Air France has entrusted its entire La Premiére menu to the triple Michelin-starred French Chef Arnaud Donckele. His menu has been created especially for guests traveling in the airline’s most exclusive cabin and will be available from July to October from Paris-CDG.
On Thursday (July 1st, 2021), Air France announced that for the first time, they have entrusted their entire La Premiére menu to the triple Michelin-starred French chef Arnaud Donckele. The menu will be available for guests traveling in the airline’s most exclusive cabin on departure from Paris-Charles de Gaulle from July through October 2021. Chef Donckele partnered with Servair’s Culinary Studio creating an appetizer, a starter and seven main dishes for Air France, which will be revealed progressively over the next four months. The menu includes vegetarian, meat and fish dishes, where Arnaud Donckele mixes the subtle flavors of Provence, creating a mosaic of tastes and colors, inviting guests on a gourmet journey through the Mediterranean.
The partnership with chef Arnaud Donckele from Cheval Banc Saint-Tropez and Cheval Blanc Paris reaffirms Air France’s role as an ambassador for fine French dining around the world. La Premiére is a unique and tailored travel experience for Air France’s most discerning guests. Customers are first welcomed in a dedicated lounge which has been redesigned by the architect Didier Lefort, offering even greater privacy and comfort. Each La Premiére suite onboard Air France’s Boeing 777-300s feature a wide seat that transforms into a horizontal bed more than two meters long, providing optimum relaxation. Guests also enjoy Michelin-starred menus, carefully curated wine and champagne lists, a wide choice of entertainment on high definition screens and attentive hospitality and service.
Chef Arnaud Donckele was born in 1977 and is the grandson of a farmer and son of delicatessen owners who love gastronomy. Even today, his memories of the family vegetable garden in Normandy still shape his life as a chef and creative artist. Chef Donckele began his apprenticeship with Gourmand Prunier in Paris, which then enabled him to work in some of the finest kitchens including Michel Guérard’s Près d’Eugénie, Alain Ducasse’s Louis XV in Monaco, the Plaza Athénée and the Lasserre restaurant in Paris. At age 28, he started as a chef at Vague d’Or restaurant in Saint-Tropez. Chef Donckele then left his Norman roots behind and set off to discover Provence, where he continued exploring the rich heritage of the region.
In 2013, Arnaud Donckele was awarded three Michelin stars, making him one of the youngest chefs to receive the prestigious distinction. In 2016, Gault et Millau awarded him 5 toques and a score of 19/20, and then 19.5/20 in 2017. When Le Résidence became the Cheval Blanc St-Tropez in 2018, once again Chef Donckele showed his creativity and was named Gault et Millau’s ‘Chef of the Year in 2020. Finally, in 2021 he designed the entire La Premiére menu for Air France and took up residence in the kitchens of the gourmet restaurant at the famed Cheval Blanc Hotel in Paris.
Source: Air France