Culinary Excellence
Our voyages by private train are an exceptional gourmet experience. Steward served and chef prepared, our offerings of delectable delicacies, use only the finest ingredients. We believe that cuisine is the core of a culture. Our chefs source ingredients from local markets and take influence from regional culinary traditions – creating a unique insight into your destinations. Guests can watch the daily morning parade, as locally sourced, seasonal supplies are loaded onto the train.
Meet the Team
The Golden Eagle Luxury Trains boasts a culinary team of unparalleled skill and artistry.
Comprised of world-class chefs with extensive international experience, they bring a symphony of flavors to the dining carriages, creating exquisite culinary masterpieces that mirror the diverse regions our luxury trains journey through. With their culinary prowess, they elevate each dining experience to a level of culinary excellence that defines luxury travel aboard our Private Trains.
Krisztian Szoke
Golden Eagle Danube Express Catering Manager
Joining the Golden Eagle team in 2014, Kristian has worked on every Danube Express voyage. Extremely driven and dedicated to his craft, Kristian has worked in multiple Michelin-Star restaurants.
Originally working as Head Pastry Chef, Krisztian brought an artistic flare to the kitchen, designing incredibly intricate desserts and colourful culinary creations. Newly promoted to the role of Golden Eagle Danube Express Catering Manager, Krisztian continues to apply his signature level of detail and delicacy to ensure the ultimate dining experience for our guests.
Speaking to Nicole Edenedo (Travel Weekly), Szoke outlined the care that goes into sourcing ingredients; “The fruit that we use for any dessert we pick ourselves from the local shops, and we always make sure that the fruits are very clean and not too sweet.”
“We are not talking about work here — we are talking about passion…We aspire to show that passengers don’t just experience sightseeing, but that they also have a gastronomic experience, as well.”
Dmitry Skopenko
Restaurant Director Golden Eagle
Dmitry originally joined the Golden Eagle team as a cabin attendant; however, it was not long before his passion and determination was recognised with the promotion to the role of Train Manager and later, Restaurant Director. Having also worked as a Barman, Dmitry has an extensive knowledge of all areas of the trains operations and logistics required to deliver the voyage of a lifetime.
An accomplished cheesemaker, when he is not travelling the world with Golden Eagle, Dmitry can be found in his kitchen, experimenting with new flavour profiles and pairings.
The plate is the pathway to a meaningful experience
Ramon Batta
Golden Eagle Danube Express Head Chef
Raised in the verdant landscape of the Transdanubian region of Hungary, Ramon has a deep appreciation for the incredible flavours of nature – celebrating with gourmet creations centred around fresh, locally sourced produce.
Taking inspiration from regional influences and culinary traditions, Ramon takes guests on an immersive, gastronomic journey, contending “arguably, there is no more organic or rather, no more delectable way to authentically learn about a culture than through its food.”
When he is not onboard, he can be found headlining sell-out food festivals and pop-up restaurants around Budapest. Batta is recognised as one of the leading figures amongst the new generation of chefs revitalising the Hungarian food scene.
Pavel Zelenin
Head Chef for the Golden Eagle
Celebrated by Travel Weekly for serving dishes like those in a “Michelin-starred restaurant”, Head Chef, Pavel Zelenin continues to deliver innovative menus with perfectly executed creations.
Speaking on his passion for gastronomy and the Golden Eagle brand, Zelenin states: “The opportunities to develop and grow with Golden Eagle Luxury Trains continue to fuel my drive to challenge myself and deliver the ultimate gastronomical adventure for our guests.
I am inspired by the incredible destinations featured on our voyages, experimenting with locally sourced ingredients, and learning from regional recipes – working aboard our collection of luxury, private trains, offers never ending opportunities to learn.”
We believe that cuisine is at the core of a culture
Rebeka Krupa
Head Pastry Chef for Golden Eagle & Golden Eagle Danube Express
Joining the company in 2018, Rebeka soon became a favourite of our guests with her unmatched creativity and delightfully indulgent desserts. Since promoted to the role of Head Pastry Chef, you may recognise Rebeka from the popular Hungarian baking competition: Mestercrász – in which she reached the finale!
Reflecting on work, Rebeka posed “I love the way that everyday in different onboard the train – each morning we wake in a new city and dinner is served in a new country. The opportunity to travel the world, learn new techniques, and sample new ingredients is unique and constantly inspires me to experiment with my work.”
Nemanja Petrovic
Head Barman Golden Eagle Danube Express
An accomplished professional barman, with a wealth of experience, Nemanja joined Golden Eagle in 2021. Having worked in travel hospitality from a young age, Nemanja combines his love of travel with his passion for people, as “every tour has its own distinct charm and that is down to the wonderful guests who join us along the way. I feel incredibly lucky to say my job involves travelling the world, whilst meeting the most amazing people.”
Unsurprisingly, Nemanja’s favourite cocktail to make – the Margarita – always gets a special mention in our guests five-star feedback questionnaires!
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