Air France serves up a first taste of new Business Class menu at TIFF

Air France provided guests with a first taste of its upcoming Business Class menu from Canada as the airline marked 11 years of partnership with the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

The Sept. 11 event brought 120 guests to the CN Tower Observation Deck, where French gastronomy took centre stage against one of Toronto’s most recognizable backdrops.

Air France is the presenting partner of TIFF’s Discovery Programme, which introduces audiences to emerging filmmakers and new voices from around the world.

“Cinema and gastronomy have a unique ability to bring people, cultures and talent together,” Eugénie Audebert, country manager Canada for Air France-KLM, said of the partnership.

The evening offered a preview of Air France’s next Business Class savoury menu from Canada. Created by Olivier Perret, Air France’s Signature Chef in Canada and executive chef of Renoir at Sofitel Montréal Le Carré Doré, the dishes will debut onboard in November.

French cuisine with a Canadian connection

Originally from Burgundy and now based in Montreal, Perret brings French culinary traditions together with ingredients from Canada. He is a member of Maîtres Cuisiniers de France.

Perret creates dishes for Air France’s Business Class menus on flights from Canadian destinations to Paris and from Montreal to Pointe-à-Pitre.

The four-dish preview included a veal shoulder gratin with Canadian morels, broccoli and Île-aux-Grues cheese; scallop with smoked mussel, tarragon crust, beurre blanc and sturgeon caviar; glazed carrot with Quebec maple syrup, pecans and Canadian sumac; and spiced, coffee-infused duck confit with Quebec apples, foie gras and Ontario ice cider jus.

Preparing a dish for an aircraft brings different considerations than serving it in a restaurant, particularly when it comes to how flavours and textures hold up at altitude.

“A dish has to travel well, be reheated at altitude and still deliver the right texture, flavour and balance when it reaches the passenger,” Perret told PAX.

Perret believes that the food gives passengers an introduction to France before they arrive.

“For many international travellers, their first encounter with France can actually happen at 30,000 feet, before they have even landed in Paris,” he said. “It’s not simply about serving French food. It’s about telling a story about France through food.”

The evening’s culinary program extended beyond the upcoming savoury menu. French pastry chef Yann Couvreur presented three tartlets: coconut and key lime; Isatis with vanilla, caramel and pecan; and chocolate and hazelnut.

And, fittingly for Air France, Champagne was never far from the conversation.

Champagne and French wine pairings were curated by Xavier Thuizat, Best Sommelier of France in 2022, who oversees Air France’s wine, Champagne and spirits selections across its cabins and Paris airport lounges. Champagne is complimentary across all Air France cabins, from Economy to La Première.

Canada remains an important market

Air France-KLM’s Business and Premium cabins continue to perform “very well” in Canada, according to Audebert, who pointed to demand for travel to France as well as onward connections through Air France’s Paris-Charles de Gaulle hub.

The two carriers operated a combined total of up to 100 flights per week from Canada to their European hubs this summer, including up to 60 weekly Air France flights and 40 KLM flights.

Air France serves Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa, while KLM serves Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton.

There are currently no new Canadian routes planned for either carrier for winter 2026-27.

Air France-KLM says frequencies will be reinforced during the holiday travel period from mid-December through early January, with the group’s complete winter flight program to be announced soon.

For Canadian travel advisors, the airline pointed to the Air France KLM Academy and its specialist program as resources for learning more about the carriers’ products and services.

The experience of France does not necessarily begin after landing. Air France sees food, wine and hospitality as part of the journey itself.

“We increasingly think of the onboard experience as part of the destination experience,” Perret said. “The journey can be your first chapter in France, rather than simply the time spent travelling there.”

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