Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Etihad Airways Inflight Chef, Sanjay Thakur, has broken the world record for creating and serving dinner to guests at the highest pop-up restaurant in the world, located at Everest Advanced High Camp.
Accompanied by fellow chef Soundararajan Palaniappan, Mr. Thakur completed the grueling mission earlier this month, reaching the high camp and serving the meal at an altitude of 5,585 metres above sea level.
Mr. Thakur’s record-breaking achievements were celebrated at Etihad’s headquarters recently with a special ceremony attended by Etihad senior management and staff.
Commenting at the event, Tony Douglas, Group Chief Executive Officer of Etihad Aviation Group, said: “Sanjay exhibits the true Etihad spirit and we are thrilled to welcome him back home and congratulate him whole-heartedly for this epic achievement. We are all very proud of him.”
The world record-holding chefs prepared for months to make the attempt, including acclimatisation and fitness training, and complex logistics to ensure they had the permit, gear and transportation they needed to prepare the meal and welcome guests.
“Coming from the Himalayas, I’ve grown up in awe of these mountains and it has been a huge personal achievement to combine my love of food and cooking with a remarkable project to promote sustainability and to help protect this unique part of the world,” adds Mr. Thakur.
In addition to breaking a world record, the goal of the challenge was to raise awareness of sustainability in the region, with all proceeds being donated to Altruistic Hands, a Nepal-based charity.
The meal itself included ingredients collected from the alpine environment around them on the mountains. Staying true to the theme of sustainability, the team used solar energy to cook the meal, served on lava rock plates.
About Etihad Aviation Group
Headquartered in Abu Dhabi, the Etihad Aviation Group is a diversified global aviation and travel group with a business model driven by partnership and an innovative approach to growth. Etihad Aviation Group comprises five business divisions – Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates; Etihad Airways Engineering; Etihad Airport Services; Hala Group and Airline Equity Partners. For more information, please visit: etihad.com.
About Etihad Airways
From its Abu Dhabi base, Etihad Airways flies to 93 international passenger and cargo destinations with its fleet of 111 Airbus and Boeing aircraft. Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United Arab Emirates, was established by Royal (Emiri) Decree in July 2003. For more information, please visit: etihad.com.