Head Chef · Private Yachts

Goran
Veljkovic

Twenty-five years in restaurant, hotel and superyacht kitchens across Serbia, Russia, Cyprus and the Mediterranean.

View Signature Dishes

Signature Dishes

Fourteen plates, presented in the order of a tasting menu — from bread to petits fours.

A rustic loaf of homemade bread with a floured, deeply caramelised crust. — 01
Homemade Bread

Yeast-leavened rustic loaf with a deep, crackling crust and a floured finish.

Tomato tartare with shaved Parmesan and a lace tuile, in a basil and cucumber juice, in a wide white bowl. — 02
Tomato Tartare

Diced heirloom tomatoes with shaved Parmesan and a lace tuile, served in a basil and fresh cucumber juice.

Baked feta with roasted cherry tomatoes, black olives, capers and thyme, served in the pan. — 03
Baked Feta

Oven-baked feta with roasted cherry tomatoes, olives, capers, thyme and olive oil.

Salmon ceviche sliced into a rosette, in a citrus-chilli dressing with chives, sesame and micro greens. — 04
Salmon Ceviche

Thinly sliced salmon in a rosette, cured in a citrus-chilli dressing with chives, sesame and micro greens.

Lobster salad with pink grapefruit, orange, beetroot, kale and ribbons of carrot and cucumber. — 05
Lobster Salad

Oven-steamed lobster with pink grapefruit, orange, beetroot, crisp kale, little gem, and carrot and cucumber ribbons.

Two grilled lobster tails on a saffron sauce, finished with chopped chives. — 06
Grilled Lobster Tails with Saffron Sauce

Grilled lobster tails on a saffron sauce, finished with chives.

Beef fillet topped with vegetable julienne, with roasted mushrooms, radish, spinach and jus. — 07
Beef Fillet

Seared beef fillet on a toasted crouton with spinach, roasted button mushrooms, radish, vegetable julienne and jus.

A whole New York cheesecake topped with strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, crushed pistachio and mint. — 08
New York Cheesecake

Baked cheesecake in a crisp tart shell, topped with fresh berries, crushed pistachio and mint.
Trained at Pekan School, Moscow · 2026

An individual cheesecake with a glossy strawberry glaze, whipped cream, a fresh strawberry and mint. — 09
Strawberry Cheesecake

Individual cheesecakes on a biscuit base with a glossy strawberry glaze, cream and fresh strawberry.
Trained at Pekan School, Moscow · 2026

Sablé tarts with vanilla crème pâtissière, topped with seasonal fruit and edible flowers, on a white plate. — 10
Vanilla Tart

Sablé tart shell with vanilla crème pâtissière, seasonal fruit and edible flowers.

Portions of Napoleon cake showing layers of puff pastry, custard cream and raspberry confit, topped with piped cream and freeze-dried raspberry, on a black slate. — 11
Napoleon Cake

Layers of caramelised puff pastry, vanilla custard cream and raspberry confit, finished with piped cream and freeze-dried raspberry.
Trained at Pekan School, Moscow · 2026

A whole layered honey cake (Medovik) coated in honey-sponge crumb and decorated with caramel honeycomb. — 12
Honey Cake (Medovik)

Classic layered honey cake with a honey-sponge crumb and caramel honeycomb decoration.
Trained at Pekan School, Moscow · 2026

A row of white chocolate Piña Colada bars splashed with coloured cocoa butter, on a long white platter. — 13
Piña Colada Chocolate Bar

White chocolate bar filled with passion fruit, pineapple jam and coconut ganache, decorated with hand-splashed coloured cocoa butter.

Fruit-shaped mousse desserts finished with a velvet spray, in raspberry and pistachio, on black plates. — 14
Moulded Mousse Desserts

Fruit-shaped mousse desserts in blueberry, pistachio, coconut and raspberry, with a coffee-ganache coffee bean, all finished with a velvet spray.
Trained at Pekan School, Moscow · 2026

Culinary Philosophy

Black-and-white portrait of Goran Veljkovic in a white chef's jacket.

My cooking began in my mother's kitchen, where I learned that food is an act of care. That respect for honest, home-cooked flavour remains the foundation of everything I make.

Fifteen years in restaurant and hotel kitchens gave me discipline and precision. The last ten years on private yachts have refined them further. A yacht galley is far smaller than any hotel kitchen, yet the standard is higher — every detail, from organisation and storage to plating, must be planned around the space. Each season I challenge myself to show my craft in new ways, with new dishes and new flavours.

I approach every cuisine with an open mind. I want to taste, understand and learn, because I believe curiosity is what keeps a chef growing.

III

Career

Years in professional kitchens: 25+
Superyachts: 70–80 m
International experience: Serbia · Russia · Cyprus · Mediterranean

Yachting

M/Y Genesis

80 m
M/Y Gaya

70 m
M/Y Galactica Super Nova

70 m

Restaurants & Hotels

Cyprus
Russia
Serbia

Education & Training

Culinary Education

2000

Professional Chef Diploma

School for Tourism and Hospitality, Belgrade
2026

Callebaut Chocolate Academy SEE, Belgrade

Chocolate Discovery
2026
Pekan Shop & School, Moscow
- Cheesecakes: Five Flavours 11 April 2026
- Moulded Desserts 16 April 2026
- Classic Cakes: Napoleon, Medovik, Kyiv Cake, Bird's Milk 17 April 2026