Daily bite: Air Canada debuts restaurant-style lounge in Toronto Pearson International Airport

Hawksworth's new partnership with Air Canada

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For the occasional traveller, the food options at Toronto Pearson International Airport are actually quite decent when compared to other major airports in North America. Celebrity chefs like Lynn Crawford and Roger Mooking both boast eateries in the domestic travel wing and Mill Street Brewery also pours some fine brews nearby. Frequent flyers and business class travellers also reap the benefit of lounge access courtesy of airlines like Air Canada; but this month, the Canadian airline has really upped the ante when it comes to luxury treatment for its international business class customers.

Launched on December 1, this swank lounge offers a business class sit-down dining experience that strives to be unparalleled compared to other major airlines around the globe and is accessible only to full fare paying international business class customers. The 6,400-square-foot suite, by Air Canada's international departure gates, accommodates 160 premium customers and is 100 per cent complimentary.

Chef David Hawksworth, who also previously partnered with the airline to revamp its in-flight dining program on international flights, is behind the culinary program inside Air Canada's new Signature Suite. Here, passengers can eat and drink in a luxurious full-service restaurant-style setting from a menu created by chef Hawksworth, like his signature KFC (Korean fried cauliflower), soy-marinated sablefish with bok choy and the famous Hawksworth burger; or enjoy hors d'oeuvres, champagne, fine wines and cocktails in an intimate setting designed by acclaimed Montreal architecture and design firm Heekyung Duquette.

"The new Signature Suite is a revolutionary restaurant-style lounge and the Hawksworth team is thrilled to be part of it," says chef David Hawksworth. "We're excited to expand our partnership with Air Canada and bring a taste of Hawksworth's contemporary Canadian cuisine to international travellers passing through Toronto."