How Daniel Boulud Makes Airline Food Taste Like France 

Lifestyle

Inside the chef’s approach to cooking for Air France at 30,000 feet.

A good trip begins at the airport. Perhaps that’s why the airport experience, and subsequently the flight itself, are prone to so many complaints. It’s a complicated undertaking to update and modernize an airport, but in the air, many airlines have been updating the experience, from new seating configurations to meal service. And it is the meal service, one could argue, that can truly transport you from your departing airport to the destination you’re en route to. 

Last fall, Daniel Boulud unveiled his latest in-flight menu for Air France, bringing his interpretation of classic French cuisine to travelers flying between the United States and Paris. One of America’s most influential chefs, Boulud grew up on a farm outside Lyon and trained in Europe’s top kitchens as a teenager. For more than three decades, he has shaped how French cuisine is experienced worldwide. His newest New York restaurant, La Tête d’Or, was among 2025’s most talked-about openings and landed as one of the best restaurants of the year. 

Boulud is no stranger to cooking at altitude. He first partnered with Air France in 2016; the latest iteration of the collaboration was announced in July 2025 and has since rolled out across select transatlantic routes. On the inaugural flight last fall, the chef himself was onboard—greeting passengers at the boarding door and personally delivering meals to a lucky few seated in Business and Premium cabins. 

Creating food for the air, Boulud says, is a challenge he relishes. The process begins with roughly 60 conceptual dishes, which are gradually refined—first by his culinary team, then through the realities of sourcing, seasonality, and how flavors perform at 30,000 feet. The food must have what he calls “French DNA,” rooted in classical technique, from sauces to preparation methods, even if the dish itself is adapted for flight. And you might even discover that your in-flight meal is a riff on something from one of Boulud’s restaurants. 

Catering, of course, is its own discipline. “It’s the catering chefs who are preparing the dish,” Boulud explained. “And we work very closely with them.” The process involves weeks of collaboration—recreating dishes, photographing and tasting them, then traveling to catering kitchens to test them again. During seasonal menu changes, he often has dishes brought directly to his restaurants to streamline the process. 

On our flight, Boulud designed the meat dishes—Provençal-style chicken with potatoes, roasted fennel, and olives; and braised pork shoulder, mustard jus, mashed potatoes, kale and roast apples—while the fish and vegetarian options were created by Danielle Crenn. As of this year, Boulud oversees all four selections on the menu. His approach is deeply personal, inspired by the region he’s from and by techniques that translate well in the air.  

“Often what works very well is braised dishes,” he said. “Any stew or braise reheats beautifully, which matters when a dish is prepared, chilled, and reheated.” 

I chose the Provençal-style chicken, served with potatoes, roasted fennel, and olives, and paired with a Saint-Véran Rives de Longsault 2024 Chardonnay. The wine program on Air France is overseen by Xavier Thuizat, head sommelier at Hôtel de Crillon (one of the best-stocked wine cellars in France, with over 2,500 different wines). The service also included a roast beef fillet with mustard sauce to start, followed by a selection of cheeses and a simple salad. It was the kind of warm, grounding meal that makes long-haul travel feel, well, shorter. Once the plates were cleared, I closed my cabin door and eased into sleep on the lie-flat bed, topped with the Sofitel MY BED mattress pad now featured in Business Class. 

On the ground, you may have to wait for a reservation at a Boulud restaurant. In the air, his cooking is part of the journey—and Paris arrives sooner than expected.