From 1 November 2026, Martinican chef Louis-Philippe Vigilant will introduce new dishes in Air France’s Business cabin on departures from the French Caribbean and French Guiana. Presented in Fort-de-France on 28 October, the collaboration also tells a story of family, passing on culinary knowledge and staying true to the flavours of childhood.
“I hope my mother will travel in Business,” says Louis-Philippe Vigilant. The chef has just been discussing his new creations for Air France. When he speaks about the person he would like to share them with, his thoughts return to the dishes she cooked when he was a child.
Dombrés, the small dough dumplings of Caribbean cooking, feature in those memories. He recalls versions made with cirique and other crabs, then explains how he has reworked them with prawns for the new menu. Fish and shellfish pot-au-feu, piment végétarien — a fragrant, mild Caribbean pepper — and shellfish also draw on the family influences he wants to bring to his recipes.
Originally from Rivière-Pilote in southern Martinique, Louis-Philippe Vigilant is a Martinican chef with two Michelin stars who now heads the kitchens of La Côte d’Or at Relais Bernard Loiseau in Saulieu. His signature dishes for the airline bring together the two places that have shaped his career.
Childhood flavours as a starting point
Asked what inspires his dishes, the chef names familiar ingredients and preparations: giromon squash, christophine (chayote), spices, ginger and piment végétarien. He combines them with techniques learned during his training and career in mainland France.
His cooking makes room for memories while giving them a fresh interpretation. The prawn dombré is one example: he retains a family reference and gives it a new expression, developed for this collaboration.
For him, the menu should also introduce travellers to some of Martinique’s culinary richness. “We have to make them dream,” he explains during the interview. His ambition rests on the pleasure of eating and the curiosity that ingredients, pairings and flavours can awaken.
From Rivière-Pilote to Maison Loiseau
After training at La Colline hospitality school in Montpellier, Louis-Philippe Vigilant joined La Côte d’Or in 2006, working alongside Patrick Bertron. His career then took him to L’Oustau de Baumanière and Le Strato in Courchevel, before he became head chef at Loiseau des Ducs in Dijon, where he earned a Michelin star.
He returned to Saulieu in 2022 as deputy head chef. In September 2023, Patrick Bertron handed him the culinary leadership of La Côte d’Or.
That grounding now informs his work with ingredients, sauces and cooking techniques. Martinique continues to play its part too. At the presentation of his collaboration with Air France, the chef described his involvement as a way of returning to his island, where he also took the opportunity to spend time with his family.
Sharing a culinary wealth still to be explored
Looking beyond his own career, Louis-Philippe Vigilant speaks of the possibilities offered by Martinican produce. He welcomes the initiatives of producers gaining greater recognition and of young chefs developing their own projects on the island.
His new menu provides another opportunity to share these culinary traditions. Some passengers leaving the French Caribbean will recognise familiar flavours; others will discover them during the journey.
The project has taken shape with the teams at Servair and Air France. Several months of work went into developing the recipes and adapting them for airline service, while preserving what the chef wants to convey on the plate.
Where can passengers discover the new menu?
Twelve dishes have been developed and will be introduced progressively. Those announced include fish and shellfish pot-au-feu with Madras curry sauce and ginger-seasoned vegetables, alongside Burgundy-style braised beef cheek served with mashed potatoes flavoured with Cazette hazelnut.
The launch is scheduled for 1 November 2026 in Business on long-haul flights from Pointe-à-Pitre, Fort-de-France, Saint-Martin and Cayenne to Paris-Charles de Gaulle, as well as on selected routes within Air France’s regional Caribbean network.
For Louis-Philippe Vigilant, the menu reflects both the demands of his profession and the memories of his childhood. Among the travellers whose reaction he may be looking forward to is his mother, to whom several of these recipes pay a quiet tribute.
Photographs, including the cover image: © Richès Karayib.
Also on LATITUDE 15: Air France: Louis-Philippe Vigilant puts gastronomy at the heart of the passenger experience.
