Chef Aaron Claxton

Asia / Pacific

"You will never please all of your customers all of the time -- but there is no harm in trying!"

Aaron Miles Claxton joined Gate Gourmet Shanghai in August 2006 as Production Manager. He is responsible for all local and international flights catered by Gate Gourmet out of Shanghai.

A British citizen, Aaron completed his culinary training in London under the City and Guilds Craft skills syllabus and developed subsequent culinary skills at the Royal Naval Catering school in Aldershot, UK. It was also this institute that awarded Chef Aaron with the title "Royal Naval Chef of the year 1984."

His career took Chef Aaron to many corners of the world. During his Naval career, he served as Sous chef on board Her Majesty's Royal Yacht "Britannia" for four years and most recently, for a period of twelve years, he held the post of Executive Chef / Production Manager at Oman Air's in-flight catering unit in Muscat, in the Sultanate of Oman.

Having spent the major part of his career working in the Middle East region -- with strong culinary influences also of neighboring countries like India and East Africa -- Chef Aaron has absorbed a broad knowledge from these cultures. He specialized in this vibrant mix of cuisines, which is predominantly influenced by fresh spices and aromatic herbs.

When Chef Aaron started his career in the early 1980s, the food industry was not generally as high-profile as it is today in terms of creativity and design and its importance as a mainstay of social life. The opportunity of traveling and working in foreign lands as well as the chance of being creative and artistic were his motivating factors for choosing the culinary trade.

His desire to seek alternative experiences and challenges finally landed Chef Aaron in the airline catering industry. After having worked on ships, in hotels and in private government residences, the airline business with its international flair and opportunities was his choice. Chef Aaron's ambition is to support airlines in their efforts to be above the rest (no pun intended), to win recognition for their culinary excellence and to provide their passengers with a unique flying experience.

Chef Aaron has a passion for desserts, and particularly those that are not particularly intricate or fancy, but made with simple ingredients and fresh products.

One of his favorites is a Bitter Chocolate Hot Soufflé laced with Tia Maria Liquor. "It has an extremely light texture, is rich in flavor and when served straight from the oven is a pure delight to savor. And it's simple to prepare!"

People would be surprised to know that "I eat only one meal a day. OK -- there's the samplings, tastings, etc. of the daily working routine, but even on vacation the same applies. Probably not what is expected of someone constantly surrounded by tempting foods all day!"

When Aaron is not cooking he enjoys a quiet life, spending time with his family, time to relax and unwind, reading and walking.