Traverse City · KTVC / TVC · Michigan

Private jet catering at Cherry Capital Airport (KTVC / TVC), Traverse City

Catering to your aircraft in Traverse City.

At Cherry Capital in July the ramp is full of lake-house traffic, and the galleys fill with cherries and smoked fish. We cook and pack for the aircraft you have, and hand it to your FBO.

Menu & order Download the menu

10 hours

ideal notice, last-minute handled

Plane-side

handover at the steps

Flight deck

crew and pilot dishes, on request

24/7

a flight attendant on the line

Three of us. All ex VIP cabin crew.

We know the galley, the diet card and the 5 a.m. re-plate — because we lived them. So we built the caterer we always wished we could call.

Camille

Menu & galley logistics

Fourteen years on VIP and head-of-state cabins. Can plate for twelve in a G650 galley and still land it hot.

Inès

Dietary & labelling

The one who reads every diet card twice. If it says no cross-contact, it means no cross-contact.

Sofia

The 24/7 line

Answers at 5 a.m. when the leg moved overnight. Same-day swaps are her love language.

The local tableCooked so it travels

The Traverse City table, packed for private jet catering

Michigan's Traverse City area is cherry country, and a private jet menu for Cherry Capital can say so without strain. Tart Montmorency cherries go into a salad with goat cheese and toasted pecans, or into a compote that rides in its own pot beside a cold chicken breast. Lake Michigan whitefish, smoked or pan-seared, is the local fish, and our private jet food for Traverse City builds a plate around it. Our inflight menu also takes in Leelanau and Old Mission Peninsula produce: sweet corn in August, apples from September, asparagus in spring. Local specialities such as Michigan cherry pie and pasties travel well and suit a late arrival. For a group we assemble private jet platters of smoked fish, local cheeses and fruit, gourmet inflight meals that need only plating, and private jet snacks of dried cherries and nuts. Everything is packed for a galley with little oven space, so cold items stay cold and sauces come apart.

What the Traverse City area grows decides the private jet menu at KTVC more than any fixed list. Cherries run the season, fresh in July, dried and jarred the rest of the year, and they sit well beside duck, pork and soft cheeses. Smoked whitefish and trout from the northern Michigan lakes make the cold course, and our inflight menu pairs them with rye crisps and a mustard dressing. Orchard apples and Leelanau cheeses fill autumn. Private jet food for this airport is built around those local specialities rather than imported ones. A typical order combines private jet platters for the cabin, gourmet inflight meals for dinner and private jet snacks for the legs home. We pack for the galley on board: Oven items finish in the aircraft oven, everything else is Chilled or Re-plate cold, and every sauce travels apart.

Open the menu Download the menuPDF

Smoked Lake Michigan whitefish with cherry salad, local specialities from Traverse City packed for a private jet menu

01Montmorency cherry and goat cheese saladChilled; dressing in its own pot

02Smoked Lake Michigan whitefish plateRe-plate cold; rye crisps on the side

03Pan-seared whitefish with lemon butterOven; sauce apart

04Cherry-glazed duck breastOven; glaze apart

05Leelanau cheese and orchard apple boardChilled; cut per guest

06Michigan cherry pieRe-plate cold; cream apart

How it works

Three steps, one message

You message us

Tail, pax, diets, timing. One message — no portal, no quote form. Answered at any hour, by a flight attendant.

We cook & pack for a galley

Leak-proof boxes, marked by guest and restriction, with reheating times written on the lid.

You re-plate and serve

Two minutes out of the drawer. Whatever you ordered for the crew comes in the same delivery, and one clean invoice follows.

At a glance · Traverse CityCherry Capital Airport · KTVC

The three founders, former VIP cabin crew, on a business jet airstair — private jet catering at Cherry Capital Airport (KTVC)

Cherry Capital sits on a hill above Grand Traverse Bay, and in July the ramp fills with light jets and turboprops bound for the lake houses. Private jet catering at KTVC is mostly a question of what keeps well in a small galley: whitefish, cherry salads, cold plates that wait in the drawer. We cook, pack and label for the aircraft you actually have. It works as inflight catering for a family weekend and as aviation catering for a corporate group, with business aviation catering and executive jet catering handled the same way. Diplomatic flight catering and cabin crew meals follow the same order process.

