Finnair and leading Finnish restaurants to offer culinary delights

(Warsaw 13.11.2014) Finnair is launching cooperation with the leading Finnish restaurants Nokka, G.W. Sundmans, Savoy and Fishmarket. Their chefs, Matti Jämsén from G.W. Sundmans, Ari Ruoho from Nokka and Kari Aihinen from Savoy, have designed Signature Menus that will be available in Business class on long-haul flights from Helsinki from the end of January 2015.

As part of the cooperation, Finnair will also offer special menus for Christmas and to celebrate the arrival of the new Airbus A350 aircraft next year. 

The cornerstones of the Signature Menus are the best seasonal ingredients, the chefs’ inspiration, and experimentation with bold flavour combinations. The cooperation will run from the end of January 2015 to spring 2016. The menus will be rotated at approximately three-month intervals.

“We have received very positive feedback from customers regarding our previous cooperation with top Finnish chefs, and we want to continue to offer delightful culinary experiences to our customers”, says Maarit Keränen, Head of Service Concept at Finnair.

“All of the restaurants participating in this cooperation are part of Royal Restaurants, and each of the Signature Menus reflects the unique and recognisable style of the chefs behind them”, explains Mia Saari, Restaurateur, Royal Restaurants.

The first of the Signature Menus is designed by Matti Jämsén, Executive Head Chef at G.W. Sundmans.  The wintry meal consists of delicacies such as whitefish, glazed pork cheek and cod. Jämsén is Finland’s representative in Bocuse d’Or, the most highly respected cooking competition in the world, with the final to be held in Lyon on 27–28 January 2015.

The Signature Menu by Kari Aihinen, Executive Chef de Cuisine of Savoy, is inspired by summer, the Savoy roof garden, and bees. The menu, which will be served in spring 2015, includes ingredients such as asparagus, salad made from new potatoes, honey as a condiment, and grilled corn-fed chicken breast.

The autumnal menu designed by Ari Ruoho, Head Chef at Nokka, draws its inspiration from the harvest season and includes Jerusalem artichoke, northern pike eggs and pumpkin soup.

In winter 2016, it will be the turn of Fishmarket’s Signature Menu, which, as one might expect, has a firm focus on fish.

The cooperation between Finnair and Royal Restaurants will also be visible on other Finnair flights. In Economy class on long-haul routes, Finnair will offer Finnish home meals designed by the chefs, such as minced meat and macaroni casserole, as well as lamb meatballs. The starters and main courses of Business class meals on European routes have also been influenced by the Signature Menus.

The Signature Menus will be complemented by a selection of wines specifically paired with them. The meals will be prepared by Finnair’s catering partner LSG Sky Chefs.

Images of chefs and menus:

https://gallery.finnair.com/section/images/cabin_service/signature_menus_2015/

Further information:

Finnair Media Desk, +358 9 818 4020, comms(a)finnair.com
Finnair Gallery: http://gallery.finnair.com
Finnair on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Finnair
Finnair blogs: http://blogs.finnair.com
Finnair on Facebook: www.facebook.com/finnair
Finnair Group website: www.finnairgroup.com



Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than nine million passengers annually and connecting 15 cities in Asia with more than 60 destinations in Europe. The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, will be the European launch customer of the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft and is the first airline listed in the Leadership Index of the worldwide Carbon Disclosure Project. The only Nordic carrier with a 4-star Skytrax ranking, Finnair has also won the World Airline Award for Best Airline Northern Europe for the past five years running. Finnair is a member of oneworld, the alliance of the world's leading airlines committed to providing the highest level of service and convenience to frequent international travellers.