BEGINNING IN SEPTEMBER 2017, TAP Air Portugal partnered with cuisine consultant Chef Vítor Sobral and six acclaimed Portuguese chefs to launch the Taste the Stars program. Onboard menus now feature dishes created by renowned chefs Miguel Laffan, Rui Silvestre, Henrique Sá Pessoa, José Avillez, Rui Paula and George Mendes. The initiative highlights Portugal’s regional products, culinary talent and traditional flavors, and will be followed by an updated wine list suited to the new menus.
TAP Air Portugal serves roughly 12 million passengers annually. Below, the participating chefs describe how Portuguese influences shape the dishes they developed for the airline’s Executive and Business Class menus.
HOW DID YOUR UPBRINGING IN CASCAIS INFLUENCE YOUR CUISINE?
Miguel Laffan: Growing up in Cascais deeply shaped my culinary identity. I remember the scent of fishermen returning with the day’s catch and the bustling market that fueled my imagination. The variety of products—from fresh fish and seafood to local fruits, vegetables and mountain produce—combined with the close presence of both sea and countryside, created the foundation of my approach to cooking.
YOU STRIVE TO HONOR NATIONAL FLAVORS. WHICH OF THOSE FLAVORS WILL BUSINESS-CLASS PASSENGERS EXPERIENCE?
Rui Silvestre: For Executive Class I focused on showcasing a range of flavors from the north to the south of Portugal. Passengers will experience ingredients and preparations such as duck, rice, codfish, sea bass and green peas—classic national products rooted in tradition and rich in taste.
YOU ARE KNOWN FOR YOUR TRADITIONAL RECIPES ACCENTED WITH A CONTEMPORARY FLAIR. HOW DOES THAT TRANSLATE INTO YOUR TAP AIR PORTUGAL MENUS?
Henrique Sá Pessoa: I selected dishes that combine traditional Portuguese foundations with modern, lighter cooking methods. The goal is to preserve authentic flavors and colors while introducing less common ingredients or techniques that give each dish a subtle twist and a memorable presentation suitable for in-flight service.
YOU ARE KNOWN FOR AVANT-GARDE CUISINE; IS IT DIFFICULT TO BE CREATIVE WITH CUISINE AT 30,000 FEET?
Vítor Sobral: Creativity is the starting point, but aviation catering brings unique constraints. We must choose products that travel and reheat well, then test and adapt cooking methods. Once recipes deliver the expected results, we train the catering teams to prepare, package and ship meals precisely. Onboard crews are responsible for regenerating dishes at the right temperatures and presenting them correctly. It takes coordinated teamwork across recipe development, production and service to maintain quality at altitude.
YOUR RESTAURANTS HAVE MADE WORLD’S BEST LISTS. WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN TAKING YOUR RECIPES AND ADAPTING THEM FOR AN AIRLINE?
José Avillez: Our restaurants demand the highest standards for ingredients, technique and service. The main challenge with airline meals is logistical: packaging recipes so they keep their integrity during transport and then reheating them on board without losing texture or flavor. Those constraints don’t exist in a restaurant kitchen, so adapting to them requires careful redesign of recipes and processes.
YOU’VE NOTED MEMORY AND INSPIRATION AS YOUR BIGGEST CULINARY INFLUENCES. WHAT MEMORIES INSPIRED YOUR TAP AIR PORTUGAL MENU?
Rui Paula: Memory is central to my approach. For TAP’s menu I drew on the flavors of my birthplace, Porto, and childhood memories with my grandparents in Trás‑os‑Montes and Alijó. The dishes are reinterpretations of traditional ingredients and preparations from those regions, updated for airline service while keeping their nostalgic essence.
YOU WERE BORN TO PORTUGUESE PARENTS. WHAT FLAVORS FROM YOUR CHILDHOOD ARE YOU INCORPORATING INTO THE MENUS FOR TAP?
George Mendes: My earliest memories of Portuguese cooking are rooted in the pantry items my mother used: olive oil, paprika, fresh parsley, garlic, tomato and, above all, bacalhau. These ingredients form the backbone of many Portuguese recipes, and they’re the flavors I aimed to bring to the TAP menus—simple, familiar and deeply evocative of home.