United and Trotter-affiliated chefs cook up flavorful new menu options. The company will also be the official airline of The Trotter Project.
CHICAGO – United Airlines and The Trotter Project are joining together to boost travelers’ in-flight dining experience, with alumni chefs of Charlie Trotter‘s legendary Chicago restaurant and their culinary peers working with the airline to design new premium-cabin and United Economy meals.
United will also be the official airline of The Trotter Project, a nonprofit organization committed to continuing Chef Trotter’s legacy through mentoring and internship programs for youth interested in the culinary arts.
“Our partnership with The Trotter Project is an excellent addition to the investment we are making in products and services for our customers, from booking until they reach their final destinations,” said Sandra Pineau-Boddison, United’s senior vice president of customers. “By pairing our team of chefs with those affiliated with The Trotter Project, we will continue to offer our customers innovative dining options.”
“Our relationship with United is a natural fit, given Chef Charlie Trotter’s history as one of its celebrity chefs,” said Derrek Hull, executive director of The Trotter Project. “Through this exciting, new partnership, his alumni and culinary supporters will continue that spirit of service and excellence. We look forward to further elevating the in-flight dining experience for United’s customers and providing more opportunities to the next generation of great culinary talent.”
United and The Trotter Project hosted their first menu-development workshop in March, with United’s team of chefs joining the following Trotter alumni and culinary supporters of the organization:
- Richie Farina, former executive chef at Chicago’s Michelin-starred Moto Restaurant and contestant on reality show “Top Chef”;
- Della Gossett of Spago Beverly Hills;
- David LeFevre of Manhattan Beach Post and Fishing with Dynamite restaurants, in Manhattan Beach, California;
- Mitchell Nordby, sous chef at Parallel 37 at The Ritz Carlton, San Francisco;
- Christian Ramos of Virginia’s, a new restaurant in New York City’s East Village neighborhood, and formerly of New York’s Per Se restaurant;
- Priscila Satkoff of Chicago’s Salpicon restaurant and a Chicago Chefs Hall of Fame inductee;
- Michael Taus, vice president of The Trotter Project and owner of Chicago restaurant Taus Authentic; and
- Guillermo Tellez-Cruz, Charlie Trotter’s chef de cuisine and executive chef at Flora’s Field Kitchen in Los Cabos, Mexico.
During the workshop, the chefs developed new menu ideas for United BusinessFirst customers on the airline’s p.s. Premium Service and for United’s economy-cabin Choice Menu Bistro on Board. Customers may get a taste of the new meals in the coming months.
United and Trotter-affiliated chefs plan to team up again later this year, as they continue to redesign customers’ onboard culinary experience.
The new collaboration between the airline and the nonprofit organization will receive advertising support from Conde Nast Traveler, the official media partner of The Trotter Project. Conde Nast Traveler is also producing a short film documenting the partnership from kitchen to cabin, which customers will be able to view on United flights worldwide.
Photo caption: Members of United Airlines’ team of chefs join alumni of Chef Charlie Trotter’s eponymous Chicago restaurant and other culinary supporters, including Chef Trotter’s brother, Scott Trotter (back row center), during a March 2015 workshop. United is collaborating with The Trotter Project to design new premium-cabin and United Economy meals.
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