United & Chef's Table Serve Up Next Course: New Meals from World-Renowned Chefs Take Flight November 1

Airline builds on its collaboration with brand behind Emmy Award-winning Netflix series with 30 new dishes for United Polaris customers flying internationally including Chef Nancy Silverton's spiral meat lasagna, Chef David Barzelay's rack of lamb and Chef Tomos Parry's roasted pumpkin with rosemary stracciatella

First round of Chef's Table meals launched on United in August, with customer scores nearly 20 points higher than other preordered meals

CHICAGO, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- United today announced the next menu rotation from its collaboration with Chef's Table, the brand behind the Emmy Award-winning Netflix series. Featuring 30 new dishes – including salads, appetizers and entrees – from 11 world-renowned chefs across ten cities, the new menus give United Polaris® international business class customers more chef-created dining options inspired by the airline's hub cities and key international gateways.

Since the first menu rotation launched on August 1, more than 60,000 customers have enjoyed the new meals with satisfaction scores nearly 20 points higher than those for other preordered meals. The inaugural menu featured dishes such as Nancy Silverton's Beef brasato with garlic mash potatoes, salsa verde and horseradish gremolata; Chef David Barzelay's Black cod broiled in tomato tare with gold rice grits, smoky tomato raisins, peppers and basils; and Chef Tomos Parry's Slow-roasted lamb with smoked potatoes, grilled broccoli and green sauce.

United continues to invest in enhancing its food and beverage offerings onboard and in its Clubs, building on more than $150M invested in 2025 to elevate the customer dining experience. Since the start of the year, United has expanded United Economy® meal preorder to millions more customers, introduced four new and refreshed snackboxes, elevated its onboard wine program and tested new Club dining experiences, from upgraded buffets to customizable action stations and passed bites.

"The strong response to Chef's Table reinforces the value of bringing perspectives of world-class chefs onboard in a way that reflects the destinations we serve and the dining experiences our customers seek," said Aaron McMillan, United's Managing Director of Hospitality Programs. "With this next menu rotation, we're building on that foundation, introducing new flavors and chef-driven dishes that bring a greater sense of culinary discovery to the inflight experience."

"At Chef's Table, storytelling has always been at the heart of what we do, and our collaboration with United has been a great way to introduce millions of travelers to the incredible chefs we work with and the stories behind their food," said Justin Connor, President of Chef's Table Projects. "We're excited to build on that relationship with new dishes from these chefs, giving travelers a chance to experience even more of their creativity and unique culinary perspectives."

The new menu pairs seasonal produce with elevated comfort foods inspired by the distinct food cultures of United's seven U.S. hub cities and key international gateways in London, São Paulo and Tokyo, including:

Los Angeles – Chef Nancy Silverton, Osteria Mozza

An American chef, baker, restaurateur and author, Chef Nancy Silverton won the James Beard Foundation's Outstanding Chef Award in 2014 and is widely considered the patron saint of burrata in America. Her restaurants include award-winning Osteria Mozza, and she is the author of 11 cookbooks, including The Cooking That Changed My Life: And More Than 100 Other Classic Cakes, Cookies, Muffins and Pies That Will Change Yours.

• Appetizer: Mozza caprese with slow roasted cherry tomatoes, burrata, extra virgin olive oil and basil pesto
• Salad: Chopped salad with iceberg, radicchio, pepperoncini, salami, provolone, braised chickpeas, red onion and oregano vinaigrette
• Entrée: Spiral meat lasagna with passato and taleggio sauce

Newark – Chef Fariyal Abdullahi, Hav & Mar

Chef Fariyal Abdullahi serves as Chef Partner of Hav & Mar in New York, where she brings together her Ethiopian heritage and global travels through dishes that blend European culinary techniques with distinctive flavors.

• Appetizer: Shiro hummus with seasonal vegetable crudité
• Salad: Kale salad with candied walnuts, pickled dates, fennel, fig, pomegranate and truffle vinaigrette
• Entrée: Chermoula glazed chicken breast with cumin spiced rainbow carrots and preserved lemon pearl cous cous.

Chicago – Chef Jenner Tomaska, Esmé, Petite Edith and The Alston

Chef Jenner Tomaska is a three-time James Beard nominee and co-owner of three acclaimed Chicago restaurants: Michelin-starred Esmé in Lincoln Park, where he combines classical French techniques with artistic presentation; Petite Edith, a French-Midwestern bistro in River North; and The Alston, a steakhouse in the Gold Coast.

• Appetizer: Cold smoked trout with apple kohlrabi, fennel celery slaw, dill crème, trout roe and brown butter rye granola
• Salad: Asparagus, butter lettuce, fine herb salad with broken gribiche, chive oil, pea puree, toasted buckwheat and lemon dressing
• Entrée: Roasted chicken breast stuffed with a chicken and mushroom mousseline, morels, fava beans and burnt onion jus     

Houston – Chef Justin Yu, Theodore Rex

Chef Justin Yu, a Houston native and James Beard Award winner, owns Theodore Rex, a relaxed fine dining restaurant in Houston that features French-inspired cuisine.

• Appetizer: Gulf crab, horseradish and basil spring roll
• Salad: Charred French beans marinated in cumin sweet and sour with pickled grapes and mint
• Entrée: Poached chicken breast with a garlic, lemongrass, anchovy curry, coconut Carolina Gold rice, aromatic herbs and marinated cucumber

Denver – Chef Penelope Wong, Yuan Wonton

A James Beard Award winner and Denver native, Chef Penelope Wong honors the diversity that has shaped Denver's culinary landscape by bringing the flavors of her Asian American upbringing and family memories to life at her eatery, Yuan Wonton.

