303: Creating menus for Virgin Atlantic at 35,000 feet

<div>"I literally have the best job in the world," says Hari Ghotra, Global Food and Beverage Manager at <a href="https://www.virginatlantic.com/">Virgin Atlantic</a>. "I get to travel a lot, meet some amazing chefs, and eat some incredible food."<br> <br> It's hard to argue with that assessment. If you love food and love travel, this is up there as one of the dream jobs.<br> <br> Added to that, Hari is also a hugely successful cook, author and entrepreneur, founding the biggest Indian food digital platform in the UK <a href="https://www.harighotra.co.uk/">harighotra.co.uk<br> </a><br> Her book <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Indian-Everyone-Healthy-Dishes-Family/dp/0760377170/ref=sr_1_1?crid=3HYXS0EI4FOPV&amp;keywords=indian+for+everyone+hari&amp;qid=1658225177&amp;sprefix=indian+for+everyone+hari%2Caps%2C58&amp;sr=8-1&amp;tag=linkfire-smarturl-21">"Indian for Everyone: 100 Easy, Healthy Dishes the Whole Family Will Love"</a> is proving extremely popular too.<br> <br> Hari's job at Virgin Atlantic sees her travelling all around the world, working with caterers, and trying to find the best food to serve in the air.<br> <br> She manages the menus on all inbound flights to the UK and goes to painstaking lengths to make sure that what is served meets the needs of the passengers and crew.<br> <br> There are certain challenges to serving 300 meals at 35,000-feet, not least the way our taste pallets change at altitude.<br> <br> There's also limited equipment to contend with on a plane, and the pure logistics of trying to serve hundreds of meals very quickly in a small space.<br> <br> Hari and her team go through hours and hours of testing to get the best results. "It is personal," she says. "The chefs that I work with take it personally if something they've created doesn't come across how they want it to be or if a customer isn't happy."<br> <br> Listen to the full episode to find out how she launched her own business, why she believes loving what you do is the key to success, and why certain wines taste better than