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Continental’s executive chefs, Siegfried Lang and Gerry McLoughlin, are the orchestrators of distinctive inflight dining at 35,000 feet. They meet regularly with 14 chefs that make up our Congress of Chefs, a carefully chosen group of culinary experts who continually evaluate the ever-changing trends and popular flavors of food.
The chefs, who originally met in 1996 to brainstorm ways to improve Continental's First Class menus, now meet regularly to review Continental's International BusinessFirst markets, as well as Latin America Business Class and First Class markets in the U.S. and Canada. The culinary experts examine changing trends in food display and development, as well as exchange ideas on how to improve Continental's food service and keep updated on the ever-changing culinary world.
Continental’s sommeliers are expert wine aficionados who assist our beverage committee in the selection and pairing of wines.
Celebrity Chefs
 James Canora, a 10-year member of Continental Airlines' Congress of Chefs, is the corporate chef at Delmonico's in New York, America's first fine-dining restaurant. He is also owner of NYC Culinary Events, a company that specializes in menu consulting and catering for upscale events including the Masters and Ryder Cup golf tournaments, the US Open, the Tribeca Film Festival, and the Breeder's Cup. In his previous position at the world-famous Tribeca Grill, Canora oversaw hundreds of special events and became known in the culinary world as "Chef to the Stars." Read our Interview with Jimmy, Continental magazine - Oct 2008 >  Paul Minnillo creates menus influenced by European traditions of simplicity at The Baricelli Inn in Cleveland, Ohio’s University Circle, where he is executive chef and owner. Gourmet named it "One of America's 50 Best Restaurants" and Food & Wine named it "One of America’s Top 50 Hotel Restaurants." In 1999, he opened The Baricelli Cheese Company, where he offers exotic aged cheeses from around the world. Read an article about Paul, Continental magazine - March 2009 >  Bryan Caswell, named as 2009 Best New Chef by Food and Wine Magazine, is the corporate chef and owner at REEF in Houston, Texas, featuring local ingredients and the freshest products available at Houston’s farmer markets. Caswell, a native Houstonian and a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, honed his culinary skills as the executive sous chef at Restaurant Jean-Georges in Trump Tower and Ocean Club One & Only Resort on Paradise Island, Bahamas. Caswell was a semi-finalist for the 2009 James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southwest and was selected as the 2008 Restaurateur of the Year and 2008 Chef of the Year by My Table Magazine. Caswell continues to focus on frequent seasonal menu changes, sourcing local product and sourcing Houston’s weekly markets to provide the finest, most-memorable seafood prepared with uncommon knowledge and expertise. Read an article about Bryan, Continental magazine - September 2009 >  Roy Yamaguchi describes his highly personal cooking style as blending flavors of the East, West and Polynesia to create a truly contemporary Hawaiian cuisine. Roy is Hawaii's first recipient of the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef: Pacific Northwest" and has held the title of "California Chef of the Year." Roy's 34 award-winning restaurants can be found across the U.S., Hawaii, Guam and Japan. Learn more about Roy >  Michael Cordúa is a recipient of the Robert Mondavi Award for Culinary Excellence. In 2003, Chef Cordúa opened Artista in the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas. He is owner and chef of some of Houston’s most popular restaurants including: Amazon Grill, a self-serve Latin cafe; Churrascos, a South American grill; and Americas, a high-style restaurant that was previously named Esquire magazine's Restaurant of the Year. Read an article about Michael, Continental magazine - June 2009 >
Sommeliers
David Gordon is wine director for the world-famous Tribeca Grill In New York City. He won the Grand Award from Wine Spectator for Tribeca Grill's 1,800 bottle wine list, one of only seven restaurants in New York City to have this coveted honor. He has been featured in culinary publications such as Wine & Spirits and The Wine Enthusiast and is a regular guest lecturer for Crystal Cruise Lines. Read an article about David, Continental magazine - March 2007 >  Martin Korson is one of only a few advanced certificated sommeliers in Texas and a member of the Court of Master Sommeliers. Korson is the beer and wine manager for the European fresh food store Central Market and is responsible for the 4,000 wines that adorn its shelves. He has been featured in numerous culinary and wine publications from Santé to Food & Wine. His contributions helped Brennan's of Houston become one of only two restaurants in the city to receive Mobile Travel Guide’s 4-Star Award, as well as Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence. Read an article about Martin, Continental magazine - Jan 2008 >
