Centurion Lounge Revamps Menu With Chefs Mashama Bailey and Kwame Onwuachi

American Express is bringing together hospitality professionals from some of the country’s most acclaimed restaurants and bars to enhance the menus at its 15 Centurion Lounges in U.S. airports, from Atlanta to Washington, D.C.

Platinum card members will now have access to seasonally changing menu items from 2019 F&W Best New Chef Kwame Onwuachi of Tatiana in New York City; Mashama Bailey of The Grey in Savannah, Georgia; Michael Solomonov of Zahav in Philadelphia; and Sarah Grueneberg of Monteverde Restaurant & Pastificio in Chicago – all Resy chefs whose restaurants can be booked on the platform.

But travelers won’t need bookings in four cities; the chefs will each contribute dishes inspired by their restaurants, such as Onwuachi’s Suya Short Ribs, Bailey’s Paprika Chicken, Solomonov’s Pomegranate Glazed Salmon with Tabbouleh, and Grueneberg’s Lemony Orzo with Artichokes and Dill.

“With help from our Resy chef partners, we’ve brought together a group of some of the most exciting culinary minds in America to create incredible menus, available all in one place for the first time ever,” said Audrey Hendley, president of American Express Travel.

Dubbed The Culinary Collective by The Centurion Lounge, the group of chefs’ dishes will be offered alongside a menu of local specialties, from each airport’s location, and paired with cocktails from Harrison Ginsberg, the bar director at New York City’s internationally acclaimed Overstory.

“Traveling helps form the way I think of cocktails – whether it’s discovering cool ingredients or having conversations with locals that influence a drink,” he said. “The cocktails I’m creating each have an element of travel inspiration, and I’m looking forward to travelers exploring the menu.”

The announcement comes with AMEX’s debut of a new concept for the many travelers who spend less than an hour in airport lounges. Designed like a private club, Sidecar by The Centurion Lounge is opening at Las Vegas’ Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) with quicker bites and drinks for Platinum card members departing in 90 minutes or less. The Culinary Collective dishes will be available on this menu, too.

“Each of the chefs, and American Express, share the same ethos. We care about food, innovation, and diverse flavors – key elements of this collaboration,” said Solomonov.

All menu items will vary by lounge, so frequent fliers can continue to be surprised, starting on July 29.