ATLANTA, May 31, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On a sprawling
farm four hours north of Manhattan, filled with vibrant colors and
herds of cattle, the process of creating some of Delta Air Lines'
(NYSE: DAL) newest on-board dishes begins.
Battenkill Valley Creamery is a family affair, owned and
operated by fourth- and fifth-generation farmers Don and Seth McEachron. The McEachrons opened
their creamery in 2008, to process and bottle their own milk, and
in 2011, began working with Five Acre Farms, who brings the
best-tasting local food to grocery stores, restaurants and food
shops. This partnership allowed Battenkill Valley Creamery to
connect with new markets and customers, including Union Square
Events and now, through its partnership, Delta.
Both Five Acre Farms and Battenkill Valley Creamery subscribe to
the philosophy that healthy, happy cows make award-winning milk.
Union Square Events Executive Chef John
Karangis agrees with this philosophy, inspiring him to use
the milk to create multiple dishes in his on-board menu with Delta,
which will appear on select trans-Atlantic routes to Europe departing JFK International in the
Delta One cabin June 1 through August
31.
"One of the key components of our high milk quality is the
health and happiness of the cows," said Seth McEachron. "We're animal lovers and take
special care in raising our cows in a comfortable environment from
the day they are born. They see a nutritionist to ensure that they
eat a balanced diet, get frequent health checks to keep them fit
and stress free and have regular pedicures for healthy
hooves."
Chef Karangis' commitment to locally sourced ingredients extends
to the skies as he transforms Five Acre Farms milk into milk
chocolate sea salt and strawberry lemongrass ice cream for Delta's
iconic Sundae Bar, as well as housemade Stracciatella cheese to
accompany a salad of heirloom cherry tomatoes, tomato-rose water
jam and baby watercress. In addition, the milk will also be used in
the Five Acres Farms' yogurt that will be served as a breakfast
option.
"At Union Square Events, we create thoughtfully crafted meals
for our guests at some of the most untraditional venues around
New York City, from cultural
institutions to city parks, and our new menu for Delta One cabins
is another fantastic opportunity for us to put our unique skill-set
to the test," Chef Karangis said. "We feel fortunate to have a
partner like Delta that shares our support of local farms and
commitment to quality ingredients, whether it is on the ground or
at 35,000 feet."
A video highlighting the partnership and the farm-to-tray table
process is available here.
In addition to Five Acre Farms and Battenkill Valley Creamery,
the menu will also feature local New
York-based purveyors Cascun Farms and Gotham Greens.
Highlights from Union Square Events' menu include Roasted Cascun
Farms Chicken with corn and vegetable succotash and Gotham Greens
salsa verde, Union Square Events Chili Lime Cashews and Pastrami
Beef Brisket.
Chef Karangis has also developed breakfast offerings, featuring
Union Square Events Cold Pressed Juice with fresh greens, cucumber,
green apple and ginger, and Steel Cut Oat Pudding with Five Acres
Farms yogurt, apricot jam, cocoa nibs and goji berries.
Delta's partnership with Union Square Events deepens its ongoing
collaboration with Danny Meyer's
Union Square Hospitality Group. The airline partners with the
hospitality company behind beloved New
York restaurants like Marta and Union Square Cafe, the
airline's winter and spring menus on board, to feature
seasonally-rotating menus designed by different chefs.
"Partnering with local suppliers and purveyors like Five Acre
Farms and Battenkill Valley Creamery allows Delta to truly offer
food straight from the farm to the tray table to our customers,"
said Allison Ausband, Senior Vice
President – In-Flight Service. "We are proud to partner with Union
Square Events as we continue to offer fresh, local and seasonal
food on board."
Across its network, Delta's consulting chefs such as
Linton Hopkins and Michelle Bernstein and select chefs from
Danny Meyer's Union Square
Hospitality Group have artfully created menus using ingredients
produced by local purveyors and artisan suppliers.
The latest menus pair with Delta's 2016 wine program curated by
Master Sommelier Andrea Robinson, which follows a similarly
seasonal approach. This year, Robinson has sourced a number of
locally-made wines from, in some cases, small, artisanal wineries
that bring to the tray table a flavor and body uniquely their
own.
About Union Square Events
Union Square Events (USE) is
the catering and venue hospitality business from Danny Meyer's Union Square Hospitality Group
(USHG). Based in Manhattan's
Hudson Yards, USE creates experiences to savor that are rooted in
USHG's 30-year heritage of culinary excellence and Enlightened
Hospitality. Through collaborations with a diverse portfolio
of best in class clients and business partners, USE produces
one-of-a-kind catered events and unparalleled dining experiences
within a variety of cultural, corporate and entertainment venues
throughout New York, Chicago and Washington DC.
About Union Square Hospitality Group
Founded by
Danny Meyer, Union Square
Hospitality Group is home to some the
United States most beloved restaurants: Union Square Cafe,
Gramercy Tavern, Blue Smoke, Jazz
Standard, The Modern, Cafe 2 and Terrace 5 (at the Museum of
Modern Art), Maialino, Untitled and Studio Cafe (at the Whitney
Museum of American Art), North End Grill, Marta, Porchlight, and
GreenRiver. USHG also comprises the catering and venue hospitality
business Union Square Events and the organizational consulting
business Hospitality Quotient. USHG restaurants and chefs have
earned an unprecedented 26 James Beard Awards. www.ushgnyc.com.
About Delta
Delta Air Lines serves nearly 180 million
customers each year. In 2016, Delta was named to Fortune's top 50
Most Admired Companies in addition to being named the most admired
airline for the fifth time in six years. Additionally, Delta has
ranked No.1 in the Business Travel News Annual Airline survey for
an unprecedented five consecutive years. With an industry-leading
global network, Delta and the Delta Connection carriers offer
service to 330 destinations in 61 countries on six continents.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Delta
employs nearly 80,000 employees worldwide and operates a mainline
fleet of more than 800 aircraft. The airline is a founding member
of the SkyTeam global alliance and participates in the industry's
leading transatlantic joint venture with Air France-KLM and
Alitalia as well as a joint venture with Virgin Atlantic. Including
its worldwide alliance partners, Delta offers customers more than
15,000 daily flights, with key hubs and markets including
Amsterdam, Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis/St.
Paul, New York-JFK and LaGuardia, London-Heathrow, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Salt Lake
City, Seattle and Tokyo-Narita. Delta has invested billions of
dollars in airport facilities, global products and services, and
technology to enhance the customer experience in the air and on the
ground. Additional information is available on the Delta News Hub,
as well as delta.com, Twitter @DeltaNewsHub, Google.com/+Delta,
Facebook.com/delta and Delta's blog takingoff.delta.com.
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SOURCE Delta Air Lines