• Appetizer: Roasted sweet potato in chrysanthemum tea syrup
• Salad: Radicchio salad with Honeycrisp apple, Chinese celery, pumpkin seed brittle and shallot tarragon vinaigrette
• Entrée: Char siu pork with celeriac Yukon puree, anise glazed rainbow carrots, garlic ginger confit and pickled onion.

San Francisco – Chef David Barzelay, Lazy Bear, JouJou & True Laurel

Chef David Barzelay, a pioneer of approachable American fine dining, owns three San Francisco restaurants: the two-Michelin-starred Lazy Bear in the Mission District, JouJou in the Design District and True Laurel in the Mission.

• Appetizer: Dungeness crab Louis with bay shrimp, butter lettuce, deviled egg, smoked trout roe and Ritz crackers
• Salad: Roasted beets with fennel, almond and grapefruit citronette
• Entrée: Grilled rack of lamb with carrot barbecue sauce, cured carrots and chicories

Washington, D.C. – Chefs Isabel Coss & Matt Conroy, Lutèce, Pascual and Maison Bar À Vins

Chefs Isabel Coss and Matt Conroy blend French culinary techniques with Mexican influences at Lutèce, Pascual and Maison Bar À Vins, crafting refined seasonal dishes that showcase bold flavors.

• Appetizer: Roasted beet and Asian pear with yogurt, sesame salsa macha, mint and smoked salt
• Salad: Hamachi al pastor with roasted pineapple puree, pineapple pico de gallo and heirloom corn chips
• Entrée: Duck leg enchilada with queso Oaxaca, crema, roasted sweet potatoes and salsa roja

São Paulo – Chef Manu Buffara, Manu

Chef Manu Buffara is the culinary force behind Manu in Curitiba, where she elevates the bold, vibrant flavors of Brazilian cuisine through a modern lens and responsible agricultural practices, cooking with a deep commitment to stewardship.

• Appetizer: Poached shrimp, heart of palm and spicy avocado, with a delicate citrus vinaigrette
• Salad: Slow roasted pumpkin with fresh yogurt, toasted cashew nuts, mixed leaves and a light tucupi lemon emulsion
• Entrée: Roasted beef with natural jus, bean pirao, sauteed collard greens and fresh herb cumari pepper relish.

London – Chef Tomos Parry, Mountain & Brat

Chef Tomos Parry is the founder and co-owner of three open-fire restaurants in London, including Michelin-starred Mountain in Soho, Michelin-starred Brat in Shoreditch, and Brat x Climpson's Arch in Hackney. Drawing from his Welsh and Celtic roots, he blends traditional techniques and cooking styles from Northern Spain into his cuisine.

• Appetizer: Smoked trout, golden beetroot, fennel mayonnaise, toasted buckwheat, watercress and dill salad
• Salad: Roasted pumpkin rosemary stracciatella, pickled apples, spiced pumpkin seeds and hazelnuts
• Entrée: Grilled halibut with parsley garlic potatoes, seaweed sauce, lemon spinach and crispy garlic and lemon oil

Tokyo – Chef Tashi Gyamtso, Jimgu, Enowa Yufuin

Chef Tashi Gyamtso is the acclaimed head chef of Jimgu, a farm-driven restaurant where menus are crafted entirely from what the land provides.

• Appetizer: Red crab with yuzu kosho aioli
• Salad: Chilled buckwheat soba salad with tsuyu dressing
• Entrée: Ginger soy glazed chicken with Japanese curry ratatouille and sesame crusted potatoes

Connecting cuisine to place, each chef's meal experience will be offered on flights serving lunch or dinner, departing from the chef's home city that inspired the recipes. United Polaris international business class travelers will be able to exclusively pre-order meals curated by Chef's Table chefs on United.com or in the United mobile app. Customers can view and select Chef's Table meals through pre-order starting five days before departure and up to 24 hours prior to departure, giving them a flexible window to explore the menu and choose their preferred meal ahead of their flight.

The new menus will be served onboard November 1 until December 31, with the program continuing to rotate seasonally into 2027.

Beyond the onboard dining experience, customers can also explore the stories behind the menu through exclusive Chef's Table content available on United seatback screens. The original content collection takes viewers behind the scenes of United's collaboration with acclaimed chefs, highlighting the inspiration, ingredients, culinary traditions and creative process that shaped the dishes served in United Polaris.

Customers can also enjoy select episodes of the Chef's Table: Talks podcast, featuring host David Gelb, creator and director of the Emmy Award-winning series, in conversation with renowned chefs and notable guests about the meals, memories and experiences that influenced their creative journeys. Together, the exclusive programming extends the dining experience beyond the plate, bringing the people, cultures and stories behind the food to life at 35,000 feet.

Chef's Table is an Emmy Award-winning documentary series that spotlights the world's most extraordinary chefs who are redefining the culinary landscape. The series is available only on Netflix. For more information, visit United.com/ChefsTable, and view visual assets here.

About United

At United, Good Leads The Way. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles. For more about how to join the United team, please visit www.united.com/careers and more information about the company is at www.united.com. United Airlines Holdings, Inc., the parent company of United Airlines, Inc., is traded on the Nasdaq under the symbol "UAL".

About Chef's Table

Chef's Table premiered on Netflix in 2015 and has since become one of the defining documentary series of the streaming era. Created by David Gelb, the Emmy Award–winning production established a new standard for cinematic food storytelling, introducing global audiences to the artistry, discipline, and personal vision behind some of the world's most influential chefs. Through intimate, visually immersive portraits, the series has built an enduring presence within contemporary food culture. Now in its second decade, Chef's Table continues to evolve through strategic partnerships with industry-leading brands and the launch of Chef's Table: Talks, a podcast hosted by creator, David Gelb.  For more information, visit chefstable.com.

SOURCE United Airlines