Chef preparing lunch on the Silver Meteor, 2015.

Chefs such as Jaime Acevedo are responsible for providing excellent customer service, supervising the kitchen staff and managing and directing all aspects of dining car cooking techniques in accordance with Food and Drug Administration and Amtrak standards. Prior to departure, the chef assists the lead service attendant and service attendants in counting and verifying the condition of the stock, checks that all kitchen equipment is in proper working order and ensures that work surfaces and kitchen equipment are properly cleaned and sanitized.

By the time the train reaches New York, Acevedo will have cooked approximately 300 meals in a single-level Heritage dining car. In the compact, moving kitchen, everything has a place so that he can make the most of a limited work area. But Acevedo makes it all seem easy: “We pull through - we are a family and we help each other.” At the height of the busy lunch, dinner and breakfast services, the dining car crew, which also includes a lead service attendant and service attendant, functions as a tight-knit team.

Photographer: Chuck Gomez for Amtrak. From the Amtrak Corporate Collection.