Starting August 1, United Airlines will transform the dining experience in its international business class, United Polaris, through an exclusive collaboration with Chef’s Table, the brand behind the acclaimed Emmy Award-winning Netflix documentary series. The initiative will introduce multi-course menus designed by 11 world-renowned chefs, aiming to redefine culinary catering at 35,000 feet.
A Global Dining Experience Adapted to Altitude
The airline’s new culinary program will be available to United Polaris business class passengers on select long-haul routes. The menus have been curated by international culinary icons from four continents, reflecting the cultural identity of their respective home cities. Each dining experience consists of an appetizer, a salad, and a main course.
Aaron McMillan, Managing Director of Hospitality Programs at United Airlines, highlighted that the company’s global network allows for a direct connection with major gastronomic capitals to translate the perspectives of these professionals into dishes designed for the realities of air travel.
For his part, Justin Connor, President of Projects at Chef’s Table, explained that the culinary proposals are specifically engineered to counteract the effects of altitude:
“Our 11 featured chefs have crafted menus designed specifically for 35,000 feet, ensuring that ingredients and flavors remain exceptional despite the altitude. The goal is for every meal to serve as an authentic reflection of the culinary culture of the city from which travelers depart.”
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Menus and Chefs by Region
The new culinary options represent United Airlines’ seven US hub cities and three of its primary international gateways: London, São Paulo, and Tokyo.
US Hubs
- Los Angeles – Chef Nancy Silverton (Osteria Mozza): Recognized with the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award in 2014. Her menu features a burrata appetizer with braised leeks, a shaved Brussels sprouts salad, and a beef brasato main course with garlic mashed potatoes.
- Newark – Chef Fariyal Abdullahi (Hav & Mar): Fuses her Ethiopian heritage with European techniques. She presents a chilled tomato soup with crab, a baby gem salad with berbere-spiced pepitas, and Ethiopian coffee-glazed short ribs served with purple mashed potatoes.
- Chicago – Chef Jenner Tomaska (Esmé, Petite Edith, and The Alston): A three-time James Beard nominee. He offers braised leeks with a citrus vinaigrette, an arugula salad with radish, and a halibut main course with matelote sauce and bacon.
- Houston – Chef Justin Yu (Theodore Rex): James Beard Award winner. His menu consists of deviled eggs with white soy and cheddar, a chicory salad with spiced bacon, and a braised Texas short rib with mushroom ragout and red miso.
- Denver – Chef Penelope Wong (Yuan Wonton): Integrates flavors from her Asian-American childhood. She serves shokupan bread with smoked trout, a kale salad with golden beets, and five-spice duck wontons in duck broth.
- San Francisco – Chef David Barzelay (Lazy Bear, JouJou, and True Laurel): A pioneer of American fine dining. His menu offers a hashbrown with cured trout roe, a peach panzanella with sourdough croutons, and spit-roasted black cod in tomato tare.
- Washington, D.C. – Chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy (Lutèce, Pascual, and Maison Bar À Vins): Combine French techniques with Mexican influences. They present a melon and burrata salad with chorizo vinaigrette, a butternut squash quinoa salad, and a braised chicken breast in vadouvan coconut curry.
International Gateways
- São Paulo – Chef Manu Buffara (Manu): Focused on sustainable agriculture. Her menu features a cabbage leaf roll stuffed with shrimp and passion fruit sauce, a white bean and celery salad with goat cheese, and a Brazilian shrimp stew with coconut rice.
- London – Chef Tomos Parry (Mountain and Brat): Incorporates Northern Spanish techniques and Celtic roots. He designed a grilled veal fillet with Caerphilly cheese, a grilled peach and lobster salad, and slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes.
- Tokyo – Chef Tashi Gyamtso (Jimgu and Enowa Yufuin): Farm-to-table cuisine. He offers a poached scallop with a yuzu-ginger glaze, a crunchy Napa cabbage and mizuna salad, and miso-marinated sea bass with Koshihikari rice.
Service Logistics and Pre-Order System
These menus will be available onboard from August 1 through September 2026. Subsequently, in October, a new selection of dishes created by these same 11 chefs will be launched, maintaining a seasonal rotation schedule throughout 2027.
To guarantee availability and connect the gastronomy to its place of origin, meals will be offered exclusively on flights serving lunch or dinner that depart from the home city of the chef who inspired the recipes.
United Polaris international business class passengers can reserve their dishes in advance via the airline’s website or mobile app. The selection window opens five days prior to flight departure and closes 24 hours before takeoff.
Exclusive Inflight Entertainment Content
The culinary experience will be complemented by a multimedia content strategy available on seatback screens. On August 1, exclusive brand audiovisual material will premiere, documenting the creative process, ingredient selection, testing in the airline’s catering kitchens, and the chefs’ personal stories.
Additionally, starting July 1, United Airlines will add a selection of video podcast episodes from Chef’s Table: Talks to its inflight entertainment system. Hosted by David Gelb (creator and director of the Netflix series), the show features conversations with celebrities and chefs about the culinary memories that shaped their creative lives.
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