Premium passengers flying with Finnair are set to experience a new one-of-a-kind long-haul flights. To enhance its Signature Menu program, the airline has brought in Executive Chefs, Steven Liu and Sasu Laukkonen from China and Finland to cook up a storm in Business Class.
On flights departing from Beijing and Shanghai, passengers can now enjoy a Signature Menu titled ‘When East Meets West’, which combines Western and Eastern flavours with a modern twist. The new menu will be rolled out to other Chinese destinations at a later date. Steven Liu, who created the menu, has had a remarkable career in Asia and in Europe, where his dishes have been served at distinguished establishments such as The Savoy and The Dorchester in London.
Chef Steven has many accolades to his name – he is the Culinary Ambassador of Le Cordon Bleu in Greater China; Culinary Director of the Top Chefs Challenge Reality Show on CCTV-2; Culinary Judge of Master Chef China on Dragon TV and Master Chef Celebrity China on Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation.
Finnair already offers to faster route between Asia and Europe, making it a lead contender for flights between the two continents. Now, with these new menus, Finnair are stepping up their game even more.
In Helsinki, Finnair is offering a free stopover program to allow passengers to experience the sights, sounds and tastes of Finland. To further enhance its offering, the airline is also introducing the best of Nordic cuisine to its long haul flights from Helsinki. Business Class customers can now enjoy a new Signature Menu created by Chef Sasu Laukkonen, who creates dishes that are ambitious, pure in taste and close to his own Nordic roots.
Recognized by some of the world’s most prominent food critics, Sasu Laukkonen has over 15 years of experience in the culinary business and is currently the Chef/Partner for ‘Chef & Sommelier’, a Helsinki restaurant that has been awarded one Michelin star every year since 2014. The restaurant offers an artisan dining experience in a relaxed atmosphere, focusing on organic and wild produce, as well as natural and fair-trade ingredients.
“With these new partnerships, we will bring the tastes and flavors of East and West directly to our business class experience,” says Juha Järvinen, Chief Commercial Officer, Finnair.
“We are also excited to launch our very first collaboration with a world-class chef from China. This partnership with Chef Steven Liu allows Finnair to offer a Nordic experience to our customers but with an eastern twist.”
In addition to the new Signature Menus, Finnair’s Business Class customers will be offered a tub of organic ‘Jymy’ ice cream from Finland. The brand has fast become one of Finland’s most successful breakout companies in the food industry, using only organic milk, berries and ingredients in its ice cream. The company’s factory is located in the town of Aura, Western Finland, and is situated a stone’s throw away from the organic dairy farm which produces the milk used in its ice cream.
Finnair’s Head of In-Flight Service, Maarit Keränen, stresses the importance of high-quality meals in conjunction with the overall passenger experience; “When selecting these new partnerships, it was important for us to listen to our customer feedback and to stay true to our principles of quality, creativity and freshness.”
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