available card offers.
Some links to products and travel providers on this website will earn Traveling For Miles a commission which helps contribute to the running of the site – I’m very grateful to anyone who uses these links but their use is entirely optional. The compensation does not impact how and where products appear on this site and does not impact reviews that are published.
As of Friday 1 December travelers booked into a Delta One cabin flying out of Los Angeles to New York JFK or Washington Reagan airport have new meal options on board.
Delta says that its new partnership with LA-based chefs Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo will see the airline offering dishes featuring “farm-fresh, seasonal ingredients from some of L.A.’s most beloved farmers and purveyors“.
Per Delta:
The chef duo has curated a menu that is reflective of the fare served at many of their popular L.A. restaurants, including Animal, Son of a Gun and Jon & Vinny’s.
Their debut menu for Delta includes:
- a starter of confit portobello mushroom carpaccio with Tamai Farms arugula pesto, almonds and pecorino
- a main course of marinara braised meatballs with bianco DiNapoli tomato, garlic bread and Gioia whipped ricotta, or Domenico’s pumpkin ravioli with Schaner Farms sage brown butter sauce and pecorino cheese
- a dessert of Tamai Farms strawberry bread pudding
The new menu items are being prepared at a dedicated facility the two chefs operate in LA and the freshly made meals will be transported from their catering company to LAX each day “to ensure customers experience restaurant-level cuisine in the skies“.
Here’s what the chefs had to say:
We are so excited to partner with Delta because it allows us to introduce the smaller farmers and producers who we work with on a daily basis to its global customers
On top of that, by using the same network we lean on at our L.A. restaurants, we’re able to authentically re-create some of our most beloved dishes – like our iconic meatballs – and take it from the ground to the sky.
I like the sound of that.
I’ve heard people say that no one cares about airline food – schedule and price are all that people consider – but I disagree.
If I’m flying in Economy Class I know that the food offering is likely to be poor so, yes, it doesn’t come into my thinking…but it’s different for premium cabins.
If I’m paying to fly coast-to-coast in a premium cabin the food I’m going to be offered onboard will definitely come into my thinking. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve headed to the airport after a series of meetings just in time to catch a flight and having not eaten for hours.
Not everyone has the time to get something to eat at one of the better eateries in their local airport (or in the lounge if the food there is edible) so what you’re given in the air can be important….especially if you’re facing a 5 hour flight.
Bottom Line
Kudos to Delta for continuing to work on its in-air premium offering and, contrary to what some may say, I think it does make a difference.
If I know that I’m going to be clearing security and heading straight for my flight I’m definitely more likely to book a premium cabin where the food on offer has been thought through rather than one where I know I’ll be served a horrible mini pizza….and that means that Delta is now definitely in play for me.
