Isle chefs’ creations cater to first-class passengers

First-class passengers flying to the mainland on Hawaiian Airlines will get to enjoy meals created by some of Hawaii’s best-known chefs.

The Featured Chef Series, launched Monday, gives travelers a taste of Hawaii through chefs Jon Matsubara of Japengo, Lee Anne Wong of Koko Head Cafe, Wade Ueoka of MW Restaurant, Andrew Le of The Pig and The Lady, and Sheldon Simeon of Mala Wailea and Migrant.

The chefs will work on a six-month rotation, with Matsubara kicking it off. Chef Chai Chaowasaree of Chef Chai offers menus on returning flights.

"We’re really glad that we have the opportunity to bring in a lot more diversity into our menu program by pairing up new and upcoming chefs from around Hawaii," said Renee Awana, Hawaiian Airlines’ senior director of product development. She said the program was developed to help showcase Hawaii and its local businesses.

Chaowasaree, Hawaiian Airlines’ executive chef, has been creating meals for the company’s first-class passengers since 2010. He worked with the airlines to select the new chefs and will oversee their menus as well as continue creating his own menus.

"I love the idea of bringing a different guest chef to come join us because I (can) only cook a chicken 36 different ways," Chaowasaree said.

"The chef that we choose for you — Jon Matsubara, Andrew Le — it’s more upcoming chefs, young. They bring fresh ideas, another dimension."

Matsubara’s menus, which will continue through Nov. 30, feature a brunch consisting of a pineapple coconut muffin, fresh fruit with lilikoi mascarpone and a loco moco with beef patty, mushroom gravy, rice and scrambled eggs.

Travelers on flights during lunch and dinner service will be served appetizers, a main course and dessert, with a vegetarian option also available. Wine pairings, selected by master sommelier Chuck Furuya, can be had for all meals.

Appetizer options include a chilled ramen salad with pipikaula, kamaboko, cucumber kim chee and a soy ginger vinaigrette, or a vegetarian dish of fresh mozzarella, plum tomato, watermelon and roasted beet with balsamic vinaigrette.

The main-course options are Maui red wine-braised short ribs with kalo mash, broccolini and baby carrot, or grilled huli huli-style marinated portobello mushroom, French green lentils and roasted tomato.

The dessert, Okinawan sweet potato haupia tart, is made by La Tour Cafe.

Matsubara also offers a menu for late-night eaters. Meat eaters can enjoy kalua chicken on Hawaiian sweet bread with coffee barbecue sauce and pineapple slaw, served with Maui onion soup with pipikaula. The vegetarian option: taro poke with seaweed, tomato, sesame, inamona and scallions.

Matsubara, who considers himself a "lifelong learner," said this experience has taught him a lot.

"I’ve never worked for the airlines before. The federal laws are different from the kitchen," said the Japengo chef.

Chaowasaree agreed, noting that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration imposes numerous rules and regulations on airline food. Eggs, for instance, must be pasteurized and therefore come to the chefs as liquid egg product. It’s the reason that Matsubara’s loco moco is served with scrambled eggs.

And then there’s the creative side of airline food, which also involves a shift in perspective.

Matsubara said airline chefs must consider how long food will hold up to conditions in the air, noting that food is cooked preflight and then reheated for about 20 minutes at 220 degrees. The situation requires chefs to deliver a dish "that will be able to heat up in that time and not wither and die."

"People can create any kind of menu, but to execute it up there you gotta be creative and figure out what can last," Matsubara said.

Another important factor to consider, say the chefs: People lose 20 percent to 30 percent of their tasting ability when flying thousands of feet in the air — meaning seasoning takes extra attention. Chaowasaree said spices and herbs work well in this case.

"So my loco moco gravy," Matsubara said, "gotta put a little bit more Matsubara in there … otherwise it’ll taste bland."