Edward O'Reilly

Staff

Librarians from the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library reveal fascinating stories from the past through exceptional items in the collection.

From the Stacks

Our Dining in Transit blog post series uses menus and other documents from the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library collection to dive into the appetizing history of how ships, trains, and planes kept travelers well-fed during the 20th century. This week, we investigate a little-known dining club formed by the chefs of United Airlines.

United Air Lines demonstrated its devotion to culinary excellence by establishing the industry’s first flight kitchen in Oakland in 1936. The airline also hired chefs from Switzerland, a country known for training many of Europe’s finest chefs. Information about the flight kitchens, photographs or drawings of the chefs, and lists of their credentials often appeared on United’s dining menus.

Dinner menu
The Hollywood, ca. early 1950s
United Air Lines

Passengers learned not only where their meals had been prepared but also which chef ran the flight kitchen. Emil Salzmann was the chef at United’s New York City flight kitchen in 1951, the year United celebrated its 15th year of “airline dining service aloft.”

Rather than celebrate the year it first carried passengers, United opted to acknowledge its 15th year serving food aloft. On this and many other menus from 1951, United reminded passengers that it was the first airline to establish a flight kitchen, that eleven more kitchens had been added since 1936, and “Mainliner cuisine has become famous with travelers the world over.” An inset of a 1936 menu graces the left side of the 1951 menu’s interior.

Dinner menu
Commemorating the 15th Anniversary of Airline Dining Service Aloft, 1951
United Air Lines

United prided itself on its professional chefs, and those chefs took their careers seriously. In 1944 they convened for the first time as Les Amis de Mainliner Chefs. The name was a play on Les Amis d’Escoffier, a group established in the United States in 1936 to continue the culinary tradition of the famed French chef, Auguste Escoffier.  

Event menu
Les Amis de Mainliner Cuisine, 1944
United Air Lines

Event menu
Les Amis de Mainliner Cuisine, 1947
United Air Lines

Dinners of the Les Amis de Mainliner Chefs were a mix of celebration and competition, with each chef preparing an impressive dish with the goal of outdoing all the other chefs. A specific organization was often feted at these dinners. In 1950, United honored its advertising agency at the time, N.W. Ayer.

Event menu
Les Amis de Mainliner Cuisine, 1950
United Air Lines

In yet another promotion of its professional chefs and their culinary proficiency, United published a booklet, Favorite Recipes of Mainliner Chefs, in 1954. It was a compilation of recipes that had appeared in the airline’s inflight magazine. A copy of the booklet could be ordered for 25 cents.

Most recipes were attributed to a specific United chef and biographies of all the chefs appeared at the back of the booklet. Fairly ordinary dishes, like sweet rolls and baked potatoes were transformed into signature dishes: Mainliner sweet rolls, Mainliner baked potatoes.

Booklet
Favorite Recipes of Mainliner Chefs, 1954
United Air Lines

Nina Nazionale is director of library operations and curator of printed collections at the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library at the New-York Historical Society.

Next in the Dining in Transit blog series: Postwar Air Travel.

United Air Lines was the first airline to establish a flight kitchen.
Favorite Recipes of Mainliner Chefs, 1954, United Air Lines

Dining in Transit: The Chefs of United Airlines

Explore the stories and programs from the country’s first and only children’s history museum. From toddlers to tweens, we have something for everyone!

History Detectives

Little New-Yorkers @ Home: Go Mice Skating!

The Center for Women’s History highlights exhibitions, programs, and education while promoting women’s history through original research, interviews, and guest posts.

Eugene Gordon. The Women’s Strike for Equality on August 26, 1970. 

Women at the Center

Image on a historical tarot card showing cupid shooting an arrow on people below, Schaffhouse Tarrocchini, 1860, Switzerland, Patricia D. Klingenstein Library, New-York Historical Society

Reclaiming Salem: Our Favorite Objects From the New Exhibition

Airlines often printed menus on postcards to showcase their planes and inflight meals. 
Dinner menu, Flagship, late 1930s, American Airlines.

Dining in Transit: Early Air Travel: Picnic Baskets & Flight Kitchens

Reading into History: Interview with Tim Tingle, Author of How I Became a Ghost

On Sunday, November 13, the 4th floor of the Museum—including The Salem Witch Trials—will be closed.

The Museum and Library will be closed for Thanksgiving on Wednesday and Thursday, November 23 and 24.

Banner Announcements

Blog Social Share

Your subscription to our list has been confirmed.

