Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines recently announced chef Keaka Lee of Kāhala-based Kapa Hale will design curated menus for guests on First Class domestic flights departing Hawaiʻi.
This isn’t Lee’s first time being a Hawaiian Airlines featured chef; he was part of Hawaiian Airlines’ featured chef in-flight menu program in 2024.
“Wade and Michelle (from MW Restaurant) were the executive chefs (that year),” he says, noting that Robynne Maiʻi of Fete Hawaiʻi and Jason Peel were also featured chefs that year.
“The one thing that I learned the most is that you lose your taste buds 30,000 feet up in the air,” he says. “After you pass 10,000 feet of elevation, you have to put more salt. I learned from doing a tasting. That’s why things are a little more salty on the plane (compared to what you’d eat while on land).”
He explains that menus rotate between the different featured chefs.
“For First Class domestic flights from Hawaiʻi, the menus rotate between the chefs; we were part of it for six months,” he says. “I was fortunate enough to be asked again to do it for this round.”
In 2024, Lee says he was nervous to create his own menu, but he learned that “simple, tasty food is the way to go.” His menu includes a loco moco for breakfast, and coconut braised beef with roasted ‘ulu, or breadfruit, for dinner.
“I’m so glad we’re able to put ‘ulu on the plane,” he says. “Sure, braised beef would taste great with garlic mashed potatoes or with white rice, but because ‘ulu is such a staple here in Hawaiʻi, why not have that on the plane?”
“That’s my focus — to keep things simple, and to make sure the chefs making the food have a chance to enjoy it and can execute it without any problems,” he adds.
Lee says he’s especially excited for guests to try the in-flight loco moco.
“To have it be super tasty and be on the plane is something special that we had to create,” he says. “We had to change a few things here and there. We experimented with pork and beef — some people don’t eat pork, so we had to shift to do all-beef (for the patty), but the patty is super juicy.
“We were able to put a sunny side egg on there,” he adds. “It looks like a loco moco and it tastes like a loco moco, so I think we’ve achieved that.”
Lee hopes that guests’ experience trying Hawaiʻi chefs’ menus will lead to more delicious experiences when they reach the Islands. He notes that Kapa Hale does feature a loco moco on its brunch menu.
“If you enjoy it (the loco moco) on the plane, you can come check ours out,” he says.
He explains that Kapa Hale supports many local farms, and while the in-flight menus don’t mention specific farms, the concept of supporting local played an essential role in creating his dishes.
“There are farms we’re using, but they can’t put the name (on the flight menus) in case it changes,” he says. “But, we had the idea that if people are enjoying ‘ulu on the plane and they come to Hawaiʻi, maybe they’ll learn more about it and order breadfruit from a local restaurant.”
Lee says he will be a featured chef for another six months, and describes the experience as “something cool to be apart of.”
“We had to provide more menu items because they (Alaska) wanted to change it up a little bit,” he says. “Even though we had to provide more options in this round, I think people are going to enjoy them.
“We helped push to have more Hawaiʻi (dishes) on the planes to represent Hawaiʻi,” he adds.
Earlier this year, Hawaiian Airlines named chef Dell Valdez as its new executive chef. Valdez creates First Class and Suites menus on international and inbound domestic routes. Meanwhile, this summer, Hawaiian Airlines launched pre-order meals designed by chef Sheldon Simeon for Main Cabin guests.
“It’s super cool to see mochiko chicken and garlic noodles,” Lee says, of Simeon’s Main Cabin menu. “It’s nice to have that offering. Even if you’re coming to Hawaiʻi or leaving Hawaiʻi, you get to taste a little bit of Hawaiʻi.
“This is a special experience for us at Kapa Hale,” he adds. “If you can eat local or choose to buy local, do it, because it’s very important. Whether you’re eating at a local restaurant or on the plane, it helps somebody here in Hawaiʻi. That’s the most important thing that we try to focus on here at Kapa Hale and when we’re doing the menu for Hawaiian Airlines.”
Kelli Shiroma Braiotta can be reached at kelli@alohastatedaily.com.
For the latest news of Hawai‘i, sign up here for our free Daily Edition newsletter.
