Mediterranean cuisine for Lufthansa passengers

The legendary five-star "Hotel Elephant" on Weimar's market square is just a stone's throw away from the historic Anna Amalia Library, which was recently reopened. Since 2000, starstudded Italian chef Marcello Fabbri has been Directeur de Cuisine at the hotel's own gourmet restaurant, treating guests to outstanding culinary experiences.

For two months, from 1 March, First and Business Class passengers on long-haul Lufthansa flights from Germany will also have an opportunity to savour Marcello Fabbri's light, Mediterranean cuisine.

Among the dishes offered in First Class is a goat cheese terrine with marinated bell pepper served with Taggiasca olives served as an hors d’oeuvre, which may be followed by loup de mer filled with arugula, served with baked tomatoes and mashed potatoes with olives.

The dishes served in Business Class also promise to delight even the most discerning palates. The menu includes smoked brook trout with fennel orange salad and Meaux mustard sauce as a starter, followed by olive-crusted saddle of lamb with ratatouille and potato gratin. Marcello Fabbri was born in Rimini in 1970.

From 1984 to 1987 he served his apprenticeship at the State School for Chefs in his home town in Italy. He subsequently worked as Chef de Partie in the Hotel des Alpes in Madonna di Campiglio and under the renowned chef Gualtiero Marchesi in Milan. Fabbri's philosophy is succinct and very Italian: "Life is bitter enough. So espresso must at least be sweet!"

As far as possible, Fabbri only uses local products, and sources his ingredients for the most part from growers and manufacturers within Thuringia. At the same time, his outstanding cuisine is influenced by the Mediterranean traditions of his homeland.

That is the secret of the success of this quintessential Italian, as proven by his awards to date: Gault Millau awarded Fabbri's cuisine 17 points, while Michelin granted him one star and the German gourmet magazine "Der Feinschmecker" judged his restaurant to be one of the best in Germany. Over the next two months, the menus specially created by Marcello Fabbri will be served about 285,000 times in First and Business Class.

The Lufthansa Star Chef programme

Since January 2000, Lufthansa has taken its First and Business Class passengers to new culinary heights. Imaginative menus, created by top chefs from all over the world, make a Lufthansa flight a truly heavenly experience.

To date, such international celebrities as Harald Wohlfahrt (Baiersbronn), Dieter Müller (Bergisch Gladbach), Frank Zlomke (Paarl, South Africa), Daniel Boulud (New York) and Paul Bocuse (Lyon) have been engaged as Lufthansa "Star Chefs". In addition, since the beginning of 2005, internationally renowned chefs have created special menus on selected long-haul routes from Germany to reflect the culinary tastes and traditions of the respective destination.