When chefs from across the globe gather in one kitchen, you know something meaningful is underway. From 19 to 22 May 2025, Zurich became the hub of inflight dining innovation as gategroup proudly hosted a global culinary workshop for Singapore Airlines.
This wasn’t your average brainstorming session over lukewarm coffee. It was a hands-on, spice-filled gathering of culinary leaders from Asia Pacific, North-West Europe, and Central Europe, each bringing their regional expertise to the table. With gategroup’s global culinary experts in Chinese and Indian cuisines also present, the workshop delivered an impressive spread of ideas, flavor, and insight.
At the center of the action were Damien LeBihan, Singapore Airlines’ Director of Food & Beverage, and Lippen Kuang, Catering Manager. Both were actively involved, contributing to discussions, tasting sessions, and helping align expectations with execution. Their presence throughout the event set the tone for collaboration and elevated the value of every conversation around the kitchen.
The main focus? Developing and standardising Chinese and Indian special meals for all cabin classes. These dishes, including the widely requested Vegetarian Indian Meal (AVML) and Vegetarian Oriental Meal (VOML), are consistently among the most ordered special meals by passengers. With that in mind, the teams worked on crafting full menu cycles that strike the right balance between authenticity, quality, and feasibility.
To ensure the success of these menus across global locations, the workshop also tackled a major operational challenge: sourcing. How do you preserve authentic taste profiles when ingredients vary from region to region? The answer was a collective effort to identify practical sourcing solutions that maintain flavor integrity while remaining locally accessible and compliant with product specifications.
Beyond menu creation and logistics, the workshop offered a platform for learning. Chefs and specialists exchanged techniques, learned from one another, and gained valuable insights that will directly enhance culinary execution across the network.
Ai Jia Lim, gategroup’s Commercial Director for Southeast Asian Carriers, summed it up well:
“This initiative not only promotes consistency and quality throughout gategroup’s network, but also reflects our proactive approach to innovation, cultural authenticity, and customer satisfaction. The success of this Zurich workshop marks another milestone in our partnership with Singapore Airlines.”
Looking ahead, gategroup remains committed to identifying new opportunities that strengthen its relationship with Singapore Airlines and bring added value to passengers around the world. The Zurich workshop was a clear example of what can be achieved when shared goals, cultural understanding, and culinary passion come together.
About gategroup
gategroup is the global leader in airline catering, retail-on-board and hospitality products and services. gategroup provides passengers with superior culinary and retail experiences, leveraging innovation and advanced technology solutions. Headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, gategroup delivers operational excellence through the most extensive catering network in the aviation industry, serving passengers from over 200 operating units in over 60 countries/territories across all continents. For further information, please visit: www.gategroup.com
