A home in the sky
June 12, 2005 | 12:00am
Some of the happiest childhood memories I have are those family vacations we would all take in the summer. They were the summers of our lives! Off from school, we would be rewarded by our parents with trips for getting good grades or for helping out in our family business. It was a reward well-received by my siblings and I that we still remember fondly to this day. These trips were highly-educational and turned out to be the greatest of bonding times. Away from the workplace, we had our parents’ full attention and they had ours.
The only thing I dreaded back then were the long plane rides I had to endure all the way to our destination. For one I didn’t like the smell of airplanes, their bland tasting food, and I was terribly bored and unable to sleep or relax during a flight.
Well, times have changed. The airline industry has revolutionized itself and many welcome changes have made family vacations more affordable and enjoyable. There are many choices to make and getting to a destination can be just as fun as being actually there.
Recently, I met Christophe Camacho – a young man with bright shining eyes like sapphires and a ready smile to put you right at ease – who opened my eyes to a whole new world of fine food and travel.
At 31, he is on top of the world living exactly the fulfillment of his childhood dream. He got his dream job – one that enables him to pursue both his passions namely cooking up fine food and traveling all over the world.
Christophe’s love for cooking started at age 15 because he grew up with his family in Bordeaux, a region in France known for its fine wines, culture and delightful cuisine. He honed his skills at the Lyceee Gascogne in Bordeaux Talence, France. After completing his two-year diploma, he then traveled the world cooking in several high-profile restaurants, each more interesting than the other. In London, he cooked succulent seafood at the ultra chic Sketch on Conduit Street. In Greece, he prepared sumptuous dishes at Hotel Casino Loutraki, the largest casino in Europe. In addition to working at the famed Relais et Chateau in St. Bartholomy in the West Indies, he was also a personal chef before moving to Spain where he was head chef at the stylish Aquavit restaurant. He even got to work for the famous master chef Pierre Gagnoire.
His simpatico personality and willingness to please his guests, as well as his vast culinary experience, were an irresistible winning combination.
One day, he was offered a job by a prestigious airline – Gulf Air. They surely made the right choice in the young but experienced and gifted chef whose efforts contributed to the company’s prestige by winning no less than the best catering in 2003 and 2004.
Beaming with pride for his job at Gulf Air, Christophe, over a sumptuous spread of Mediterranean delights he had cooked himself, shared with me their exciting developments.
The award-winning concept "Welcome to our home" is something coined out of the culture of Gulf Air’s legendary hospitality, and as a result of the airline’s colorful 55-year history.
While interviewing Christophe, I caught myself staring at the gold plated name he was wearing. It had the title "Sky Chef" beautifully engraved on it, pinned onto his immaculately white uniform. (I truly wonder how these guys keep looking so neat while cooking up a storm in the kitchen?)
"So, what exactly does a sky chef do?" I asked Christophe, as I delighted my palate with a tender morsel of his lamb kofta with a spoonful of aromatic biryani rice.
He answered my question with a question. "Have you ever heard of ‘Dine on Demand’?"
I bit into a juicy sirloin sandwich with caramelized onions and said: "You mean there is such a thing?"
"Yes," he continued, "the beauty of this unique concept is you get to eat what you want, when you want, cooked the way you want on board the aircraft. That’s what I do. And we are the only airline who does this." (Being a foodie and a voracious one at that, he got my full attention.)
The airline’s renowned and award-winning Restaurant in the Sky, Christophe said, provides the finest dining in the skies with five-star gourmet menus prepared on demand by its dedicated team of sky chefs.
Passengers may dine on demand 24 hours a day, from a choice of 18 different menus. There’s also a bedside menu that offers lighter snacks and hot, soothing drinks to ensure a good night’s sleep on board.
"I am also part of the menu development team. We travel to different international regions where we check on the availability and versatility of produce. We then work with the help of the local chefs over there to come up with suitable dishes. Next step is coordinating with the catering team. When the new menu is finally perfected and offered on board I get the feedback directly from the passengers whom I serve," Christophe said.
Very recently, Christophe was interviewed on CNN where he proudly declared that the airline has employed 120 sky chefs – all young, handsome, ready, willing and eager to serve their passengers the finest food in the skies. They even have "Sky Nannies" on board to look after families with young children.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear him say that one of his favorite routes is Bangkok-Manila because of the warmth of the people and the colorful and abundant produce available in these cities.
Asked for what’s the most requested food on board, he charmingly replied: "Soft boiled eggs! Believe it or not, we had to train hard to get it right because at an altitude of 30,000 feet, it is very tricky to perfect it."
He said the highlight of his job at Gulf Air is seeing happy passengers that he had previously served come back and hearing them remember exactly what he had served them before.
"Of course, I feel delighted being able to serve them all over again."
As I contentedly chomped down on a luscious black cherry and apple charlotte for dessert, he presented me with a beautiful cookbook which, among others, featured his own favorite scallops recipe. As I got it autographed, we exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses with a promise from me to take him to explore the colorful market produce on a tour of Tagaytay. In friendly exchange, he promised to prepare a special meal for my entire foodie family in our own home.
