Carlsbad · KCRQ / CLD · California

Private jet catering at McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ / CLD), Carlsbad, also listed as CRQ

Catering to your aircraft in Carlsbad.

Marine-layer mornings and a short mesa runway set the pace at Carlsbad. We cook and pack California private jet catering for your galley and hand it over at the 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

Carlsbad on the plate: local specialities for in-flight catering at CLD

Southern California cooking is built on produce, and a private jet menu for Carlsbad leans on it: Carlsbad strawberries in season, Hass avocados from the San Diego County groves, Meyer lemons and blood oranges, and fish landed along the Pacific coast. Every private jet menu we write for California starts there, then bends to the galley of the aircraft. The inflight menu is built from local specialities that survive a cabin: grilled halibut with the sauce in a separate pot, carne asada tacos assembled by the flight attendant, a citrus and fennel salad dressed at the seat. Private jet food for this coast is bright rather than heavy, which suits a short sector out of McClellan-Palomar. Our private jet platters, gourmet inflight meals and private jet snacks all draw on California, and the same local specialities appear on the crew trays too, so the cockpit eats what the cabin eats, in simpler form.

Open the menu Download the menuPDF

Local specialities from California, avocado and strawberries plated for private jet catering at Carlsbad, CLD

01Carlsbad strawberriesSpring and early summer, packed dry, washed by the flight attendant

02Hass avocadoWhole or sliced to order, kept chilled, never pre-cut for a long sector

03Pacific halibutGrilled, sauce apart, finished in the galley oven

04Baja-style fish tacosComponents packed separately so the tortilla stays dry

05Meyer lemon and citrusFruit plates and dressings, cut at the seat

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 · CarlsbadMcClellan-Palomar Airport · KCRQ

The three founders, former VIP cabin crew, on a business jet airstair — private jet catering at McClellan-Palomar Airport (KCRQ)

McClellan-Palomar sits on a mesa above the Carlsbad coastline at 331 feet, and marine-layer mornings shape how crews plan a turn. Private jet catering at KCRQ follows that rhythm: California produce, seafood and citrus, cooked and packed for your galley and handed over at the FBO. Inflight catering here is written around the aircraft type, the slot and the passengers on board, and the same team covers in-flight catering for crew, from cabin crew meals to cockpit trays. Our aviation catering at CLD is run by former VIP flight attendants who know what a galley can and cannot do, which suits business aviation catering for owners, charter clients and executive jet catering alike, with diplomatic flight catering handled through protocol.

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

Business jet parked at McClellan-Palomar Airport in Carlsbad, KCRQ, loaded with business jet catering for the cabin

Business aviationOur core

Business aviation catering at McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD)

Carlsbad business aviation is mostly short and repeated, so brief is often a few lines: type, headcount, destination. Corporate jet catering from KCRQ stays simple, with business jet catering that fits the galley and the sector. For VIP flight catering, a private jet chef can write a bespoke menu, and charter flight catering for visiting clients is ordered and invoiced as its own line. Luxury inflight catering follows the season: citrus and strawberries in spring, grilled fish in summer.

Government flight catering tray prepared for a VIP arrival at Carlsbad, McClellan-Palomar Airport, KCRQ

State & royalDiscretion, protocol

Inflight catering for government and royal flights at McClellan-Palomar Airport

When a government or diplomatic aircraft lands at KCRQ, the menu is cleared by the protocol office first. Government flight catering, head of state flight catering and state visit aircraft catering share a rule: named staff, sealed packaging, a quiet handover. VIP aviation catering here needs no announcement; it needs the right plates at the right seat.

Inflight catering menu highlights at *McClellan-Palomar Airport* (KCRQ)Or write your own, we cook it

Chilled private jet platters of avocado salad and citrus for McClellan-Palomar flights, KCRQ Carlsbad

Cold galley

No oven · served in four minutes

Avocado and heirloom tomato salad, private jet platters styleChilled

Seared ahi poke bowl, gourmet inflight mealsChilled

California cheese and charcuterie board, private jet plattersRe-plate cold

Citrus and fennel salad with shaved almondsChilled

Strawberry and burrata, private jet snacks for the climbSauce apart

Hot halibut and carne asada gourmet inflight meals packed for the galley at Carlsbad, KCRQ

Hot service

One oven · re-plated in twelve minutes

Grilled halibut with lemon beurre blanc, gourmet inflight mealsSauce apart

Carne asada with charred scallion and salsa verdeOven

Baja fish tacos, components packed separatelyOven

Roasted chicken breast with polenta and herbs, private jet plattersOven

Warm quinoa and roasted vegetable bowl, private jet snacksOven

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

Special meals & dietary requirements: in-flight catering at McClellan-Palomar Airport

In Carlsbad, most dietary requests meet California kitchens that already cook around them: avocado, grilled fish and vegetable-forward plates make vegan and gluten free menus easy, while kosher and halal meals are sealed and handed over unopened. Allergen free preparation is a procedure: a separate board, a separate box, labels by seat number. Special meals for kids meals follow the same rule, with simple plates the flight attendant can finish in one move. Cross-contact hides in sauces, tortillas and marinades on this coast, so we ask about them before cooking.

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

Flight crew meals on request at McClellan-Palomar Airport

For crews waiting at KCRQ, crew catering is a separate line, requested and invoiced like any other. Crew meals, from simple boxes to a hot main, are packed for the cockpit and the cabin alike. Flight crew meals and pilot meals travel in marked boxes; cockpit meals are made to eat quickly between checklists. Crew meal boxes are sealed, and different meals for pilots are an option when operator policy asks for it. If the cabin team wants their own plates, cabin crew meals go on the same request and are invoiced with it.

