Three Ways to Fly

The name comes from the French word for student or apprentice, but that's misleading if you think it means beginner quality. In classical French kitchens, Elèves learned by doing the fundamentals perfectly, repeatedly, until excellence became automatic rather than exceptional.

That's exactly what this service tier delivers.

We developed Elève for high-frequency operations where consistency matters more than spectacle. Corporate shuttles running the same routes weekly. Crew meals that need to be good every single time. Positioning flights where passengers are working, not entertaining. Sales teams who fly constantly and just want reliably good food without fuss.

The menu focuses on dishes that travel well and taste right at altitude. A properly made sandwich with quality ingredients and bread that doesn't get soggy. Salads with dressings that don't wilt the greens before the aircraft reaches cruise. Hot meals that actually stay hot and retain texture. Breakfast pastries from scratch, not thawed from frozen. Real coffee, not conference room sludge.

Nothing fancy. Everything good.

The pricing reflects operational efficiency. When you're feeding the same crew three times a week on the Chicago-Columbus run, you don't need a different custom menu every flight. You need something your people look forward to eating. Something reliable enough that your schedulers don't think twice about ordering it. Something priced so you can feed people properly without justifying every line item to finance.

A flight operations manager in Ohio told me their previous caterer kept trying to upsell them to premium options they didn't need. "My crews just want a decent lunch they can eat between legs," he said. "Not performance art."

The Elève Collection exists for exactly that reality.

It's also how many fleet partnerships start with us. A new client isn't sure about committing their entire operation to an unknown caterer. They test us on crew meals first. Lower stakes. Frequent flights. Clear success metrics: did it show up on time, did it taste good, did we handle the inevitable changes professionally?

Once they trust us on the simple stuff, conversations about CEO travel happen naturally.

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Affiné means refined or matured in French. Cheese aging to its peak. Wine developing complexity. The process of something good becoming something better through time and attention.

This is our core service. The offering that built our reputation. The tier most corporate flight departments default to for client-facing flights.

When your passengers are clients, board members, investors, or anyone whose opinion of your company matters, this is where service begins. Not because Élève Collection is inadequate, but because the context demands refinement that goes beyond function.

The difference shows up immediately in menu development. An Élève Collection meal might feature a well-executed chicken breast with roasted vegetables. Affiné Signature takes that same chicken breast, brines it for tenderness, serves it with a pan sauce made from real stock, accompanies it with vegetables chosen for the season and prepared with technique that brings out their character. Same core ingredients. Different level of attention.

Plating matters here. Food arranged thoughtfully, not just efficiently. Proper serviceware. Details that signal care. Your passengers may not consciously notice these things, but they feel the difference between a meal that was assembled versus one that was composed.

The menu options expand significantly. We're not working from a set list of options. We're having conversations about your passengers' preferences, dietary needs, and expectations. Building menus that make sense for flight duration, time of day, and purpose of travel.

A charter operator in Michigan flies a regular client who's deeply involved in sustainable agriculture. She notices ingredient quality and sourcing. For her flights, we work with local farms when possible, note ingredient origins on the menu, and choose preparations that let quality ingredients speak for themselves. That level of customization doesn't exist at Élève pricing. It requires more time, more flexibility, more attention.

Affiné Signature also comes with different service protocols. Dedicated account management that learns your operation's nuances. Which passengers have allergies. Which routes tend to run late and need flexible catering windows. Which aircraft have galley limitations that affect menu options. The institutional knowledge that prevents problems instead of just solving them.

Most corporate flight departments operate here most of the time. It's expensive enough to signal that passengers matter. Not so expensive that every flight requires budget justification. The sweet spot where quality and value make sense together.

There are passengers whose expectations don't fit predetermined categories. CEOs who've eaten at three-Michelin-star restaurants in every major city. International dignitaries accustomed to private chefs. Board meetings where the catering quality reflects company success. Celebrations where food is part of the event, not just fuel for the flight.

Gastronome Privé exists for those flights.

The name translates roughly to "private gourmand" or "private food connoisseur." Someone for whom food isn't background ambiance but foreground experience. This isn't about showing off. It's about meeting expectations that genuinely exist at the top end of private aviation.

At this level, we stop thinking about menu tiers entirely. We're having conversations about specific passengers and specific flights. What does this person actually want to eat? What would make this particular trip memorable? What's appropriate for the context?

Sometimes that means elaborate: a tasting menu progression for a long international flight where passengers have time to appreciate multiple courses. Other times it means restraint: perfect sushi prepared by a chef who trained in Japan, presented simply because the quality speaks for itself.

We work with Michelin-trained chefs for this tier. Not because Michelin stars are magic, but because that training instills an approach to ingredients, technique, and presentation that can't be faked. These chefs know how to source the specific cut of wagyu that works best for the preparation method. They understand why certain fish must be served within hours of harvest. They can execute classical French technique or regional Italian cooking with equal authenticity because they learned from people who do it for a living.

Everything is customizable. Fully. A client once requested a specific wine with dinner that we couldn't source locally. Our chef called the winery directly, explained the situation, and had bottles shipped overnight. That bottle cost more than some entire Élève Collection meals. For this passenger, on this flight, it was exactly right.

The pricing reflects reality. Michelin-trained chefs cost more. Specialty ingredients cost more. The time to develop truly custom menus costs more. Rush sourcing obscure items costs more. There's no way around it, and we don't try to hide it.

But here's what that pricing buys: unlimited flexibility. Want to change the entire menu two days before departure because your passenger's preferences changed? Done. Need a dish prepared a specific way that's not on any menu we've ever offered? We'll figure it out. Require kosher certification, or halal preparation, or specific allergen protocols beyond standard safety measures? We handle it.

Most flight departments use Gastronome Privé sparingly. CEO flights. Critical client entertainment. Annual board meetings. Moments when catering quality directly impacts business outcomes. The cost is justified by the stakes, not routine.