ANA adds chefs to The Connoisseurs for 2020 menus
The 2020 menu lineup from the new chefs in The Connoisseurs
All Nippon Airways (ANA), will be adding three new chefs and an international cuisine collaboration menu to THE CONNOISSEURS in-flight menu, bringing the total number of participating chefs and beverage experts to 19.
Starting in March 2020, the new menu items will be available in First Class and Business Class on international flights departing from Japan. ANA will also work with Japanese chefs in Mexico City and Seattle to produce regional menus for flights departing from those cities. It will be the first for those routes to be served a collaboration menu.
“ANA seeks to set the standard for service and in-flight meals are a huge component to the passenger experience of flying with ANA,” said Hideki Kunugi, Executive Vice President of ANA, in today’s announcement. “It’s only natural that ANA would seek out the world’s leading chefs to develop menus that will appeal to the distinct tastes of our First Class and Business Class passengers. We will continue looking for culinary partners that aspire to the same level of excellence as ANA so that every aspect of the flight experience is crafted for maximum comfort and enjoyment.”
From March to May 2020, First Class passengers departing from Japan to North America and Europe will experience the culinary innovation of Michel and Sébastien Bras. The father and son team bring contemporary cuisine inspired by their native Aubrac region in France. The duo received three Michelin stars in 1999, and opened the BRAS TOYA MICHEL & SÉBASTIEN BRAS in 2002 at The Windsor Hotel TOYA Resort & Spa, which was rated as a two-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017 Special Edition.The two chefs have been helping to connect the dishes of Aubrac and Japan with their bold yet refined cuisine. They plan to open a second restaurant in Karuizawa in July 2020.
From June to August 2020, Business Class passengers departing from Japan to Asia will get to experience the western-influenced cuisine of award-wining executive chef Hideki Takayama. Takayama is a two-time winner of the “Bocuse d'Or International Cuisine Competition Asia Pacific” and his full menu for ANA will be announced on ANA’s website in May 2020.
Food from ASAI Kaiseki Cuisine will be available for passengers traveling in Business Class on flights departing from Mexico City. ASAI Kaiseki Cuisine opened in December 2016 in the Polanco district of Mexico City and is the best and the only restaurant in the neighborhood serving Kaiseki cuisine. The restaurant is famous for incorporating Mexican ingredients into its menu. Business Class passengers can experience the Japanese menu prepared by the chef of ASAI, Yasuo Asai from June to August 2020. His full menu for ANA will be announced on ANA’s website in May 2020.
The unique Edomae-style sushi of celebrated chef Shiro Kashiba will be available for Business Class passengers on flights departing from Seattle from September to November 2020. With decades of experience blending the art of Japanese sushi with the seafood native to the waters of the Pacific Northwest, Kashiba is head chef of SUSHI KASHIBA, an authentic Japanese restaurant that opened in 2015 and quickly became a landmark of the Seattle culinary scene. For his contribution to Japanese culinary development, the Government of Japan’s Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) appointed Shiro Kashiba as “Goodwill Ambassador to Spread Japanese Cuisine” in early 2019. ANA will announce his full menu on ANA’s official website in August 2020.