Stay in touch! Subscribe now for Education updates:

Education programs are made possible through endowments established by
National Endowment for the Humanities
The Hearst Foundations
The Peter Jay Sharp Foundation

Public funds are provided by
Institute of Museum and Library Services
New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council
New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature

Education programs at New-York Historical receive generous support from
The Achelis and Bodman Foundation
The Edith and Frances Mulhall Achilles Memorial Fund
Acorn Hill Foundation
Altman Foundation
Amazon
Barker Welfare Foundation
Carnegie Corporation of New York
Con Edison
Deutsche Bank
Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation
Henry Nias Foundation
Alan Shuch and Leslie Himmel
JPMorgan Chase Foundation
Keith Haring Foundation
IBM
Caroline Lowndes Foundation
Alice Lawrence Foundation

The Michael Tuch Foundation
Mellon Foundation
Sandra and Lowell Mintz
Consulate General of the Netherlands
New York Community Trust
Heidi and Richard Ong
Pine Tree Foundation of New York
The Pinkerton Foundation
Jean Reid
Richard Reiss
Rice Family Foundation
The Scripps Family Fund for Education and the Arts
Stavros Niarchos Foundation
Gillian V. and Robert Steel
Dorothy Tapper Goldman Foundation
Dr. Agnes Hsu-Tang and Oscar Tang
Thompson Family Foundation
Tiger Baron Foundation
The Waterfall Family Foundation
Whiting Foundation
Winston Foundation
Marie and John Zimmermann Fund

School Programs

Teacher Resources

Teen Programs

Citizenship Project

Homeschool Resources

Higher Education

Exhibitions

Installations

Upcoming

Browse a round-up of upcoming exhibitions from the New-York Historical Society

Exhibition Category Page – UPCOMING

Online

Explore our online exhibitions that cover such a wide array of topics as the Black American experience, the environmental history of the Hudson River, and the history of the presidency.

Exhibition Category Page – ONLINE

Current

What's on view at New-York Historical? Get an up-close look at all of our current exhibitions and installations.

Exhibition Category Page – CURRENT

Traveling

Explore the New-York Historical exhibitions that available as traveling shows.

Exhibition Category Page – TRAVELING

Past

Exhibition Landing Page – PAST

Program Genre – TALKS

Talks

Program Genre - EDUCATION

Education

Program Genre – WOMENS HISTORY

Women's History Salons

Program Genre – MEMBERS

Members

Program Genre – HISTORY AFTER DARK

History After Dark

Program Genre – TOURS

Tours

Program Genre – FAMILY

Family

Free daily tours at 1 pm and 2:30 pm (subject to availability)

Hours (Global)

Due to a private event the Library will be closed Tuesday, November 1. 

Microsite Program Genre – EXTENDED ENGLISH COURSE

Extended English Course

Microsite Program Genre – SPANISH COURSES

Spanish Courses

Microsite Program Genre – IN PERSON MUSEUM COURSE

In-Person Museum Course

Microsite Program Genre – PRACTICE INTERVIEW

Practice Interview

Microsite Program Genre – VIRTUAL COURSE

Virtual Course

Microsite Program Genre – NATURALIZATION ASSISTANCE EVENT

Naturalization Assistance Event

Microsite Program Genre – NATIONAL PARTNER COURSE

National Partner Course

Parallax Images for Backgrounds

For collection image requests that are unrelated to current and upcoming exhibitions, visit our Rights & Reproduction Department.

Please continue in your email application. Feel free to add any additional information, then send the email. If you're email application did not automatically show up please send an email to communications@nyhistory.org.

Press Newsletter

Buy Tickets

Admission is pay-as-you-wish from 6–8 pm on Fridays.

Adults

Seniors, Educators, Active Military

Students

Kids (5–13 years old)

Children Under 5

Get Directions

Subway: Take the B (weekdays only) or C to 81st Street. We're also a 12-minute walk from the 72nd Street station for the 1, 2, and 3 trains at Broadway at 72nd Street. For a complete subway map, visit the MTA website. 

Please note: The 81st Street subway station is  not wheelchair accessible. The closest accessible subway station is the 72nd Street station.

Bus: The M79 bus travels east/west on West 79th Street across Central Park, with a nearby stop on West 81st Street. Other buses also stop at or nearby, including the M7, M10, M11, M86, and M104 buses. For complete bus information, visit the MTA website.

There is a limited amount of street parking on 77th Street, 76th Street and Central Park West.

Nearby parking garages can be found at:
203 W 77th Street, (212) 362-2308
205 W 76th Street, (212) 874-7600 
201 W 75th Street, (212) 874-0581

All garages are between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

All you need to know about conducting research in the Patricia D. Klingenstein Library

Visit the Library

Library Overview Page

By Appointment Only—Learn More

The New-York Historical Society
170 Central Park West
at Richard Gilder Way (77th Street)

Donate now to help New-York Historical continue its mission and join today and enjoy all that the Museum has to offer.

Join & Give

New York City Explorer Pass

The New York Pass

Travelers' Choice 2020

Become a Member

2022-11-17 Floorplan.pdf

Download Museum & Library Map

Sign up for one of our exceptional tours for your group of 10 or more people

Group Tours

10 or More Visitors? Explore Group Tours

Visit Information

New-York Historical's blogs showcase rare finds in our collection, our wide array of exhibitions and upcoming programs, and striking interviews with esteemed scholars, authors, and historians.

Claude Samton's 1986 photo mosaic Canal Street showing a busy intersection on Canal during the day

Blogs