Etihad Airways is one of few airlines that offer fine cuisine prepared by internationally celebrated chefs. They are always trying to find something extra for their guests. If you are ever lucky enough to fly first class with them, you will always see one of their on-flight chefs, ready to challenge you with a new dish. We met South African Chef Francois Van Zyl who has been working as an in-flight chef with Etihad for two years now.

The chef has studied Catering Management and Hotel Management in South Africa and worked in Miami and Colorado in the US as a sous chef in five star fine dining restaurants.

“Some of my achievements during this period included winning a regional cooking competition for the Chaîne des Rôttiseurs Young Chefs Competition in South Africa and judging two of their international cooking competitions, one in Adelaide and one in Frankfurt,” he said. “I then went on to further my career in hotels, starting with Hilton Hotel Group and then Sun International Hotel Complex in Durban. This was one of my first experiences of opening a large hotel organization. Being part of this opening team was one of my best experiences and I gained so much from this,” he added.

Van Zyl was also involved in opening a resort on the island of Zanzibar and the International Convention Center in Durban, South Africa. “From here I moved on to a private cookery school to teach young chefs the skills of the chef industry. I taught at Prue Leith Food and Wine Academy in Pretoria,” he said. “Next was training chefs at a private, five star luxury game lodge, training chefs on new skills, cooking techniques and trends. I also taught them about menu development and menu item ideas,” he added.

His next experience was life changing and his best career move, he said. “I joined Etihad Airways as an in-flight chef in 2011 and in July 2012 I entered a cooking competition, together with Nadeem Farook, sous chef from our catering company. The APOT Chefs cooking competition was held in Incheon, Korea and Nadeem and I won the title and brought the trophy to Etihad Airways,” he added. We competed against five other airline catering companies from around the world.

Chef Francois Van Zyl talked to Arab News about the challenges of the job and what makes his job special to him.

Arab News: Why did you decide to be a chef?

FVZ: “When I was a little boy, mom and dad used to work for the government in South Africa and we used have guests from all over the world. My father loves cooking; he still prepares breakfast in bed for my mom. He used to challenge himself with the help of the whole family to cook for our guests. So to us it was an entertainment to cook as a whole family. My mom loves baking and I still have recipes from her that I work with now.

“My father is my role model and he was head of Immigration. I loved traveling and I had to choose between two options, either be a chef or be a pilot. I chose being a chef, and it is amazing how my two passions came together with Etihad. Now I fly and cook at the same time.”

AN: How did you land the in-flight chef job for Etihad?

FVZ: “My sister and I opened a bakery in Johannesburg. It was beautiful and all, but I just needed a challenge, something different to do with my life. The challenge came when I was browsing the Internet. I saw the ad and applied without even giving it a second thought. It was the right moment and the right time of my life where it all came together. A week later I received a call and was interviewed. Two weeks after that I received another call informing me that I had been selected.”

AN: What is the challenging part of your job?

FVZ: “A chef would have a set team when working in a restaurant. Each team member knows their job and they automatically know what they are expected to do. On flight I would have a different team every time. In first class we have the cabin manager, the flight attendants and then myself. I always tell them every flight is a challenge by itself because you don’t know what to expect. We have to look at the guest profiles and any special requests.

“The kitchen is not as big as a normal kitchen so you have to work with what you have and keep it clean as well. My on flight kitchen is almost six meters long and about two meters wide. Here we prepare food a la carte for eight to 12 guests.”

AN: If you have to name one ingredient and one kitchen utensil that always has a place in your airplane kitchen what would that be?

FVZ: “When it comes to ingredients I would definitely say chocolate, because many of our guests crave sweets on board. I often use a frother to make the base of whipped cream, cappuccino and even if I want to garnish with milk foam.”

AN: What do you find entertaining about your job?

FVZ: “If I have children guests on first class, I always try to engage with them by inviting them to my kitchen to bake some cookies. Sometimes the little ones get bored, especially on long flights, so I always have the cookie dough ready made and I encourage them to shape them the way they want and bake them together.”

AN: Can you recall a funny incident that happened on board?

FVZ: “I remember there was a family flying with us. Their little boy had his birthday, so we arranged a small cubicle for him, baked him a chocolate cake and then surprised him on board. I am sure this is a birthday he will never forget. Our challenge was to bake a cake from scratch and make his birthday exciting.”

AN: When you visit a new destination, what is the first thing you do?

FVZ: “I always say that my backpack is my best friend on these lay-overs and especially in new destinations. If it is an early morning arrival, I will get changed quickly and off I go to explore. In new areas I like to pay a visit to the farmer’s market and the spice market to explore their food and learn more about their local harvest. I also love to take photos as I walk around new destinations because it is a nice way to relive the memories of a place.”

AN: What is your favorite cuisine?

FVZ: “Mediterranean for sure, I love the fresh ingredients, I love how healthy it is and their beautiful olive oil.”

AN: What do you want to do next?

FVZ: The truth is I just got promoted in the company where I am now to Lounges Training Manager and Guest Service, so I will be taking care of all the training of our lounges across our network. This is very challenging and there is a lot to put into place but I will still be involved in many of the aspects of the chefs on board.

On your next first class trip with Etihad Airways, Chef Van Zyl is ready for you to challenge him, so make sure you do.

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