Finnair’s Culinary Ventures
Executive Chef Jaakko Sorsa
Executive Chef Steven Liu
Executive Chef Sasu Laukkonen
Finnair business flyers will be spoilt with culinary experiences by two new well known chefs.
Much lauded executive chefs Steven Liu from China and Sasu Laukkonen from Finland have joined
Chef Jaakko Sorsa to bring gourmet delights in the new business class Signature menu program.
Juha Järvinen, Finnair’s Chief Commercial Officer says these new partnerships bring the tastes and flavours of East and West directly to the business class experience.
“We are also excited to launch our very first collaboration with Steven Liu, a world-class chef from China. This partnership with Chef Steven Liu allows Finnair to offer a Nordic experience to our customers but with an eastern twist,” he says.
The Signature Menu by Steven Liu is served on Finnair’s long-haul flights departing Beijing and Shanghai. Other Chinese destinations will follow at a later date. Chef Steven’s menu titled “When East Meets West” integrates Western and Eastern flavours with a new and modern style.
Steven Liu is well known in culinary circles in Asia and Europe.
His dishes have been served at The Savoy and The Dorchester in London as well as in the “Le Cordon Bleu” network.
He is the Culinary Ambassador of Le Cordon Bleu in Greater China, Culinary Director of the Top Chefs Challenge Reality Show on CCTV-2, Culinary Judge of Master Chef China on Dragon TV and Master Chef Celebrity China on Jiangsu Broadcasting Corporation.
Well known Finnish chef Sasu Laukkonen brings the best of Nordic cuisine to long-haul business class customers flying out of Helsinki.
Chef Sasu Laukkonen’s cuisine is ambitious, pure in taste and close to his Nordic roots.
His background includes more than 15 years in the cuisine business and he is currently the Chef/Partner for Chef & Sommelier, a Helsinki restaurant he opened in October 2010.
Laukkonen’s restaurant, which has been awarded one Michelin star every year since 2014, offers a hand-made cuisine experience in a relaxed atmosphere and focuses on organic and wild produce as well as natural and fair-trade ingredients.
In addition to the new Signature Menus, Finnair will introduce organic Jymy ice cream from Finland in business class for all its long-haul flights departing Helsinki. Jymy has fast become one of Finland’s breakout companies in the food industry in recent years, using only organic milk, berries and ingredients in its ice cream.
The company’s factory is located in the town of Aura, Western Finland, and is situated only a few kilometers away from the organic dairy farm which produces the milk used in its products.
Maarit Keränen, Head of Finnairt’s In-flight Service, says the importance of high-quality meals in conjunction with the overall passenger experience on flights cannot be overstated.
“When selecting these new partnerships, it was important for us to listen to our customer feedback and to stay true to our principles of quality, creativity and freshness,”she says.
Finnair began its Signature Menu cooperation program in 2013 and has worked with top Finnish chefs in creating a series of signature menus for Finnair’s long-haul flights. Last February, Finnair unveiled its latest signature dishes in cooperation with Executive Chef Jaakko Sorsa for the Hong Kong-Helsinki business class service.
About Finnair
Finnair flies between Asia, Europe and North America with an emphasis on fast connections via Helsinki, carrying more than ten million passengers annually and connecting 17 cities in Asia with more than 60 destinations in Europe.
The airline, a pioneer in sustainable flying, is the European launch customer of the next-generation, eco-smart Airbus A350 XWB aircraft. 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 six 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.
