Delta Airlines Introduce Southern-Inspired Meals Curated By A Black Woman Chef

Chef Mashama Bailey is the winner of the 2022 James Beard Foundation’s “Outstanding American Chef” award. She also serves as the Co-Founder and Executive Chef at an award-winning restaurant, The Grey, located in Savannah, Georgia. 

“At The Grey, we work to keep Southern, African-American food alive and well by melding those rich flavors with new techniques and cuisines from around the world. The menu for Delta customers takes local, in-season ingredients from the Low Country to new heights,” says Chef Bailey.

Meals curated by the chef will be served for lunch and dinner on domestic First Class flights departing from Atlanta. There will also be an option for International Delta One travelers departing from Atlanta to pre-select menu items curated by Chef Bailey before their flight.

When asked about the partnership, the award-winning chef reveals, “It’s an honor to partner with Delta to bring the foods I grew up on in my mother and grandmother’s kitchen to the skies.” 

Travelers can indulge in Chef Bailey’s Port City Southern menu. Dishes served are similar to what’s served at her restaurant in Savannah, The Grey. 

Dishes include flounder and oyster with fumé blanc, green apple, potato, bok choy, and turnips; short rubs with Kanni sauce and smoked collard greens; vegan vegetable tagine with roasted sweet potato topped with a chermoula sauce. For dessert, there is a decadent buttermilk cornmeal tres leches with candied kumquats and mandarin oranges.

Delta Air Lines is breaking the stereotype of airplane food being, well, bad. The airline’s award-winning onboard dining experience is only getting better, with additional seasonal first-class menus rolling out this month. 

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