Teachers & Lecturers

Chef Donneaux (Belgium) comes straight from the industry where he gained a vast amount of experience. He graduated from the Culinary Institute of Namur, Belgium, where he learned the secrets of the classical French cuisine. With over 24 years of professional experience in Belgium, France and the US, Chef Donneaux had the chance to work with some of the most recognized and distinguished names in the culinary industry: World renowned 3 Michelin star Chef Guy Savoy and Chef Thomas Henkelmann. After receiving the practical and theoretical knowledge to lead a fine dining kitchen, Chef Donneaux has held Executive Chef and General Manager positions in upscale establishments, where he was in charge of teams with up to 50 kitchen staff . Besides his background in classical French cooking, he is also very familiar and experienced with the American trends in cuisine.

Having graduated our culinary academy (HRC Culinary Academy) she has a vast international experience in the hospitality industry since 2013! Victorija has worked in numerous highly regarded kitchens across the globe! So far her journey has brought her back to Sofia where she develops her professional and personal skills at Nikolas0/360, where she is the sous-chef! Together with her team they hold prizes such as "Best Restaurant" in Bulgaria 2017, Best Signature Cuisine 2017, 2018 and multiple other awards. In 2015 she aces the 1st place for the best Pastry chef in a culinary competition organised by the American Culinary Federation! Victorija is passionate about bold flavors and experimenting in the kitchen! One of her main strives is to promote women being chefs as she believes that in a male-dominated field, female chefs find the best way to get ahead is to support one another!

Chef Viktor started his studies at the HRC Academy after years of professional experience, turning his passion for culinary arts into his career path. He trained at the Grand Hotel Huis ter Duin, a luxury hotel with Michelin restaurant in Noordwijk, the Netherlands. Afterwards he spent a year at the Sea Island Resort Golf and Spa in Georgia, USA. His culinary experience also includes positions in Bulgaria and in the Kempinski group in Germany. Chef Viktor is a well-rounded professional with an additional degree in Marketing and Management and has a proven track record in human resources management, and business operation management. Chef’s favorites are Artisan bread making.

Chef Lyuben Koychev started his culinary journey at the young age of 14 in his hometown – Gabrovo. After graduating from high school, he joined HRC Culinary Academy and head-started his international culinary career in restaurants around the Netherlands, Belgium, and Croatia. For the past 6 years he was managing the culinary team of MasterChef Bulgaria for 3 years and another 3 years, as Chef Viktor Angelov`s right hand and culinary coordinator of Hell`s Kitchen Bulgaria. He was also a Head Chef of the restaurants Andre by Andre Tokev and Chef`s by Viktor Angelov. He has a passion for exotic spices, flavors, and unique ingredients. Chef Koychev is now an Executive Chef of Talents Restaurant, sharing his knowledge and passion for food with the 3rd semester students of HRC Culinary Academy.

HRC alumnus Daniel Nikolov has worked in France and Malta, but most notably - in a luxury hotel chain in the Netherlands and Belgium. Chef Nikolov is now Sous-chef and Head of pastry at Talents restaurant. Since his early teenage years, Daniel Nikolov has worked in restaurants in Sofia, but dreaming big, he decided to explore the culinary world in France and Malta. To become a true professional, he enrolled in HRC Culinary Academy. During his internship in Netherlands and Belgium, Daniel used all his skills and experience to become Executive chef Trung Hoang-Dat’s sous chef at Pillows Boutique hotel chain. Soon, he competed with the most talented European chefs in a tournament organized by 2-Michelin star Chef Ron Blaauw in the Netherlands. Moreover, Daniel’s hard work and contribution helped Pillows Grand Hotel Place Rouppe restaurant get a high Gault Millau score. Today Daniel is a sous chef and head of pastry at Talents restaurant, where he motivates and guides young culinary professionals.