Meal passKCRQ

Cabin crew

Box

Marked crew

Galley

Oven 6 min

Order

On request

Marked crew

Meal passKCRQ

Pilots

Box

CPT ≠ F/O

Galley

Cold or hot

Order

On request

Two dishes

McClellan-Palomar Airport, Carlsbad, California, KCRQ, general aviation apron and runway

To the steps, on your slot.

Airside · plane-side · day or night

DeliveryEvery FBO

Airport catering at the FBO or general aviation terminal, McClellan-Palomar Airport

At Carlsbad, the general aviation terminal and the FBO share a compact apron, so delivery is simple. FBO catering is brought to the aircraft, with catering delivery to the FBO arranged through ground handling catering contacts. Your handling agent catering contact receives the order details before the slot, and the handover happens at the airplane.

FBOHandling agentGround handlerGA terminal

High loaderLarge cabins, bizliners

Large cabin jet catering with a high loader at McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD)

McClellan-Palomar handles mostly light and midsize business jets, and a high loader is rarely the question here. When a larger cabin is booked, the aircraft type decides the loading: door height, galley position, how much the galley fits. We confirm with your handling agent whether galley catering will go up by hand or by truck, and airside catering delivery is arranged around that. Aircraft provisioning on a short mesa apron stays simple when the order is packed in the quantity the galley can actually hold.

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 airportKCRQ / CLD

Aviation catering and business aviation at McClellan-Palomar Airport (CLD)

Also listed as CRQ.

Carlsbad's airport sits on a mesa at 331 feet, closer to the coast than most business aviation fields in the region. Airport catering at KCRQ supports general aviation flights with FBO services and ground handling services on site. It works as a small business aviation hub for the North County corridor.

Business aviation

The business aviation traffic at McClellan-Palomar peaks around spring and during racing and golf events along the coast. Inflight catering and in-flight catering at KCRQ adapt to the season, aviation catering stays simple, and business aviation catering for owners and executive jet catering for charters share the same menus. Ask for diplomatic flight catering or cabin crew meals when a Carlsbad trip needs them, and each is quoted as its own line.

Customs & food import

Flights arriving from abroad at McClellan-Palomar clear United States customs and food-import rules, and fresh produce or meat from the inbound leg may have to be disposed of. We plan outbound catering fresh, advise on what to finish before landing, and keep all labelling clear for inspection.

ReviewsFrom the crews we cater for

5.0 / 5

★★★★★

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

Leave a review

★★★★★ROYAL FLIGHT

“Clear quantities were essential at McClellan-Palomar Airport: we had 3 passengers expecting roasted vegetable bowls with separate dressings and were working around an evening cabin service. I asked The Galley Girls to review the fruit plates quantities against the passenger brief, and the proposed portions made sense. The quantities of breakfast portions matched our service plan, leaving us comfortable with the order before the final briefing. The order made private jet food feel manageable because the written menu details had been considered beforehand.”

Emma F. | Royal family manager

ACJ320

★★★★★LIGHT JET

“My order at KCRQ covered a charcuterie board and fresh bread for 3 guests, with a practical service plan needed because of a tight boarding window. I needed the breakfast portions checked against the revised brief; The Galley Girls answered without sending us through another lengthy exchange. There was no need to reconstruct the sandwiches quantities from several messages during the final departure checks. For our team, the strongest part of their private jet meals was how they handled storage requirements.”

Marine X. | VIP flight attendant

Phenom 300

★★★★★LARGE CABIN

“Working around two separate meal services at CLD, I asked for chicken skewers with a couscous salad in portions appropriate for our 12 passengers. The starters came from The Galley Girls in divided catering boxes, with a packing list that matched the contents. The order made private jet menu feel manageable because the galley preparation had been considered beforehand. The crew provisions were easy to locate, leaving the crew free to focus on the remaining cabin preparation.”

Ravi I. | Chief flight attendant

Gulfstream G650ER

Asked before every KCRQ slotAsked by crews

How much does private jet catering cost for a kosher or allergen request at McClellan-Palomar?+

Ask about the diet first, because it moves the figure. An allergen free service needs its own board and box, kosher needs sealed sourcing, a kids set needs very little. So how much does private jet catering cost out of Carlsbad? It depends on which of those lines are on your order, and we price each one separately.

What is the lead time for catering when the crew is waiting at KCRQ?+

Lead time at KCRQ follows crew duty. A pilot who has hours before the limit can order a full plated service; a crew closer to the limit gets a menu designed to be ready as soon as the aircraft is. Last-minute orders are handled, day or night, and we confirm back with the handling agent.

What do customs mean for catering when the departure slot is tight?+

Customs touches the order when an international leg is involved, and a tight slot at McClellan-Palomar makes timing important. For a departure to Mexico or beyond, some fresh items such as raw meat or certain produce may need to stay off the aircraft. Tell us the destination and we choose dishes that clear without delay, so a short turnaround is not held by a tray.

Can you bring food on board at McClellan-Palomar, for example local avocados or strawberries?+

You can, and many passengers do, especially with a California product they want to eat on the sector. Bringing food is fine for domestic flights; for international legs, fresh fruit and vegetables may be restricted. We can also put one local item, such as Carlsbad strawberries or avocados, straight onto the menu so it arrives clean, chilled and ready to plate.

Is catering part of a charter into Carlsbad, and what do the United States customs rules change?+

Charter and catering are two separate lines. At Carlsbad, what changes the order is the border: U.S. food-import rules apply to anything brought in on a foreign inbound leg, so we suggest finishing perishable items before arrival and loading fresh for the next sector.