Acclaimed Dutch Chef Angélique Schmeinck serves diners with a three-course gourmet meal while floating in the skies above Holland. It's most definitely an original and unique dining experience!
After 25 years in the restaurant business on terra firma (including a decade at the Michelin-starred establishment), this adventurous chef decided it was time to really lift off her career. So, Chef Schmeinck, one of only two Dutch female master chefs, launched a contemporary gourmet cuisine business in the sky, preparing dishes during a hot air balloon ride while using the balloon as a giant convection oven.
Using a clever custom pulley construction, the dishes are winched up to the crown of the balloon envelope in special-purpose steel oven baskets. After cooking, dishes are lowered down to the custom-made kitchen, where they are finished off in her small custom-made kitchen in the balloon's basket, surrounded by her guests, so she can chat to them and tell them about the food they are about to enjoy.
Photo credit: Maarten Reeders | Culiair
"I have now done over 70 flights with over 700 passengers," says Chef Schmeinck. "But every flight for me is special because you don't know what happens. It's one of the most wonderful things a chef can give to a guest, something they will never forget."
The entire experience with CuliAir Skydining lasts four to five hours, including a reception in the launch field, dinner in the hot air balloon, followed by a champagne celebration and dessert at the landing site.
The balloon can accommodate up to 10 passengers, and the best time to book the flight is during the summer months. It's not cheap - at €475 ($522) per person, including dining and balloon ride - but surely it's remarkably good value for such a special once in a lifetime experience.
"My dream is to bring the experience to more countries," she tells Forbes, "and find people to work with me to make more people happy in the world with this experience. And also to get a Michelin star and have the restaurant in the official guide." Are you listening Michelin?
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