Chef John Besh cooks up an airline fare

Premium-class passengers on Lufthansa will get a taste of the 10/12 corridor this fall. For the first time, the airline is offering a selection of dishes inspired by an iconic regional American cuisine to its first- and business-class passengers departing from Germany to 83 intercontinental destinations. This ain’t your usual Coke and peanuts. Acclaimed Northshore Chef John Besh — the newest member of the airline’s award-winning Star Chef’s Program — is creating a menu featuring Creole- and Cajun-inspired dishes. His first-class menu will include Creole tuna with soy sauce and citrus fruit salad, Louisiana crawfish in gelee with lemon and tomato vinaigrette, king prawns with Creole remoulade or Cajun vegetable ragout. Business guests bound for the U.S. can sample his short ribs with mushrooms and macaroni and cheese. Besh is no stranger to cuisine at 30,000 feet. In 2007, he and other contenders on the Next Iron Chef competed to prepare the ultimate first-class meal in the Munich kitchens of Lufthansa’s catering arm. “I was intrigued by the subtle changes that make or break and in-flight meal,” Besh says. “I jumped at the chance to partner with Lufthansa.”