It has been ten years since David Ghysels and Stefan Kerkhofs founded Dinner in the Sky—the revolutionary culinary experience where fine dining meals are served on crane-suspended platforms. From arranging dinner for Prince Albert de Monaco with Joël Robuchon cooking at the Marina of Monaco, to a special meal at Four Seasons Marrakech where 22 guests were surrounded by thousands of lights—the innovative company is no stranger to hosting some of the world’s most unique and extravagant meals. But according to Ghysels, the company will see its most extravagant event yet in their 10^th-year celebration in Brussels on June 1 to 5.

In this special event, ten Dinner in the Sky platforms will be lifted simultaneously in front of the Atomium, serving 220 people (22 on each platform). What’s different about this particular event is that the company will invite ten Belgian Michelin-starred chefs and ten young talented chefs selected by S.Pellegrino onto the cooking platforms throughout the five days (each with one lunch and two dinner sessions). What’s more, ten additional Belgian and French Michelin-starred chefs will join in to celebrate the opening (Belgian day) and closing dates (French-Belgian Day) respectively. This means: A maximum of 30 chefs will be cooking together in the Brussels skyline. While this isn’t the first time Dinner in the Sky has become a misnomer, it is the first time more than one chef is in charge of each platform. So given how hectic a professional kitchen can get during dinner service, how will the company juggle three chefs and one assistant per platform here? “We make sure that only one chef would take the lead at certain parts of the menu,” said Ghysels. “And while the chefs would be busy leading and assisting with the preparation, they would pay extra attention to the guests too. So don’t be surprised if your chef asks you to check the clock, taste a dish, serve the neighbors, or even sing and move along the music of their choice,” he noted. As for those who enjoy dressing up for a special meal, wearing sky-high heels could be especially daunting at 164 feet off the ground. So when it comes to safety, Ghysels assured that his company takes many precautions such as 6-points seatbelt closing in the back of the seat, large number of safety attachments and cables, certification of the installation by the TÜV, presence of a trained safety staff member on each platform. By investing on platforms (that could easily lift 120 tons) to hold a maximum weight of seven tons, Ghysels noted, “We maintain a minimum height requirement of 3 feet 11 inches to ensure our guests are firmly secured in their seats.” And to avoiding injuring any pedestrians with a random fork or plate, Dinner in the Sky maintains a safety surface of approximately 4802 square feet under each platform. Source : Forbes.com