SWISS to serve starred Ticino cuisine aloft
SWISS will be taking its premium inflight guests on a culinary journey to sunny Southern Switzerland from 4 June onwards. For the latest chapter in the airline’s ‘SWISS Taste of Switzerland’ food and beverage program, starred Michelin chef Federico Palladino of the Cuntitt restaurant in Canton Ticino has concocted a range of exquisite meals for the SWISS First and SWISS Business cabins, including smoked trout with Sbrinz panna cotta, lamb loin with potato mantecata and shortcrust tartlet with pistachio cream.
Swiss International Air Lines (SWISS) is taking its premium travelers on long-haul flights from Switzerland on a culinary adventure to the south of its home country for the next three months. From Wednesday 4 June onwards, SWISS First and SWISS Business guests will be offered exclusive meal creations from Canton Ticino in the latest iteration of the airline’s ‘SWISS Taste of Switzerland’ inflight food and beverage program.
The new SWISS inflight meals have been concocted by Federico Palladino, chef de cuisine at the Cuntitt restaurant in picturesque Castel San Pietro. Palladino has been running his osteria in Ticino’s Mendrisiotto region since 2020, treating his guests to his gastronomic delights amid the local vineyards and ancient stone walls. His dining creations blend the sophistication of haute cuisine with all the warmth of Italian cooking – a recipe that has already earned him and his restaurant 16 GaultMillau points and a Michelin star.
“We’re delighted to welcome Ticino back on board as our guest canton,” says SWISS Chief Commercial Officer Heike Birlenbach. “Federico’s meals are wonderfully suited to the start of the summer season: they bring the sun to the table, and capture all the aromas of Switzerland’s sunny south.”
“I am honored to represent Ticino and its cuisine aboard SWISS’s flights,” Federico Palladino adds. “And I hope our passengers enjoy my creations as much as I have enjoyed devising and developing them. After all, travel and enjoyment go firmly hand in hand.”
Yuzu pikeperch, veal filet and fior di latte ice cream
SWISS First travelers will enjoy a choice of starters that include smoked trout with Sbrinz panna cotta and farina bóna crumble or carrot and ginger soup with confit langoustine, prawn cracker and lemongrass oil. For their main course they can opt for lamb loin glazed with black garlic served with potato mantecata and sautéed bell peppers or pikeperch with yuzu sauce accompanied by pan-fried polenta and green beans. The SWISS First selection is sweetly rounded off with coffee mousse with salted caramel sauce, cocoa crumble and fior di latte ice cream.
SWISS Business guests can start their Ticinese inflight dining with a first course of slow-cooked beef with mustard vinaigrette, radish and Grana Padano. Their main course options include veal filet with Parmesan crust and saffron cream sauce accompanied by semolina and green asparagus or barbecue-glazed chicken breast with jus, potato gratin and spinach. The SWISS Business dessert offering is a shortcrust tartlet with pistachio cream and raspberry gel.
Travelers in Premium Economy Class can also look forward to a three-course meal inspired by Canton Ticino. Their choice of main course includes a chicken piccata with saffron risotto and tomato ragout, while their inflight dining is rounded off with Gottardo and Tremola Mutschli cheese and a torta della nonna served with strawberry compote and mascarpone mousse.
Culinary delights aloft together with gategourmet
For some 22 years now, SWISS has been taking its customers on a journey of gastronomic discovery through its home country’s various regions under its ‘SWISS Taste of Switzerland’ inflight culinary program. Every three months, in collaboration with catering partner gategourmet, a new top chef is invited to create a varied selection of quality dishes from their ‘home’ canton to be served aboard SWISS’s long-haul flights from Switzerland. The meal creations are also accompanied by wines and cheeses from the region concerned.
As the prime supplier of SWISS’s inflight food and beverage product, gategourmet ensures that all these meal creations arrive on board in the finest possible quality. gategourmet is a subsidiary of gategroup, the world’s leading provider of airline catering and inflight sales products.