SWISS takes off with the Swiss National Culinary Team

“SWISS Taste of Switzerland”, SWISS’s innovative inflight culinary concept, is offering passengers a special winter treat: for the next three months, the Swiss specialities served aboard SWISS flights will be the creation of not one top chef but the entire Swiss National Culinary Team. “SWISS Taste of Switzerland” has already garnered several distinctions; and last month SWISS earned the Pax International Readership Award for the “excellent catering” offered on its European flights.

From today onwards and for the next three months, SWISS’s First and Business Class passengers travelling long-haul from Switzerland (and on selected long-haul routes to Switzerland) and Business Class travellers on SWISS’s longer European services from Switzerland will enjoy culinary delicacies created by the 2003-2006 Swiss National Culinary Team. The team, which consists of five top chefs and captain Stephan Marolf, chef de cuisine at the Thun Hotel School, has already won gold medals in numerous international competitions for their imaginative, innovative and contemporary culinary creations.

With the latest “SWISS Taste of Switzerland” offering, Swiss Business long-haul passengers will sample the likes of duet of venison and turkey wrapped in air-dried beef on pear and quince chutney, accompanied by sauerkraut salad with saffron followed, as a main course, by the Canton Grisons speciality of vegetable capuns: spaetzle wrapped in chard on Mornay sauce, accompanied by beans, vegetables and tofu. First Class customers will enjoy dishes such as chicken breast filled with cheese fondue balsamic glaze with a leek, lentil and sweet potato compote, with a dessert of Toblerone chocolate mousse symphony with Bündner Röteli (a dried cherry liqueur sauce). All served, of course, with selected top Swiss wines.

SWISS launched its “SWISS Taste of Switzerland” inflight catering concept back in 2002. And last month the airline earned the Pax International Readership Award for “Outstanding Meal Service on a Carrier” offered on its European flights. Pax International, a leading travel catering magazine, had conducted a year-long poll inviting catering specialists to nominate their favourites in various categories before bestowing its distinctions. SWISS also won the 2003 Silver Mercury Award of the International Flight Catering Association for the quality of its inflight foodservice product.

The SWISS Taste of Switzerland inflight catering concept showcases the regions of Switzerland, their varied cuisines and their local products. The programme has already featured specialities from the cantons of Appenzell, Grisons, Thurgau, Vaud, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, Valais, Geneva, Zurich, St. Gallen, Bern, Basel and Ticino.