Headquartered at Dubai International Airport, Emirates Flight Catering’s kitchen handles food and beverages for airlines, premium airport lounges and VIP private jets. With a staff of more than 10,000 employees, it prepares 180,000 meals a day for more than 130 airline customers.
Joost Heymeijer is the airline’s senior vice president of catering and inflight services. Emirates’ Flight Catering facility, costing $ 159 million, opened in August 2007. “Emirates runs a 24-hour kitchen with more than 650 Dubai-based chefs preparing 12,450 recipes,” said Heymeijer. “The finely tuned operation supplies 255 flights a day with authentic local cuisines that give customers an idea of where they are going. The airline also works closely with 25 catering partners around the world to provide the same quality of food for its flights to Dubai.
Emirates Flight Catering provided nearly 60 million in-flight meals in 2016, paying equal attention to detail in First Class, Business Class and Economy Class. “Serving over 55 million diners a year traveling to and from 144 cities on six continents, no one understands global culinary trends better than Emirates, serving destination-inspired cuisine aboard the world’s largest flying restaurant.” Heymeijer said.
Unlike many airlines, Emirates does not have a celebrity chef program. “However, we have extremely talented chefs of different nationalities as part of our catering team. They design a variety of interesting and regional cuisines for us, ”said Heymeijer. “We have six regional catering managers, each of whom looks after a particular part of the world. They are highly experienced and accomplished chefs, who understand the challenges of mass numbers and the airline industry.
First-class passengers can order a la carte multi-course meals created by top international chefs from an extensive menu, Heymeijer said. “The menu is available and an order can be placed at any time during the flight,” he said. “A full range of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, is available free of charge.”
For business class passengers, lunch and dinner are five-course meals. “A full range of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, including champagne and vintage Port, is available free of charge,” he said. “You can also find hot and cold sandwiches such as canapes and sandwiches in the lounge on board.”
The menu for economy class passengers includes a starter, a choice of two main courses, dessert, cheese, cookies and chocolates. A full range of drinks, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic, is offered free of charge: a free selection of red and white wines and champagne is offered at a fixed price.
On long-haul international flights and short-haul regional routes within the Gulf, menus are changed monthly, Heymeijer said. “The menus are planned by the regional catering managers and the concept development team who visit the stations to create samples and sample dishes on board on a regular basis,” he said. “Menus are planned for each individual route to ensure that the meals served are appropriate for the destination. We rotate the menus into four cycles each year, then repeat for the next few months.
Emirates draws inspiration from the multitude of cuisine styles from around the world and generally tries to work with the local flavors of the destinations it flies to. “Whether it’s curry from India or sushi from Japan, we are always looking to learn from the locals. Our customers also look forward to experiencing the local culture through their food on board with us, ”said Heymeijer. “We not only differentiate from one region to another, but also from one city to another. For example, on our Indian routes, we have improved our menus in our 10 destinations in India that reflect the tastes and preferences of customers in a particular destination or city.
And because food appeals to emotion, we like to have that connection with our customers through our food offering «.
The airline offers a selection of meals to meet special medical, dietary and religious requirements, which must be reserved at least 24 hours before a flight, Heymeijer said. “Our special and non-special meals receive the same attention and culinary experience,” he said.
It also offers a wide range of special foods for babies and children. “For children between the ages of two and 12, we offer tried and true children’s favorites, including vegetarian options,” said Heymeijer. “For babies, while we encourage parents of babies to bring well-known and preferred foods for their babies, there is a selection of proprietary brands of ready-made baby foods available on board Emirates flights. All must be booked at least 24 hours before a flight.
Resting
Emirates has seven lounges at Dubai International Airport and a further 34 dedicated lounges at airports around the world, Heymeijer said. “Passengers arriving at any of Emirates’ dedicated lounges around the world have a choice of international food and beverages from our full bar and large buffet service,” he said.
Early risers can enjoy breakfast, while later in the day guests can choose from Arabic, Far Eastern, Western or vegetarian cuisine, Heymeijer said. “A variety of desserts is also available for those with a sweet tooth,” he said. “Our cuisines are varied and we tend to have a mix of local and international flavors. Our menu changes every month «.
The airline also offers a good selection of amazing wines and champagnes in its lounges, along with cocktails, Heymeijer said. “Inside the Emirates First Class lounge in Dubai, we have a Le Clos winery that sells the best luxury wines and spirits.”
In October 2016, Emirates unveiled a renovated Business Class Lounge in the center of Dubai Airport featuring three distinct concept areas. “The latest food and beverage concepts cater to diverse tastes and include a barista experience in partnership with Costa Coffee, a Voss water health center offering healthier options, and an exclusive Moët & Chandon champagne lounge, the first salon in their kind of being located in an airport, ”Heymeijer said.
Emirates also provides food and beverage services to most airline hospitality lounges located in the lounges of Dubai International Airport. They include Gulf Air, Air France / KLM, British Airways, the Lufthansa and Star Alliance Senator Lounge and the Skyteam lounge.
QA
Emirates has conducted various checks to ensure smooth operation and high standards in the Flight Catering kitchen 24 hours a day, seven days a week throughout the year, Heymeijer said.
“The cabin crew compiles reports on restoration at the end of each flight, providing the airline’s regional restoration managers with crucial customer feedback,” said Heymeijer. “Managers hold daily meetings where reports from all flights are reviewed so matters of concern are addressed immediately. “Correct food temperatures are essential for successful flight restoration from preparation to delivery, therefore all food on board is brought to the correct temperature in normal convection ovens and the work of the cabin crew at specific temperatures and times, ”Heymeijer said.
“Emirates has its own state-of-the-art training school where proper food preparation and delivery is key.”
“Good food and drink are a key part of the Emirates experience as we cater to many tastes and preferences,” said Heymeijer. “The wide range of nationalities of the airline’s cabin crew, now numbering more than 130, provides valuable information to the menus, ensuring that there is always a suitable option for everyone on board,” he explained. “A balanced meal or refreshment service is always offered, even on short-haul flights.”
Emirates chefs start with the simple philosophy that the ingredients that make up a dish must be perfect. “There is no use having a great recipe if the quality of the ingredients is not correct,” said Heymeijer. “Therefore, our chefs spend a lot of time searching for some of the best raw materials from around the world to create mouth-watering meals. We also know that attention to detail is incredibly important, which is why we constantly review what we have done; checking every meal that comes out on our plane multiple times, just to make sure it’s perfect.
In addition to working with Emirates’ dedicated team, the airline also works closely with local caterers and vendors who share the same spirit to ensure they meet our standards, Heymeijer said. “With a cosmopolitan customer base, we always make sure there is something for everyone, offering local and international options,” he said.
“We offer authentic cuisines from the countries our customers come from and the places they travel to. We are the only airline that has food available in every region we fly to, ”said Heymeijer. “In Japan, we not only offer authentic Japanese food, but also authentic dinnerware, silverware and tea sets to ensure an unrivaled dining experience on board.”
