Ticket? Check. Fairy wings? Check. Fake fur coat? Check. Sunscreen? Check. Goggles? Check. Gourmet meals prepared by a star chef? Check and check.

For those thinking there's nothing new under the Black Rock sun, this may go down as the year the foodies made their a la carte mark on the annual sojourn known as Burning Man.

"People go to amazing lengths to build structures and create incredible art in the desert," said Mirit Cohen, who will be making her sixth trek to the desert for this year's event, which runs from Aug. 29 to Sept. 5. "We wanted to push the boundaries of what can be served and eaten."

To do that, she and Nate Keller, both former chefs at Google's Mountain View headquarters and owners of the catering company Gastronaut, have created an epicurean equivalent to the military's MREs, or Meals Ready to Eat.

Called Playa Provisions, these plastic packets contain pork posole, smoked tofu and red quinoa, chicken adobo, potato cauliflower curry, sausage gumbo, heirloom tomato chili, roasted fruit and pickled veggies.

Cohen's own experiments navigating the harsh weather conditions and cooking challenges (such as limited or no refrigeration and standing over a fire during dust storms) sparked her desire to come up with better culinary options.

Then, while at Google, Cohen delivered a Tech Talk called "Cooking for Burning Man 101" in the weeks leading up to the 2007 festival, with the same gravitas as an engineer updating a search algorithm. Googlers listened intently as she warned them of prats (smelly canned tuna, energy bars' wrappers flying away in the wind) and pitfalls (like cooking pasta, which produces starchy water that can't be reused).

People continued to seek out her expertise even after she left Google. Since many of Gastronaut's customers include tech and gaming companies like Grockit, Square, Path and Funzio (many of which have staffs with large contingents of Burner attendees), Cohen quickly saw the potential for a ready-to-eat-meal market.

Keller, Gastronaut's co-founder and executive chef, embraced the challenge of creating the recipes (even though he had yet to attend any of the festivals; he hopes to go next year after his newborn turns 1. He tested various flavor profiles and took a crash course in Burning Man 101 - learning about the "leave no trace" credo where you must pack out what you pack in, focus on community and survival-mode attitude.

Recognizing the importance of cooking a one-pot meal in a communal setting, Keller created boil-in-a-bag dishes to serve five. Using local, organic and sustainable ingredients, the final menu ranges from breakfast and trail mix to heartier entrees like sweet potato chipotle cakes and beef bourguignon.

"It's a classic and rich dish," he said of the bourguignon, which he perfected during his first year at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. "But rather than dice the vegetables brunoise (a style of cutting food into cubes), we cut the potatoes, carrots and mushrooms a bit chunkier so they won't turn to mush in the desert."

Playa Provisions are cooked, cooled, cryo-vacuumed and frozen with accompanying instructions and minimal labeling. Larger orders are packaged in coolers with dry ice. To prepare, the bags are simply dropped into boiling water to reheat. In a nod to the Playa's eco-consciousness, you're encouraged to reuse cooking water once it's defrosted for a shower or reheating.

Prices range from $8-$10 per serving for entrees, $4-6 for breakfast and snacks and $7.50 per pound for raw artisanal bacon. The meals can be ordered online at gastronautsf.com. There are no deliveries, so orders need to be picked up at Gastronaut's Bayview headquarters at 5919 Third St.

Of course, Burners are not the first people to eat in the desert. But Cohen said she hopes that this year's attendees will be the first to have so many gourmet options.

"I am Jewish, and at one point, my people were also wandering the desert," quipped Cohen. "We're just wanting to honor the spirit of Burning Man and take what San Franciscans normally like to eat and make it more successful."