Restaurant cuisine, cooked on the ground
Fresh and local produce
Labelled by seat, diet and reheat
Aviation-ready packaging
High loader for large cabins
HACCP certified kitchens

Who we fly forTwo cabins, one standard

Private jet cabin with a gourmet inflight meal served on board after takeoff from Traverse City, Michigan

Business aviationOur core

Business jet & VIP jet catering at Cherry Capital Airport

A typical business jet catering order at KTVC is four to eight guests on a midsize aircraft, flying to or from a summer house or a winter ski weekend. Corporate jet catering here is built around the galley: cold plates for light jets, an oven course for larger cabins, and VIP flight catering when the passengers are particular. Charter flight catering is the same order, just billed apart from the charter. Luxury inflight catering at Traverse City leans on what the region grows, and a private jet chef writes a bespoke menu around the guests' tastes.

Government flight catering tray for a delegation, plated for head of state aircraft at Cherry Capital Airport, TVC

State & royalDiscretion, protocol

Government flight and VIP aviation catering at Cherry Capital Airport

When a delegation lands at Traverse City, we work from the protocol office's brief. Government flight catering and head of state flight catering share one rule: the menu is agreed first, nobody outside the team sees it, and trays carry no names. VIP aviation catering for a state visit aircraft catering order follows the same discreet line.

Inflight catering menu highlights at *Cherry Capital Airport* (KTVC)Or write your own, we cook it

Chilled private jet platters of smoked whitefish and cheese for a gourmet inflight meal at Cherry Capital Airport, KTVC

Cold galley

No oven · served in four minutes

Smoked whitefish and rye crisps — private jet plattersRe-plate cold

Cherry and goat cheese salad — gourmet inflight mealsChilled

Leelanau cheese and apple boardChilled

Dried cherry and nut mix — private jet snacksChilled

Hot gourmet inflight meals of whitefish and cherry-glazed duck finished in a galley oven, Traverse City, Michigan

Hot service

One oven · re-plated in twelve minutes

Pan-seared whitefish, lemon butter — gourmet inflight mealsOven

Cherry-glazed duck breast, wild riceSauce apart

Beef short rib, root vegetablesOven

Chicken pot pie, Michigan style — private jet plattersOven

Make a request Download the menuPDF

A dish sealed and labelled for one guest's diet

PrincipalSealed

Nut-free · gluten-freeChecked by two people

Special meals

Dietary requirements and aviation catering at Cherry Capital Airport (KTVC)

Special meals at Cherry Capital start with the local kitchen: nut-heavy cherry dishes, wheat in pasties and pie crust, and dairy in the Leelanau cheeses are where allergens hide here. For kosher, halal, vegan, gluten free, allergen free and kids meals we use separate boards, a separate box and a sealed tray, and the diet is marked by seat number on the lid, never by name. Tell us the restriction with the order and we write the menu around it.

Allergens

A sheet per guest. Separate boards, separate boxes.

ii.

Halal & kosher

Sealed, certificate in the same box.

iii.

Children

Their own menu, nothing to cut at altitude.

iv.

Plant-based & wellness

Vegan, low-carb, light — composed, never compromised.

Crew & pilot mealsOn request

Pilot meals and crew meals at Cherry Capital Airport (TVC)

When the crew is waiting on the ground at Traverse City, we pack for the wait: crew meals that keep, flight crew meals that reheat, and pilot meals that can be eaten in the cockpit. Crew catering is a requested item, invoiced with the order. Cockpit meals come in crew meal boxes labelled CREW, with different meals for pilots when the policy asks. Cabin crew meals can be added to the same box.

Meal passKTVC

Cabin crew

Box

Marked crew

Galley

Oven 6 min

Order

On request

Marked crew

Meal passKTVC

Pilots

Box

CPT ≠ F/O

Galley

Cold or hot

Order

On request

Two dishes

Cherry Capital Airport terminal and apron at Traverse City, Michigan, where airport catering is handed to the FBO

To the steps, on your slot.

Airside · plane-side · day or night

DeliveryEvery FBO

FBO delivery and FBO catering at Cherry Capital Airport (TVC)

FBO catering at Cherry Capital means a handover at the general aviation terminal, to your handling agent, on your slot. Catering delivery to the FBO is arranged with ground handling catering rules in mind: access, gate, and who opens the door. Handling agent catering is simple when you send us the tail and slot; we coordinate airside delivery and confirm by email.

FBOHandling agentGround handlerGA terminal

High loaderLarge cabins, bizliners

Aircraft provisioning for large cabins: airport catering at Cherry Capital Airport

Aircraft at Traverse City range from light jets to the occasional larger charter, and the type sets the loading. A small cabin has no room for a cart, so galley catering arrives in compact boxes sized for the drawer. A larger aircraft with a high door may call for a high loader on the apron, which we arrange through your handling agent. Airside catering delivery follows the FBO's access rules, and aircraft provisioning for a full tank of ice and drinks is listed at order time, so nothing gets carried up a staircase twice.

Mention it when you order

HACCP kitchen

Certified, inspected, with cold-chain records filed against your trip.

