ZURICH Glattbrugg, Sept. 7, 2021 – On Sept. 1, innovative culinary concept Tasting HEIMAT took to the air for the first time. Developed by gategroup for Lufthansa’s European Business Class flights, Tasting HEIMAT invites passengers on a culinary journey through Germany. With diverse, regularly changing menus created exclusively for Lufthansa by the gategroup culinary team, Tasting HEIMAT offers business class travelers an innovative take on traditional German cuisine.
To create the menus, gategroup worked closely in partnership with star chefs Julia Komp and Dennis Puchert to express the essence of Munich, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Berlin, Düsseldorf and Leipzig in gastronomic form. Featuring modern takes on German classics, Tasting Heimat offers explorations such as a shrimp salad with a beetroot and potato terrine inspired by Hamburg's sea breeze, Frankfurter Grie Soß (green sauce) served with young kale, poached egg and Macaire potatoes, and Leipziger Allerlei interpreted as a chicken salad with celeriac, juniper and black walnuts.
“Working with Lufthansa on the Tasting HEIMAT project has been inspirational – truly showing what can be done when we work together as partners,” said Christoph Brandstätter, regional executive chef for Central and Eastern Europe. “This collaboration between gategroup, Julia Komp and Dennis Puchert and Lufthansa has created a selection of menus we can all be proud of.”
As Lufthansa’s trusted culinary partner, gategroup was responsible for far more than just providing the food. From concept to completion, gategroup’s culinary and logistical experts worked closely with Lufthansa to craft a gastronomic concept that was distinctive, innovative, sustainable, and of course, very enjoyable to eat.
For Lufthansa, the sustainability of the menu needed to be more than just reducing waste. By drawing on gategroup’s broad expertise and the specialized resources of group member deSter, Tasting HEIMAT raises the bar for sustainable onboard dining. The menus were created to incur minimal CO2 emissions, with most of the ingredients sourced from local farmers in the regions around Frankfurt and Munich and processed locally before being prepared fresh daily.
The care for sustainability doesn’t end with the ingredients, of course. All Tasting HEIMAT packaging and serviceware has been created by deSter to use no disposable plastics, except for those required for hygiene which are made from recycled PET, and all paper products are made of either PaperWise FSC certified/recycled paper to ensure that they are as sustainable and ecologically friendly as possible.
