All Nippon Airways adds three new world-class chefs and an international cuisine collaboration menu to its “THE CONNOISSEURS” in-flight menu

• New additions with backgrounds in French and Japanese cuisine will bring the number of participating chefs to 19.
• Dating back to 2013, THE CONNOISSEURS offers award winning chefs the opportunity to create original in-flight menus.
• ANA will also collaborate with chefs in Mexico City and Seattle to launch distinct regional menus for flights departing from those cities.

TOKYO, JAPAN, 2019-Nov-27 — /Travel PR News/ — All Nippon Airways (ANA), Japan’s largest 5-Star airline for seven consecutive years, today (Nov. 26, 2019) announced it will be adding three new world-class chefs and an international cuisine collaboration menu to its long-running THE CONNOISSEURS in-flight menu. 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 distinct 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. “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.”

THE CONNOISSEURS create 5-star cuisine for passengers on board international and domestic flights. Since its launch by ANA in 2013, THE CONNOISSEURS program has been highly praised by passengers and culinary enthusiasts both in Japan and internationally. The new additions bring the total number of participating chefs and beverage experts to 19, representing leading culinary figures from across the world. Passengers will be able to enjoy a truly distinct and authentic dining experience featuring in-flight meals inspired by the unique culinary backgrounds of THE CONNOISSEURS themselves.

1) New THE CONNOISSEURS partners from December 2019

Michel and Sébastien Bras – BRAS TOYA MICHEL & SÉBASTIEN BRAS

From March to May 2020, First Class passengers departing from Japan to North America and Europe will get to experience the culinary innovation of Michel and Sébastien Bras. The father and son team bring masterful 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 2-star restaurant in the Michelin Guide Hokkaido 2017 Special Edition. Michel and Sébastien 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.

Hideki Takayama – MAISON DE TAKA

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 Mr. 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.

2）Collaboration with Local Chefs for Mexico City and Seattle Routes

Yasuo Asai – ASAI Kaiseki Cuisine

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, Mr. Yasuo Asai from June to August 2020. His full menu for ANA will be announced on ANA’s website in May 2020.

Shiro Kashiba – SUSHI KASHIBA

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’s cuisine is a testament to the seamless marriage of innovation and tradition. 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 Mr. 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.

By applying the best aspects of various international culinary traditions and connecting cultures, members of THE CONNOISSEURS program reflect ANA’s core values. ANA is dedicated to partnering with leading chefs to ensure that the in-flight dining experience is as pleasurable as possible.

About ANA

Following the “Inspiration of Japan” high quality of service, ANA has been awarded the respected 5-Star rating every year since 2013 from SKYTRAX. ANA is the only Japanese airline to win this prestigious designation seven years in a row. Additionally, ANA has been recognized by Air Transport World as “Airline of the Year” three times in the past 10 years – 2007, 2013 and 2018, becoming one of the few airlines winning this prestigious award for multiple times.

ANA was founded in 1952 with two helicopters and has become the largest airline in Japan, as well as one of the most significant airlines in Asia, operating 82 international routes and 118 domestic routes. ANA offers a unique dual hub model which enables passengers to travel to Tokyo and connect through the two airports in the metropolitan Tokyo, NARITA and HANEDA, to various destinations throughout Japan, and also offers same day connections between various North American, Asian and Chinese cities.

ANA has been a member of Star Alliance since 1999 and has joint venture partnerships with United Airlines, Lufthansa German Airlines, Swiss International Airlines and Austrian Airlines.

Besides the full service and award winner carrier ANA, the ANA Group has two LCCs as consolidated subsidiaries, Vanilla Air Inc. and Peach Aviation Limited. The ANA Group carried 54.4 million passengers in FY2018, has approximately 43,000 employees and a fleet of 260 aircraft. ANA is a proud launch customer and the biggest operator of the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

For more information, please refer to the following link.
https://www.ana.co.jp/group/en/

Contact:

ANA Corporate Communications
TEL +81-3-6735-1111
publicrelations@ana.co.jp

Source: All Nippon Airways

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