Classic cuisine with extravagant touch aboard Lufthansa

Mario Kotaska is noted for his unusual menu combinations. He refines traditional homestyle dishes with extravagant ingredients and aromas.

In Germany, he is a popular figure on a round of cooking shows on TV. He expertly serves up fast food with finesse typically demonstrated at mobile snackbars, which he labels ”Bratwerk by Mario Kotaska“. Since 2009, he has operated mobile snack booths under his name across Germany, serving top-quality fast food classics at constantly changing locations.

On German domestic and short cross-border flights, for example from Frankfurt to Basel, his imaginative creations will be served in the cabin under the motto “Streetfood“.

 Passengers have a choice of Kotaska classics, such as a savoury curried hot pork sausage recipe which he himself has invented. Also on the menu is Stecklfish (fish grilled on a stick) on wax bean salad, refined with sour cream, savory, diced onions and parsley. As a tasty dessert, passengers will be served “mango fries“ with mascarpone crème and strawberry puree.

Another of the popular TV chef’s variations are Frankfurters on “Anapurna” lentil salad, potatoes with herbal green sauce, egg and parsley and, as dessert, Frankfurter Kranz (buttercream-filled cake).

For afternoon coffee, Lufthansa serves a fine assortment of cake, like slices of Lübeck marzipan, rose-hip sour cream cake, millefeuille pastry and cheese cream cake.

Kotaska’s menus on European mid to long-haul routes, such as Frankfurt-Paris and Munich- Athens, are modern versions of country-house cooking, which he blends with international specialities more familiar in gourmet cuisine.

Typical of these dishes as a starter are mango-filled veal rolls, sauerkraut and potato chutney with spicy dip. As a choice of main dish, passengers can have prime boiled beef in wasabi sauce with bouillon potatoes au gratin or tarragon-crusted kingclip, stewed fenchel and tomatoes with creamy potato mash.

As a fine finale, there is Gruyère cheese with celery and nut salad and caramelized walnuts or cinnamon cream tart on plum ragout.

Mario Kotaska began his cooking career in the “Imperial“ gourmet restaurant at the Schlosshotel Bühlerhöhe in the Black Forest in 1995. His cooking as deputy chef helped the Berlin “Andermann“ restaurant win a Michelin star in 2001. As chef de cuisine from 2003 to January 2011, he entranced guests with delightful dishes inspired by French cuisine at “La Sociéte“ restaurant in Cologne. For his creative menus at “La Sociéte“, he again landed a coveted Michelin star in 2006.

The cooperation with Mario Kotaska is part of the “be invited“ in-flight service concept, launched by Lufthansa in December 2010, to bring the enjoyment of creations by award-winning chefs to Business Class passengers on German domestic and European flights.

To ensure variety, different menus are served on outbound and inbound flights. They also change weekly. Up to now, varied and delicious in-flight food in the Business Class cabin has come from the innovative cuisine of Master Chef Heiko Antoniewicz. Mario Kotaska’s creations will continue the tradition up to April 2012.