Photos provided by Alaska Airlines.
Alaska Airlines is set to redefine its First Class dining experience with the launch of an exciting chef partnership starting this month. The collaboration with Brandon Jew, an acclaimed chef and owner of San Francisco’s Michelin-starred Mister Jiu’s restaurant, will bring an exclusive menu to our guests seated in First Class between San Francisco International Airport (SFO) and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK).*
Starting Aug. 14, guests will be able to preorder from the special menu, which features a series of Chef Jew’s signature dishes, including his take on the classic Chinese breakfast porridge known as congee, black cod cooked to perfection with a side of silken tofu and tender slow-braised duck served with savory sesame egg noodles.
We’re using the same high-quality poultry from Liberty Farms in Sonoma County that is featured at Mister Jiu’s as their trademark Peking Style Whole Roast Duck, as well as other Michelin rated restaurants around the world. Each First Class dish was exquisitely crafted by Chef Jew, who is known for blending local and seasonal produce from the San Francisco Bay Area with classic Chinese techniques and flavors. The results are exquisite dishes that are both nostalgic and creative.
This collaboration continues our momentum of elevating our already premium First Class dining experience. At Alaska, our long history of partnerships with strong West Coast brands, including Salt & Straw, Ellenos, Beecher’s Handmade Cheese and Stumptown, allows us to serve our guests the best of the region’s flavors and local ingredients.
We’re grateful to Chef Jew for his partnership in this exciting initiative and ongoing commitment to elevate the travel experience for our guests with sky-high hospitality and world-class cuisine,” said Todd Traynor-Corey, managing director of guest products at Alaska Airlines. “Our relationship with Chef Jew traces back several years ago, including working together to give back to the residents of San Francisco’s Chinatown. His commitment to quality, gastronomic craftsmanship and philanthropy aligns perfectly with our values.”
We’re making Chef Jew’s dishes, inspired by his Cantonese heritage and vibrant San Francisco food scene, available to our First Class guests between SFO and JFK starting on Aug. 28*. The partnership will run for at least one year with seasonal rotations.
Through this partnership and in support of Chef Jew’s charitable efforts to the community, we are donating $5,000 to Gum Moon Women’s Residence, a local non-profit that was established to address the unmet needs of women and children in geographic and social transition.
I’m so excited to partner with Alaska Airlines on their First Class flight menu, connecting my hometown of San Francisco with New York, a city where I’ve always dreamed of living in,” said Chef Brandon Jew. “Luxury begins with quality ingredients, which underscores our shared values. At Mister Jiu’s we are always evolving and defining Chinese American cuisine in the Bay Area while advocating for the global recognition of Chinese food — the partnership with Alaska Airlines elevates Chinese cuisine from coast to coast.”
Chef Jew recently maintained a Michelin star for his restaurant, located in the heart of San Francisco’s Chinatown, for a seventh year in a row. As the executive chef and owner of contemporary Chinese American restaurant Mister Jiu’s and Mamahuhu, Chef Jew combines local, seasonal and organic bounty of the San Francisco Bay Area with classic Chinese techniques and flavors. His training spans from Bologna, Italy to Shanghai, China and many restaurants within the Bay Area.
All our guests, no matter where they sit, can enjoy a premium culinary experience when traveling on Alaska. Fueled by our industry leading pre-order program, our inflight menu continues to offer more choices than any other U.S. airline. We recently added hot meals made with fresh and locally sourced ingredients to our Main Cabin menu on flights over 1,100* miles. Guests can now choose from up to five chef-curated dishes, including at least one hot meal option. Along with our freshly prepared food offerings like our Signature Fruit & Cheese Platter, our hot meals are only available for pre-order purchase.
Full First Class Chef Brandon Jew Curated Menu
Route: SFO to JFK, JFK to SFO
Breakfast: Brown rice congee with soy cured eggs and braised pork belly. Served with a turnip cake, pickled cauliflower, hoisin and a hot chili sauce.
Route: SFO to JFK
Lunch/Dinner: Liberty Farms braised duck leg, sesame egg noodles and gai lan. Served with wood ear mushrooms, tofu skin and cucumbers.
Route: JFK to SFO
Lunch/Dinner: Roasted black cod topped with ginger-scallion sauce and silken tofu and mapo sauce, on top of a quinoa & farro blend with roasted shitake mushrooms.
*Hot meal options may not be available on some flights, including redeye flights or where catering is not available
All photos provided by American Airlines.
