Israeli airline Arkia announced Monday the appointment of international chef Shahaf Shabtay as the company’s head chef. In his new role, Shabtay will lead Arkia’s culinary operations, developing new menus for long-haul routes and significantly upgrading the food offered for purchase across all of the airline’s flights.
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An Arkia aircraft. Something is cooking in the skies
(Photo: Ronen Fefer / Shutterstock)
According to the company, food menus in both business and economy class on long-haul flights to New York, Thailand and Vietnam will undergo a comprehensive revamp. All dishes on these routes will be kosher, including mehadrin kosher options. At the same time, Arkia will substantially upgrade the buy-on-board menu available on all flights, offering cold and hot sandwiches, salads, hot meals and children’s meals.
The new menus are expected to be introduced in April, with tailored offerings for business and economy class. The focus, Arkia said, will be on delivering a refined, accessible and precise dining experience, even at an altitude of about 35,000 feet.
Shabtay, who grew up on Kibbutz Amiad in Israel’s Upper Galilee, was raised in an agricultural environment and worked in the fields from a young age. He served for about five years in the elite naval commando unit Shayetet 13 before traveling to France to study cooking. Over the years, he has built an extensive international culinary career.
His professional journey has taken him through cities including Paris, Nice and Amsterdam, as well as destinations such as Rhodes, Prague, Mumbai, New York, Cambodia, Berlin, Shanghai, Myanmar, Belgrade and Tel Aviv. During his international work, Shabtay led high-end kitchens, cooked for prominent guests and celebrities, gained experience in airline catering and specialized in Asian cuisine, combining global flavors, high-quality ingredients and culinary precision.
Shabtay is also the chef behind Pop & Pope restaurant in Tel Aviv and is known for a cooking style that offers a contemporary interpretation of local and international dishes, with an emphasis on creating an emotional and memorable culinary experience.
Arkia noted that over the past year it has launched direct long-haul flights to destinations including New York, Bangkok and Hanoi, with Phuket, Thailand, set to join the network in July. Within a year, the airline carried about 87,000 passengers on its New York route across roughly 400 flights.
As part of the launch and to mark one year of flights to New York, Arkia will host a special culinary event under the concept "chef on board." On March 5, a festive round-trip flight to New York will feature Shabtay accompanying the flight throughout and serving a bespoke premium menu created specifically for the occasion. The experience will be offered in both business and economy classes and will include contemporary interpretations of Israeli dishes, along with special drinks and treats.
Ticket prices for the "chef on board" flight start at $549 one way in economy class and $2,600 one way in business class.
Shabtay’s appointment reflects a broader trend in the aviation industry, with airlines increasingly investing in onboard culinary experiences. El Al, for example, has partnered with chef Assaf Granit as part of its effort to differentiate the flight experience through food.
Arkia CEO Oz Berlowitz said the move is part of a wider strategic effort undertaken over the past year. “Choosing chef Shahaf Shabtay is part of a broad strategy aimed at strengthening the service experience and upgrading the product on long-haul flights,” he said. “As we expand our destination map and deepen our long-haul operations, we see great importance in investing in the details that shape the overall flight experience.”
Shabtay said he was excited to take on the role. “There is no more inspiring place than creating above the clouds, offering experiences between countries and culinary memories on every flight,” he said. “I am excited to bring my cooking back on board and create new culinary offerings with Arkia that will give passengers another reason to fly.”