From Los Angeles to Tokyo, the Stars of Chef’s Table Are in the Kitchen With United Polaris
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In August 2026, United Airlines raised the bar on its Polaris international business-class meals, partnering with Netflix’s Chef’s Table series and chefs across 10 major gateway cities to introduce exclusive menus for Polaris business-class travelers.
“Rather than creating one menu for the entire network, we wanted to bring a sense of place onboard and give customers the opportunity to experience dishes inspired by some of the destinations they’re traveling to and from,” says Aaron McMillan, managing director of hospitality programs for United Airlines. McMillan notes that since launching the Chef’s Table menus on Aug. 1, customers have pre-ordered more than 60,000 Chef’s Table meals.
The lineup of chefs includes David Barzelay in San Francisco, Penelope Wong in Denver, Jenner Tomaska in Chicago and Manu Buffara in São Paulo. Each chef has created an appetizer, salad and entrée for flights departing from their home city. “For our Polaris customers, dining is an important part of the overall journey, and we want the experience to feel special — from the quality of the ingredients and flavors to the variety and presentation,” McMillan says.
From Los Angeles, James Beard Award-winning chef and author Nancy Silverton of Osteria Mozza serves classic Italian fare, like beef brasato so tender I didn’t need a knife, set on a garlicky bed of mashed potatoes with horseradish gremolata. On my flight from Los Angeles to Beijing as a guest of United Airlines, I also tried her famous burrata as an appetizer and a shaved Brussels sprouts salad. The meal outclassed the business-class meals I’ve had on other domestic airlines. Through Dec. 31, 2026, Silverton’s new menu includes a Mozza caprese salad with her signature burrata, followed by spiral meat lasagna with thick tomato and creamy taleggio sauce.
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I also recently tried chef Jenner Tomaska’s meal on a flight from Chicago to Paris. His restaurants, including Esmé, Petite Edith and The Alston, are some of my favorites in Chicago. At the restaurants, fish and meats are cooked à la minute and often finished with tableside sauces, but on the plane there is no live cooking and everything is simply reheated, creating constraints that forced Tomaska to get creative.
“A lot of thought goes into what ingredients will perform well under those circumstances,” he says. “I leaned heavily into sauce work and things that actually develop flavor over time.” For example, charred scallion vinaigrette, citrus and pine nuts were a bright accent for his chilled braised leek appetizer. “For the salad and appetizer courses, we used raw ingredients that have structure and can hold up without easily wilting or breaking down,” he says.
United tasked Tomaska with creating a fish main course, and he chose halibut, which he serves with sauce matelote, a savory French reduction of wine, fish stock and onions. “All the proteins need to be cooked through before they board the plane, so we focused on cooking them with a lot of aromatics and fat to help retain moisture,” he says. The dish is served over a bed of farro to soak up the sauce and garnished with smoked pearl onions and bacon lardons. As of Nov. 1, Tomaska’s new main course is a roasted chicken breast stuffed with chicken and mushroom mousseline, with morels, fava beans and burnt onion jus.
Chef’s Table collaboration meals are available for pre-order only, so watch for United’s emails and order in advance. Pre-ordering opens five days before departure and closes 24 hours before takeoff. Each chef partner also has a short biographical film running on flights where their meals are being served.
“Whether it’s the local ingredients they use, dishes inspired by their heritage or the communities they grew up in, each chef has a personal connection to the city they represent,” says Justin Connor, president of Chef’s Table Projects. “Storytelling is at the heart of Chef’s Table, and through United’s in-flight entertainment, we had the unique opportunity to share each chef’s story with travelers.”
Editor’s Note: United Airlines provided the writer’s flights, including the in-flight meals described here. The airline did not review or approve this article before publication.