All FBOs served

Whichever terminal you park at, handover is at the aircraft, on your slot.

Diets read twice

Allergen sheet per guest, halal and kosher on request, sealed and labelled.

One clean invoice

Itemised and trip-report ready, sent after the leg.

About the airportKTVC / TVC

About Cherry Capital Airport: business aviation and airport catering

Cherry Capital Airport serves Traverse City and northern Michigan, and it handles a steady stream of general aviation alongside scheduled service. The airport sits at 624 feet and has a tidy general aviation ramp used by owners, charters and the occasional delegation. For catering, that means simple access, a clear handling agent process and a summer peak you plan around.

Business aviation

Airport catering at Cherry Capital sits at a business aviation hub for northern Michigan, with general aviation and FBO services close to the terminal and ground handling services on call. Inflight catering and in-flight catering are ordered the same way; aviation catering and business aviation catering use one process. Executive jet catering for owners flying in for the weekend is typical, diplomatic flight catering is occasional, and cabin crew meals complete the order.

Customs & food import

Traverse City handles international arrivals under US customs, and agricultural rules apply to any food carried in from abroad: fresh fruit, meat and dairy are the usual seizures. Catering prepared locally is domestic. Ask your handling agent about customs hours at KTVC, and tell us if the aircraft arrives from overseas so we plan the outbound menu.

ReviewsFrom the crews we cater for

5.0 / 5

★★★★★

Average rating from the cabin crew and pilots we cater for.

Leave a review

★★★★★VIP AIRLINER

“Choosing a cheese board and savoury canapés for 11 people at Cherry Capital Airport was straightforward; the challenge was making it work with a revised passenger count. The salads supplied by The Galley Girls were straightforward to check against the written menu before the cabin handover. Keeping the desserts identifiable helped the colleague taking over service understand the order without another long explanation. With jet catering, careful attention to storage requirements matters as much to our crew as the menu itself.”

Hannah P. | Chief cabin officer — BBJ

BBJ 2

★★★★★BUSINESS JET

“My order at KTVC covered smoked salmon bagels and sliced fruit for 8 guests, with a practical service plan needed because of an evening cabin service. The Galley Girls understood why we wanted the starters readily accessible instead of spread across several different boxes. That left time to check the main courses properly before the passengers were ready for the next part of the service. The order made VIP flight catering feel manageable because the galley preparation had been considered beforehand.”

Mia P. | VIP flight attendant

Global 7500

★★★★★LARGE CABIN

“Clear quantities were essential at TVC: we had 6 passengers expecting a mezze selection with flatbreads and were working around several individual meal preferences. I gave The Galley Girls our storage brief and asked for the sandwiches to arrive in divided catering boxes. The order made charter flight catering feel manageable because the written menu details had been considered beforehand. We placed the breakfast portions in their planned storage area without first having to reorganise all the catering boxes.”

Andrei Q. | Chief flight attendant

Gulfstream G650ER

Asked before every KTVC slotAsked by crews

How much does private jet catering cost on a long leg out of Traverse City with two services on board?+

Take a family flying from TVC to Florida with lunch and dinner on board. Lunch might be whitefish and rye, dinner a pot pie finished in the oven, and each is priced as a separate set of dishes. That is how private jet catering cost is built here: menu by menu, per service, per passenger. We quote it in writing before anything is cooked.

What is the lead time for private jet catering when the passenger count at Cherry Capital changes at the last minute?+

If two guests become six on the morning of departure, call us. We re-cut the cheese board, add salads and relabel by seat number. Lead time at KTVC is shorter on cold menus and longer on special meals, because a kosher or allergen-free tray needs its own preparation. Last-minute orders are handled, and the phone is open 24/7.

What do customs require for catering on a delegation or government flight into Traverse City?+

Delegations and state visits bring extra attention. At KTVC, inbound catering is checked by US customs, and anything of agricultural origin may be held. We therefore prepare a fresh set of meals once the aircraft is cleared, and we keep dietary and protocol notes confidential. Ask us before the trip which items are safe to carry.

Can you bring food for a special-meal request at Cherry Capital, such as kosher, halal, allergen or child meals?+

Yes, outside food is possible, though most clients let us handle a special meal because the preparation matters. At Cherry Capital the local dishes lean on nuts, wheat and dairy, so we check every component. A kosher tray stays sealed until served, and an allergen free tray is made apart from the rest.

Is catering part of a charter flying out of Traverse City when the crew waits on the ground for hours?+

Catering is ordered apart from the charter and invoiced apart. For a crew sitting out a long turn at Traverse City, the order can include pilot meals that survive a delay: cold plates in the drawer, a hot dish for the oven. Tell us the duty time and we plan around it.