Oh, Christophe is truly a lucky guy for he enjoys what he’s doing. After all, as Confucius once said, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."
(I would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com.)
The only thing I dreaded back then were the long plane rides I had to endure all the way to our destination. For one I didn’t like the smell of airplanes, their bland tasting food, and I was terribly bored and unable to sleep or relax during a flight.
Well, times have changed. The airline industry has revolutionized itself and many welcome changes have made family vacations more affordable and enjoyable. There are many choices to make and getting to a destination can be just as fun as being actually there.
Recently, I met Christophe Camacho – a young man with bright shining eyes like sapphires and a ready smile to put you right at ease – who opened my eyes to a whole new world of fine food and travel.
At 31, he is on top of the world living exactly the fulfillment of his childhood dream. He got his dream job – one that enables him to pursue both his passions namely cooking up fine food and traveling all over the world.
Christophe’s love for cooking started at age 15 because he grew up with his family in Bordeaux, a region in France known for its fine wines, culture and delightful cuisine. He honed his skills at the Lyceee Gascogne in Bordeaux Talence, France. After completing his two-year diploma, he then traveled the world cooking in several high-profile restaurants, each more interesting than the other. In London, he cooked succulent seafood at the ultra chic Sketch on Conduit Street. In Greece, he prepared sumptuous dishes at Hotel Casino Loutraki, the largest casino in Europe. In addition to working at the famed Relais et Chateau in St. Bartholomy in the West Indies, he was also a personal chef before moving to Spain where he was head chef at the stylish Aquavit restaurant. He even got to work for the famous master chef Pierre Gagnoire.
His simpatico personality and willingness to please his guests, as well as his vast culinary experience, were an irresistible winning combination.
One day, he was offered a job by a prestigious airline – Gulf Air. They surely made the right choice in the young but experienced and gifted chef whose efforts contributed to the company’s prestige by winning no less than the best catering in 2003 and 2004.
Beaming with pride for his job at Gulf Air, Christophe, over a sumptuous spread of Mediterranean delights he had cooked himself, shared with me their exciting developments.
The award-winning concept "Welcome to our home" is something coined out of the culture of Gulf Air’s legendary hospitality, and as a result of the airline’s colorful 55-year history.
While interviewing Christophe, I caught myself staring at the gold plated name he was wearing. It had the title "Sky Chef" beautifully engraved on it, pinned onto his immaculately white uniform. (I truly wonder how these guys keep looking so neat while cooking up a storm in the kitchen?)
"So, what exactly does a sky chef do?" I asked Christophe, as I delighted my palate with a tender morsel of his lamb kofta with a spoonful of aromatic biryani rice.
He answered my question with a question. "Have you ever heard of ‘Dine on Demand’?"
I bit into a juicy sirloin sandwich with caramelized onions and said: "You mean there is such a thing?"
"Yes," he continued, "the beauty of this unique concept is you get to eat what you want, when you want, cooked the way you want on board the aircraft. That’s what I do. And we are the only airline who does this." (Being a foodie and a voracious one at that, he got my full attention.)
The airline’s renowned and award-winning Restaurant in the Sky, Christophe said, provides the finest dining in the skies with five-star gourmet menus prepared on demand by its dedicated team of sky chefs.
Passengers may dine on demand 24 hours a day, from a choice of 18 different menus. There’s also a bedside menu that offers lighter snacks and hot, soothing drinks to ensure a good night’s sleep on board.
"I am also part of the menu development team. We travel to different international regions where we check on the availability and versatility of produce. We then work with the help of the local chefs over there to come up with suitable dishes. Next step is coordinating with the catering team. When the new menu is finally perfected and offered on board I get the feedback directly from the passengers whom I serve," Christophe said.
Very recently, Christophe was interviewed on CNN where he proudly declared that the airline has employed 120 sky chefs – all young, handsome, ready, willing and eager to serve their passengers the finest food in the skies. They even have "Sky Nannies" on board to look after families with young children.
I was pleasantly surprised to hear him say that one of his favorite routes is Bangkok-Manila because of the warmth of the people and the colorful and abundant produce available in these cities.
Asked for what’s the most requested food on board, he charmingly replied: "Soft boiled eggs! Believe it or not, we had to train hard to get it right because at an altitude of 30,000 feet, it is very tricky to perfect it."
He said the highlight of his job at Gulf Air is seeing happy passengers that he had previously served come back and hearing them remember exactly what he had served them before.
"Of course, I feel delighted being able to serve them all over again."
As I contentedly chomped down on a luscious black cherry and apple charlotte for dessert, he presented me with a beautiful cookbook which, among others, featured his own favorite scallops recipe. As I got it autographed, we exchanged phone numbers and e-mail addresses with a promise from me to take him to explore the colorful market produce on a tour of Tagaytay. In friendly exchange, he promised to prepare a special meal for my entire foodie family in our own home.
Oh, Christophe is truly a lucky guy for he enjoys what he’s doing. After all, as Confucius once said, "Choose a job you love and you will never have to work a day in your life."
(I would love to hear from you at miladayjewels@yahoo.com.)
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