Michelin-Starred Chef Heinz Beck On Being The Culinary Mind Behind La Dolce Vita Orient Express

From Rome, the Eternal City, to Istanbul, where Europe meets Asia, the ultra luxurious La Dolce Vita Orient Express revives the romance of grand rail journeys for a new generation of luxury travellers.

Adding a gastronomic dimension to the experience is Chef Heinz Beck, the culinary visionary behind Rome’s three-Michelin-starred La Pergola, the first and only restaurant in Rome to earn three Michelin stars, a distinction it has held since 2005. Beck has crafted an exclusive onboard menu that celebrates Italy’s rich regional diversity through dishes designed specifically for dining on the move.

The result is a uniquely immersive experience where travel and gastronomy become inseparable. In this interview, Beck discusses the inspiration behind the menu, the challenges of cooking aboard a luxury train, and how La Dolce Vita Orient Express is redefining the art of dining in motion.

Robb Report India (RR): The Rome–Istanbul route is one of the most legendary journeys in travel history. How did you translate the romance and symbolism of that route into a menu that unfolds over five days?

Heinz Beck (HB): For me, the Rome–Istanbul journey is much more than a route; it is a passage through cultures and histories that have shaped Europe for centuries. Our goal was to create a menu that unfolds like the journey itself, allowing guests to experience the changing character of each region through food.

The first days are rooted in Italy, celebrating our culinary heritage. As the train moves eastward, the menu gradually evolves, incorporating inspirations from the territories we cross. Each day represents a new chapter, reflecting the landscapes outside the window.

We’ll include on the menu dishes like foie gras and goulash: the first one expresses a great tradition of European fine dining, while goulash represents the warmth and the depth of Central Europe. I see this menu as a symbol. Just as the train connects different cities and different cultures, the plates bring together different gastronomic identities in a harmonious way.

RR: What does "luxury on a plate" mean to you, and how does the La Dolce Vita menu reflect that philosophy?

HB: To me, true luxury is not about excess, but emotion. Today’s luxury travellers are no longer looking simply for extravagant dishes; they seek authenticity and unforgettable experiences. Creating a moment that engages all the senses, where every element has a purpose and tells a story, is the real goal.

Great cuisine should surprise without being ostentatious. Luxury means exceptional quality of ingredients, precision of technique, and the ability to convey culture and emotion through food.

RR: As the train travels from Italy through Central Europe to Istanbul, how do you balance a distinctly Italian culinary identity with the cultural influences encountered along the journey?

HB: For me, preserving a distinctly Italian culinary identity does not mean closing the door to outside influences; rather, it means having such strong roots that you can engage with other cultures without losing authenticity.

As the train travels through Central Europe toward Istanbul, we begin with the core principles of Mediterranean and Italian cuisine: respect for ingredients, balance of flavours, lightness, and technical precision. These values shape our culinary language. Along the route, however, we pay close attention to the regions we pass through. The spices of the Balkans, the preservation and fermentation traditions of Central Europe, can all become sources of inspiration.

The goal is not to create a simple fusion of cuisines, but to establish a meaningful dialogue between them.

RR: Train kitchens are among the most challenging culinary environments imaginable. What has been the biggest technical challenge in delivering a Michelin-starred dining experience on a moving train?

HB: On a moving train, you are working in a constantly changing environment where space is extremely limited, and even the movement of the train can influence the cooking process.

The challenge is therefore not simply preparing excellent food, but ensuring that every guest receives the same level of quality that they would expect in a high-quality restaurant. This requires extensive planning, highly efficient workflows, and a menu designed specifically for the unique conditions of the train.

Another important aspect is logistics. Every ingredient must be selected, stored, and managed with extraordinary care, while maintaining absolute freshness throughout the journey. The kitchen team must operate with impeccable coordination, as there is very little margin for error.

When guests enjoy a refined dining experience while watching the landscapes of Europe unfold outside their window, the technical complexity behind the scenes disappears, and that is perhaps the greatest achievement of all.

RR: Many luxury travellers have dined in the world's finest restaurants. What surprise or moment of delight have you deliberately built into this experience that they would never encounter in a traditional dining room?

HB: What makes this experience truly unique is that the journey itself becomes an ingredient. Even the finest restaurant in the world cannot replicate the sensation of enjoying a carefully crafted dish while the landscapes, cultures, and light of Europe are continuously unfolding outside the window.

For this reason, we wanted to create moments that connect the cuisine directly to the route. Rather than presenting a static menu, the experience evolves with the journey. Certain dishes, aromas, or service rituals can be timed to coincide with specific regions, creating a dialogue between what guests see and what they taste.

The element of surprise is therefore based on emotion. Imagine tasting a course inspired by a particular cultural tradition just as the train is passing through the landscape where that tradition was born. In that moment, food becomes part of a living story.