Instructor / Sommelier Dimitar Nikolov has 15 years’ experience in the wine industry as a sommelier, wine buyer, wine judge, wine writer and educator. Starting his career as a sommelier for a major hotel chain and at a restaurant in Chicago, Nikolov then returned to his native Bulgaria to work for Metro Cash & Carry, firstly as the wine buyer for Bulgaria, and then was promoted to category manager for Metro Cash & Carry’s entire Russian Federation operations, which saw him move to Russia. After five years with the company, Nikolov was appointed to a top management position at a wine importer specializing in Hungarian wines. Upon returning to Bulgaria, he created apollowine.com, online wine shop where he offers a selection of boutique wines from Bulgaria. He holds qualifications from the ISG Chicago, the WSET advanced certificate, and is currently studying for the WSET diploma. He is the co-founder of Wine and Spirits Academy Bulgaria (WSAB) located in Sofia, Bulgaria where he is teaching WSET courses. He is the only Bulgarian judge, evaluating wines for nine consecutive years at the biggest and most professional wine competition in the world Decanter World Wine Awards.

Goran is currently a head of sales and marketing of Swiss Group. His professional experience spans in 9 years of the education sales in Eastern Europe and a strong hospitality background with various positions in Food&Beverage across 6 countries and different 5 star brands. Currently holding a MSc degree in Hospitality management with completed research on Emotional Intelligence followed by guest lecturing experience on the topic across Europe. Goran is teaching Introduction to Hospitality modules.

Ex-Food & Beverage Trainer, Gordon Ramsay Group; Principal Hospitality Lecturer at Sheffield-Hallam University, United Kingdom

Executive Chef Villa Ruimzicht, The Netherlands

Iconic Pastry Chef, voted best pastry chef in the world, France.

Akio Saito, Sushi master, Tokyo, Japan

Group Executive Chef for Roka restaurants, London, UK

Celebrity Chef, HRC Alumni, Gastronomic Institute Stavanger, Norway

Executive Chef, St. Regis San Clemente, Venice, Italy

Gelato Chef, Iceteam 1927, Italy

Executive Chef, Hilton Atlanta & Towers, Atlanta, USA

Executive Chef. Cavallo Point Lodge, Sausalito, CA, USA

Group Pastry Chef for Zuma restaurants, London, UK

Executive Chef, Schloss Reinhartshausen Kempinski, Eltville, Germany

Sugar Artist & Confectioner, Savona, Italy

Executive Chef Restaurant Harry`s, Maastricht , Netherlands

Chef Lorenzo (Spain) holds a Masters Degree in Gastronomy and Culinary Arts at San Jorge University. Throughout the years, Chef Lorenzo gained a vast experience around the world, especially in Pastry. He is well versed in both niche fine dining to large volume banquets with a wide range repertoire of hands-on international cuisine including Classical French and Spanish, European Continental, Mediterranean, and Pastry. Prior to joining HRC Academy, Chef Lorenzo was a lecturer at the Hong Kong Culinary Academy teaching Pastry, Bakery and French Cooking.

Boutique Cookie's Cakes, London UK

Anna‘s connection and love for flavours has been for life – of coffee, chocolate, wine, and olive oil for the last 5 years. She is a marketing and business executive professional with 23-year experience at food multinationals, having worked in Bulgaria, Russia and the Adriatic region. Anna’s passion is artisan, seasonal and local food, along with biodiversity, sustainability and “Nature on a plate”. She is ambassador of MedDiet & Intuitive food. Anna is a certified olive oil sommelier by the renowned program of the International Culinary Center & Olive Oil Times Education lab in NYC (organizers of the most significant international Olive Oil competition NYOOIC) and is leading her educational platform My Pure Olive dedicated to growing the extra virgin olive oil & food culture in Bulgaria. Anna holds a WSET Level 2 certificate in wine & spirits

Pastry Chef Petko Kostadinov is a second-generation pastry chef with a strong drive to bring modern and innovative approaches to his work, aligning with the latest industry trends. Currently, he serves as a demonstrator and consultant, working with professionals in the pastry, restaurant, and catering sectors. His role involves conducting comprehensive training sessions and captivating […]