Delta Air Lines recently announced a new partnership with The Grey’s Chef Mashama Bailey to deliver elevated, Southern-inspired meals to first-class customers departing Atlanta. For Delta, the decision to partner with Chef Bailey, who is a recipient of multiple James Beard awards, was an easy one.
“We’ve admired Chef Bailey’s work and her extremely popular restaurant, The Grey, for some time. When we connected with the team at The Grey about a partnership, we knew it was a perfect fit right away. Delta has a variety of unique partnerships that help elevate the onboard experience and Chef Bailey’s new menu builds upon Delta’s best-in-class experience,” said Mike Henny, Delta’s managing director of onboard services operations.
Henny also noted that both brands have shared roots in Georgia, which is another reason why the partnership makes sense. Delta aims to enhance the inflight experience for first-class customers flying out from Atlanta by incorporating Chef Bailey’s meals.
“Our partnership with Chef Bailey and The Grey is a primary example of how Delta is elevating the onboard dining experience with new and delicious meals that our customers are going to love. Chef Bailey’s menu is a part of our seasonal menu refresh, and we’re excited that first-class customers flying out of Atlanta can have something innovative and delicious to look forward to on their next flight,” Henny explained.
Delta customers will enjoy a curated menu featuring Chef Bailey’s signature Port City Southern cuisine. Menu items include a flounder and oyster dish with green apple and bok choy, short ribs with kanni sauce and smoked collard greens, and a vegan vegetable tagine with roasted sweet potato among others. For dessert, customers can look forward to a buttermilk cornmeal tres leches with candied kumquats and mandarin oranges. The mouth-watering menu items will be available to Delta first-class customers exiting Atlanta for lunch and dinner on flights where hot meals are served.
“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,” said Chef Bailey in an article on Delta News Hub. “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,” she continued.
The new menu isn’t the only collaboration between Delta and The Grey. Chef Bailey and her business partner Johno Morisano serve on the airline’s newly-formed Delta Culinary Council, which will guide Delta’s culinary strategy. The council is comprised of renowned chefs and industry experts from throughout the nation.
To learn more about Delta, visit news.delta.com/. And for more information about The Grey, visit thegreyrestaurant.com/.
