Alpha LSG is to set new standards in airline catering with the launch of its pioneering Premium Kitchen facility at London Heathrow.
The £10million complex at Heston incorporates separate enhanced and highly-optimised production and logistics centres, the airport’s only dedicated Halal kitchen, a Japanese and Asian kitchen, exclusive Customer Lounge (pictured below) and a Culinary Academy (kitchen presentation area pictured above).
76,500 meals per day for 24,500 flights per year
Over 40 airlines will be serviced from the new centre which has a capacity for producing 76,500 meals each day. Around 24,500 flights will be catered from the facility each year.
Axel Bilstein, Alpha LSG’s Acting CEO, says
“While our food innovation process (Culinary Academy), food production process (Premium Kitchen) and our unique Customer Lounge will support our customer’s desire for brand differentiation, choice and flair, we’re able to provide these cutting-edge services at highly competitive cost thanks to efficient, best-in-class processes as well as a culture of continuous improvement.”
Meeting demand for innovative, better quality food
Alex Forbes, Alpha LSG’s Chief Operating Officer, said: “Our new state-of-the-art Premium Kitchen is an exciting creation that will set the benchmark for airline catering. To meet the demand for innovative, better quality food while simultaneously supporting our airline customers, who continue to face enormous budgetary pressures in a highly competitive environment, we have increased our focus, efficiency and expertise in our key service areas (Food Production, Food development and Innovation; and Logistics).
Culinary excellence: the link with Craft Guild of Chefs
Premium Kitchen Director Marc Warde, a hospitality specialist who has held a number of high-profile positions at leading retail catering and hospitality organisations, will oversee business development, culinary excellence and all food production.
Culinary excellence is at the very heart of the Premium Kitchen concept and the new Culinary Academy is a critical element of the brand. It’s why Alpha LSG has also entered into a ground-breaking partnership with the Craft Guild of Chefs, becoming the first airline catering company to link up with the UK’s premier chefs’ association, with 120 Alpha LSG chefs being accredited to the Guild.
Former Royal chef Chris Barber has been a specialist consultant on the Premium Kitchen programme – spearheading the inspirational mentoring and training of Alpha LSG’s chefs’ team with his extensive insight and knowledge of premium food and beverage trends.
Culinary Academy
Marc Warde says: “Food and people are at the heart of our business and our Culinary Academy is situated at the heart of Premium Kitchen. This is where we nurture and grow our culinary expertise and build relationships with strategic partners and suppliers.
“Our Culinary Academy will allow our chefs to showcase their skills across various cuisines and use the latest in kitchen technology – providing the ideal space to do things differently, think creatively and stand out from the crowd.”
The Premium Kitchen, which features a 52,000 square feet production centre, together with an adjacent 124,000 square feet Dynamic Logistics Centre with extra wash capacity and dispatch chillers plus additional dispatch and unloading bays, will commence servicing airline customers from early February with total integration of all its London-Heathrow business scheduled to be completed by April, 2014.
About Alpha LSG Ltd
Alpha LSG Ltd was created on October 1, 2012 as a UK-only joint venture by Alpha Flight Group and LSG Sky Chefs. The business has combined revenues of more than £300 million and employs around 3,400 people who provide catering services from facilities located at 16 airports through the United Kingdom – London-Heathrow, London-Gatwick, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh, East Midlands, London-Stansted, Newcastle, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster, Luton, Leeds-Bradford, Aberdeen and Belfast.
For more information click here