Story ID: 
Air Culinaire Expands London Locations
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: Air Culinaire—Universal Weather and Aviation's catering arm—has announced major upgrades to its London-area facilities.
Word Count: 197
As part of its continuing investments in its catering kitchens, Air Culinaire has completed the move of its major facility in London to a 8,700-sq-ft kitchen just minutes from Luton Airport. The improved facility—more than four times the size of the former location—features modern cooking appliances, energy-efficient equipment and lighting, anti-bacterial flooring and walls, and retractable spray-down systems for cleaning. It also includes pass-through refrigeration portals to maintain temperature compliance.
To celebrate the move, the company has introduced a "London Lifestyle" menu, curated by executive chef Aaron Watson. This menu features more than 50 dishes such as British smoked salmon, eight-hour braised BBQ pork shoulder, tonka bean Eton mess, and crusted seabass. Watson also led the transition to the new facility.
Also in London, Air Culinaire will trade one of the smallest kitchens in its network—located in a WWII-vintage former Royal Air Force flight crew kitchen at Biggin Hill Airport—for the kitchen in The Approach, the restaurant in the soon-to-open The Landing Hotel on the airfield. In addition to providing its normal flight catering, Air Culinaire will also operate the restaurant serving hotel guests.