Chaignot's Tantalising In-Flight Menu

By YASMIN AHMAD ZUKIMAN LANGKAWI, Sept 26 (Bernama) -- The 34-year old Amandine Chaignot (picture), whose cuisine is featured in Malaysia Airlines' in-flight menu, never dreamt of becoming a chef. Her father was a scientist and her mother was a teacher, and she even took up chemistry during her college years, but a twist of fate took her to the culinary world. "At first it was difficult for my parents but they had faith in me, and after seeing all of my achievements they were both happy and supportive," said this Parisian. She is currently the chef at the restaurant of the prestigious Hôtel Raphaël in Paris and had acquired a world class experience working alongside renowned chefs throughout her career. Chaignot has honed her culinary skills under great names like Bernard Leprince at Maison Prunier, Alain Ducasse at Plaza Athénée, Eric Frechon at Hôtel Bristol, Yannick Alleno at Hôtel Meurice and Christopher Hache at Hôtel de Crillon. The airline's First and Business class passengers on its A380 Paris/Kuala Lumpur route can now look forward for an appetising French cuisine prepared by Chaignot - five starters, five main hot entrees and two desserts. CHAIGNOT'S MALAYSIAN TOUCH The French menu complements the traditional Malaysian menu options currently offered to premium flyers to enjoy the best of both French and Malaysian cuisines. After spending a week in Malaysia, Chaignot says she has discovered three local ingredients in which she intends to use to provide a Malaysian touch for her French offering. "I have seen the coconut milk being widely used here as well as the kaffir lime leaves and shrimp paste. I really appreciate what I find here and look forward to bring back some with me," she says. Some of the food that captured her heart are the local salad (kerabu), spring rolls and curry that she tasted while in Georgetown, Penang. "This is my first visit to Malaysia and all I can say is that it is a different country," she notes with a smile. The runner-up in the prestigious "Meilleurs ouvriers de France" culinary contest in 2007 says as the French people are a bit conservative on food, she has to ensure that her culture and tradition are not neglected when creating a new dish. Though passionate on traditional recipes, she likes to push the boundaries of the great classics and rejuvenate some dishes according to her own taste. "French people can easily detect differences in the taste if you put something unusual in the food, for example lime leaves. So I always keep to the basics. I keep my culture but I love to make my customers experience some new flavours," she says. THE FRENCH CONNECTION Chaignot, who has appeared as one of the judges for the French Masterchef show, says she is honoured to work with Malaysia Airlines. "I did not know much about Malaysian culture, I didn’t know much about in-flight operations but after a long talk with the team, I guess I have to work on it step-by-step," she says. To ensure the success of this initiative, Chaignot will work hand in hand with Malaysia Airlines Executive Chef Zahiddin Dris and Chef Michel Quissac, the Corporate Chef of Servair (the current in-flight caterer for Malaysia Airlines flights out of Paris) and members of the French culinary world. CHAIGNOT TO WORK WITH LOCAL CHEFS Meanwhile, Malaysia Airlines' In-Flight Operations head Shamshul Amree Salleh noted that the airline has taken Chaignot on board in its initiative to expand its in-flight menu by collaborating with celebrity chefs. "Previously we worked with some hotels and they created a menu for us to serve on board. "Then came the idea of collaborating with chefs from other destinations because they know best, they know the market, the taste and what the locals want rather than us dictating them," said Shamshul Amree during a recent media familiarisation trip with Malaysia Airlines to Langkawi. Nevertheless, if the food is cooked and prepared by someone well known, it is bound to attract more people to savour it. Shamshul Amree said the next step is to collaborate with a London chef, Richard Corrigan and Malaysia's own celebrity chef Zubir Md Zain or better known as Chef Zubir, one of the judges for Malaysian Masterchef. -- BERNAMA