Last week I took a tour of United's Chelsea Food Services' kitchen at Newark and wrote about it for Frequent Business Traveler magazine, where (as some of you know) I serve as editorial director.
The purpose of the United gathering was to present new and experimental meals but I wanted to document how people actually prepare the meals. The smells are quite inviting, the food is freshly prepared (I was told United tries to schedule the food for just a few hours before flight time as opposed to what some kitchens do, which is the day before).
Everything looked very fresh and appealing and it was clear to me that the workers cared a lot about the quality of the meals they produced.
If you have any questions, I'm happy to try to address them based on what I saw but the eight photos in the photo essay also tell a great story.
Photo Essay: How Your Airline Meal Is Prepared
Behind the Scenes in United Airlines’ Kitchen
Love it or hate it, airline food is a popular topic of conversation amongst travelers.
In the earliest days of commercial aviation, airlines copied what others in the transportation industry, such as operators of rail service and passenger ships, were doing and offered food and drink.
Today, airline meals are big business but there are still real people in the kitchen chopping, mixing, sautéing, grilling, and garnishing what is served to you in the air....
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