Heinz Beck Appointed Culinary Director at Orient Express Venezia
The Michelin-starred chef will oversee the hotel’s full culinary program as the restored Venetian palazzo prepares for its debut.
Photo: Asmar d’Amman
Orient Express Venezia has appointed chef Heinz Beck as culinary director, placing the three-Michelin-star chef in charge of the hotel’s entire gastronomic program as the long-anticipated property prepares to open in Venice.
Beck will oversee all food and beverage concepts within the restored Venetian palazzo that houses the hotel, working with the Beck and Maltese Consulting Team to design the property’s dining experiences across its fine-dining restaurant, casual venues, and reception spaces. His culinary direction will be executed on site by Pasquale Rivetti, who will serve as chef in residence.
Best known for his three-Michelin-star restaurant La Pergola in Rome, Beck has long been considered one of Europe’s leading fine-dining chefs. At Orient Express Venezia, his approach will draw on ingredients from the Venetian lagoon and the broader Mediterranean.
The centerpiece of the program is Heinz Beck Venezia, the hotel’s gastronomic restaurant. Set within the palazzo’s former orangerie, the dining room will seat just 20 guests and operate exclusively for dinner. Early menu examples include amberjack with ash buttermilk, fresh peas and salted lemon, and red prawn with carrots and lagoon seaweed, highlighting seafood and produce sourced from the surrounding region.
The restaurant sits within interiors designed by architect and designer Aline Asmar d’Amman, who has overseen the building’s complete renovation since 2018. Sculpted glass lighting elements inspired by underwater life reflect across the dining room, a design detail developed after conversations between Asmar d’Amman and Beck about the edible flowers found in the Venetian lagoon.
A second restaurant, La Casati, will offer a more relaxed interpretation of Venetian cuisine while following the same culinary philosophy. Open for both lunch and dinner, the restaurant focuses on seasonal ingredients and traditional recipes from the city. During the summer months, the space expands into a 3,200-square-foot garden, an uncommon feature in Venice’s historic center.
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Elsewhere in the palazzo, the Wagon Bar draws inspiration from the lounges of the original Orient Express railcars, with Art Deco design references and a menu of light savory dishes during the day, followed by cocktails in the evening.
The hotel’s historic ballroom, Salone Vittoria, will host breakfasts beneath 18th-century chandeliers as well as private events and gala dinners. Menus for those occasions will also be developed by Beck and the Beck and Maltese Consulting Team.
The culinary program forms a central component of the broader redevelopment of the historic Venetian palace, which has been undergoing restoration for several years.
