Rasmus Munk, famous for his immersive approach at Copenhagen’s Alchemist, has teamed up with SpaceVIP, a luxury space travel group, and Space Perspective, described as a carbon-neutral spaceflight experience company, to offer ‘stratospheric dining’ on a six-hour flight taking off from Florida, US, in 2025.
Only one table for six people is available, however, ‘starting at the price of $495,000 per ticket’, said the partners.
Guests will ascend to 100,000 feet above sea level aboard Space Perspective’s Spaceship Neptune craft, which features a capsule lifted by a ‘SpaceBalloon’, not a rocket.
An example trajectory of the journey. Photo credit: Courtesy of Alchemist, SpaceVIP and Space Perspective.
Dressed in made-to-measure outfits from fashion house Ogier, guests will then enjoy ‘the meal of a lifetime’ above 99% of the Earth’s atmosphere, dining ‘as they watch the sunrise over the Earth’s curvature’, the partners said.
Alchemist has an award-winning wine list, and a restaurant spokesperson said that wine and other beverages will be offered to diners during the journey.
‘The cabin is pressurised, so it’s basically like drinking wine on an airplane,’ the spokesperson added.
Room is tight onboard, so several food components will be prepared in advance, just before take-off. Chef Munk will then have a ‘mini-kitchen’ on the craft itself; there will be no open flame, but this will be used to heat, finish and garnish the dishes during the flight.
Munk, who is co-owner of two-Michelin-star Alchemist, is keen to include dishes inspired by 60 years of human space exploration, and reflecting the impact this has had on society – ‘both scientifically and philosophically’.
Alchemist head chef Rasmus Munk. Photo credit: Jonathan Hedrick, courtesy of Alchemist.
Munk said, ‘Immersiveness is central to [the concept of] Holistic Cuisine, and my ambition is to blend gastronomy with art and science to create awareness about social and environmental issues.
‘In this experience, I want to highlight food as a common thread in our human existence, and it will be truly meaningful to serve it while gazing down at the Earth’s curvature.’
He added that Alchemist’s domed main dining room is inspired by his visit to Copenhagen Planetarium as a child.
Roman Chiporukha, founder of SpaceVIP and board member of the Space Prize, described the initiative as an ‘unprecedented culinary odyssey’.
It is set to be the first in series of voyages offered by Space Perspective and curated by Space VIP, ‘in partnership with leading artists in their respective fields’, said these two groups.
Jane Poynter, founder and co-CEO of Space Perspective, said, ‘With our unique spaceflights, we are enabling what can be this completely life-changing moment for people – a profound shift in the way we humans view the world and our place within it.’
Proceeds from the event will go to the Space Prize Foundation, which is dedicated to promoting gender equity in science and technology.