Airline Food

American Airlines partners with James Beard for upper crust meals

Mmm, spinach ricotta rotolo pasta.

Photo courtesy of AA

Fort Worth-based American Airlines has forged a partnership with the James Beard Foundation to add chef-designed items for its most rarefied levels of travel.

The new items will be served on Flagship First and Flagship Business flights from the United States to Europe and South America, and just a few transcontinental flights: between JFK International Airport and either Los Angeles or San Francisco.

They'll also be available in Flagship Lounges, AA's premium lounge located at five U.S. airports in Dallas, Chicago, L.A., Miami, and JFK/New York.

Travelers booking those flights can pre-order on aa.com starting 30 days before or up to 24 hours before departure.

The dishes include an appetizer, pasta entrée, and dessert in Flagship First Dining; a salad in the Flagship Lounge; and a pasta entrée onboard.

A release says that the menus will be designed by James Beard Foundation's "portfolio of established and up-and-coming chefs." IE, chefs who've won James Beard awards.

The benefit for American customers is that they'll enjoy what the release calls a world-class culinary experience, while introducing the Beard's roster, says Janelle Anderson, AA's VP of marketing.

"A premier culinary partner like the James Beard Foundation provides unique and delicious offerings for our customers," Anderson says. "We're honored to work with their roster of award-winning chefs who embody diversity, modernism and sustainable practices in the culinary world today."

The first chef at bat is Sarah Grueneberg, a Top Chef alum who works at Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio.

Dishes at Flagship First Dining include:

Grilled Roman-style Artichokes: black truffle, fontina fonduta, fresh lemon
Mushroom Bolognese: fusilli pasta, cremini and porcini mushrooms, peas, carrots, Parmigiano Reggiano
Dark Chocolate Budino: candied citrus, mandarin olive oil, feuilletine chocolate crunch, fresh whipped cream

Dishes at the Flagship Lounge include:

Tuscan Kale Salad: beets, apples, goat cheese, spiced sesame, sunflower and pumpkin seed medley, tahini dressing
Flagship First and Flagship Business from US to Europe, US to South America and transcontinental flights between John F. Kennedy International Airport and Los Angeles or San Francisco.
Artichoke Ravioli: blistered cherry tomato sauce, green olive pistachio pesto
Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo Pasta: pomodoro sauce, basil pesto, pine nuts

The partnership doesn't stop at these dishes. American will also be involved in the Foundation's programs, including Taste America, a culinary pop-up series featuring unforgettable dining experiences in 20 cities across the country; the James Beard Awards annual gala in Chicago; and events at the James Beard House in New York City.

James Beard was beset by a financial scandal in 2004 when its then-president was imprisoned after having stolen more than $1 million, and its scholarship donations were found to be a fraction of the millions of dollars it took in.

The foundation holds hundreds of dinners and lunches at its headquarters at James Beard House in Greenwich Village, most of which rely on chefs donating their time and money.

The foundation also hands out awards to chefs around the country; ethical standards of behavior were added to the voting process in 2018.

awards transportation

A piece of Texas history

Texas' iconic Alamo reclaims cannon that spent years as a birdbath

Photo by Gower Brown/ Unsplash

A 90-pound cannon used in the Battle of the Alamo is returning to its San Antonio home.

It turns out the Alamo's original 1836 cannons are good for more than just defense — they also make a sturdy birdbath. After serving as a garden ornament for Samuel Maverick’s descendants, an authentic piece of Texas history is finally returning home to the revered mission.

According to an Alamo announcement, the swivel cannon weighs 90 pounds and is approximately three feet long. The relic was originally found in 1852 when Maverick built a home near the northwest corner of the battle’s site.

The lawyer and land baron was saved from death when he was urged by William Barret Travis to ride to the Texas Declaration of Independence convention in Washington-on-the-Brazos to send reinforcements. Returning to the Alamo’s grounds, he found a cache of cannons buried where the Hotel Gibbs sits today.

From there, the cannon wound up at the Maverick family’s Sunshine Ranch on the Northwest Side, where it was eventually incorporated into the garden DIY project. In 1955, the cannon was removed from the ranch, and the current location remained a mystery until the Alamo received a call from a Maverick relative in Corpus Christi.

Alamo cannon This Alamo artifact gives an idea of what the cannon will look like once restoration is complete.Photo courtesy of the Alamo.

“The relative graciously donated the cannon to the Alamo,” wrote a rep from the mission. “Alamo Senior Researcher and Historian Kolby Lanham and Head Conservator Pam Jary Rosser drove down the very next day to take this piece of history home to the Alamo.”

Although the artillery is mostly intact, it is missing its trunnions (the pivot-point protrusions on the sides of the barrel) and cascabel (the knob and neck assembly at the rear of historic muzzle-loading cannons). The parts were removed by the Mexican army to make the cannon inoperable.

Once preservation is complete, this cannon and the Alamo Collection’s other battle cannons will make their way to the upcoming Visitor Center and Museum, where they will be joined by rocker Phil Collins' collection of Alamo artifacts. The Alamo is in the midst of a $550 million preservation project, which includes conserving the Alamo Church, Long Barrack, and the mission’s original footprint. The museum is on track to debut in late 2027.

history museums artifacts texas history the alamo

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A piece of Texas history

Texas' iconic Alamo reclaims cannon that spent years as a birdbath