Continental Corporate Chefs
Siegfried Lang is Continental's Managing Director of Food and Beverage Planning. As a German native, Chef Lang immigrated to Canada to work at the Four Seasons Hotel and at Cara In-Flight Kitchens. With over 20 years in Continental's Food Service Division, Executive Chef Lang has many claims-to-fame. He is credited with boarding Sterling Silver® Premium Beef on international business and economy flights. Chef Lang is also responsible for executing the installation of bakeries at all of Continental's Chelsea Catering facilities throughout the system. Providing freshly-baked rolls and breads used to create Continental's daily-made sandwiches ensures that passengers enjoy high quality breads shortly after preparation. In the sweet treat category, Chef Lang's proposal to prepare freshly baked cookies has faired well with the passengers, as has is idea to allow BusinessFirst and First Class customers to enjoy custom-made ice cream sundaes from a plethora of tantalizing toppings. Chef Lang is an active member and serves as regional Culinarian with Confrerie de la Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international society devoted to culinary arts and fine cuisine. Read our interview with Siegfried, Continental magazine - Nov 2008 >  Gerry McLoughlin is the Food and Beverage Development Manager and Executive Chef within the Continental culinary team. With more than 30 years of culinary management experience, the Irish-born chef handles Continental's worldwide menu development, including inflight services provided by Continental's seven Chelsea Food Services catering kitchens. Chef McLoughlin is an active member of the Professional Chefs Association of Houston, the American Culinary Federation, and Servairs "Toques du Diel" (Chef Hats of the Sky), a professional group of culinary experts who are interested in meeting the challenges of airline gastronomy. Last fall, Chef McLoughlin "sliced and diced" in Bravo's Emmy-nominated reality show Top Chef 3: Miami. Read our interview with Gerry, Continental magazine - Jan 2009 >  Robin Paula, a native from New York, began her career with Continental Airlines over 10 years ago as Executive Chef at Newark Liberty International. At the early age of 15 she explored the culinary industry by working at a health food restaurant, bakery and butcher shops, and studying professional food preparation to determine she was making the proper career decision. As a Culinary Institute of America (CIA) graduate, Chef Paula remains unruffled through each menu development process. Whether it is an Indian menu for Continental's nonstop flight to Delhi or Japanese cuisine offered on Tokyo flights, the petite, soft-spoken chef remains unnerved by the 180-degree turns she must make in creating regional cuisine for each new Continental market. Read our interview with Robin, Continental magazine - Sept 2008 >  Shashi Sanamvenkata is the executive chef for Continental Airlines Chelsea Food Services catering facility in Houston. After achieving a chef certification at the Institute of Hotel Management and Catering Technology in Bangalore, India he was hired as an apprentice chef at Welcome Group Hotel Banjara and subsequently with the Oberoi Hotel Group creating Chinese and Indian cuisine. The Indian-born chef has orchestrated catering for 11 international airlines, in additional to coordinating special projects for private charters and members of the royalty. Joining Continental Airlines in 2006, Chef Shashi brings over 20 years of experience on three of the seven continents to the team. He has played an integral role in menu planning and development for our Delhi and Mumbai flights. Chef Sanamvenkata is a current active member of Continental's Management Association and Congress of Chefs. Read our interview with Shashi, Continental magazine - Aug 2008 >
Chef Onboard
You may even see a member of the Congress of Chefs on your flight through our Chef Onboard program. Several times per year one of the chefs will don his hat and starched white jacket for a hands-on experience on an international flight. During the flight, the chef visits with customers to get their comments and suggestions, and also provides service tips to the flight attendants. Inflight interaction between our Congress of Chefs and our crewmembers enhances the chefs' understanding of the challenges an airline faces to create and present restaurant quality food at 35,000 feet.
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