Etihad Airways seeks chefs for ‘five-star restaurants in the sky’

By Lorraine Heller

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags United arab emirates

Etihad is looking to recruit 100 chefs from the UK and abroad
Etihad is looking to recruit 100 chefs from the UK and abroad
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, is inviting UK chefs to join its cabin crew teams as it prepares to launch a new in-flight dining service for its first class passengers.

The airline will be launching its new dining programme in October this year on selected routes, and by the end of the year plans to roll it out across all first class flights.

Currently in the first stages of a recruitment process, Etihad plans to build a team of 100 international chefs who will work with corporate executive chef Thomas Ulherr to deliver a “five-star restaurant style of service in the sky”.

Chef training

Etihad says this initiative differs from efforts of other airlines to develop their in-flight catering as all chefs recruited will need to have formal chef training and qualifications, as well as experience working in kitchens.

“By putting experts in charge we’ll be ensuring that the food served to our guests is as good as it can be. We want to be able to personalise dishes according to a guest’s preferences, and to add finishing touches that only a professional chef will know how to deliver,” said Lee Shave, VP of guest experience at Etihad.

Menu and preparation

The new dining programme, he said, will allow Etihad to be more adventurous in its menu offering as chefs will be able to improvise using ingredients available on board. In addition, a key driver for the move is that it will allow for more fresh ingredients to be incorporated in the menu, said Shave.

The menu design has yet to be finalised, but to start with meals would be prepared according to the limitations of in-flight food preparation so with there will be no on-board cooking in the first instance, said Shave.

However, the airline is currently exploring avenues to further develop the in-flight dining programme, and is considering a variety of options such as fast induction ovens.

Chef recruitment

After three weeks of recruitment, Etihad has already signed on 30 chefs and is now looking for another 70.

All chefs will follow a five-week cabin crew training course, followed by a two-week chef programme.

“The chefs will of course be bringing their expertise on board but they also have to be part of the cabin crew team. They will not only be involved in food preparation and food plating, but also in the service in our first class cabin, so they need rounded training and also need to form part of the team that ensures the safety and security of our guests,” said Shave.

However, Etihad also plans to offer the new team of chefs a variety of other opportunities within the group. For example, if they wanted to spend several months on the ground they would have the option to work within the catering team on menu design, or within the airport restaurant in the airline’s first class lounge.

More information on the role and its requirements is available here.

For more chef jobs, see BigHospitality Jobs.

Related news

Follow us

Hospitality Guides

View more

Generation Next