Born in the Netherlands in 1978, Arjan Speelman is Executive Chef of Ciel Bleu at Hotel Okura Amsterdam. After earning the first Michelin star in 2005 and a second in 2007, he has retained the double distinction through the 2025 Guide with contemporary French cuisine accented by global spice.
Motivated by discipline and curiosity, Speelman began his career as an apprentice at De Hoefslag, where he rotated between all the batches - pastry included - before joining the 23rd floor of the Ciel Bleu in 2003. In just two years, co-leading the brigade, he won his first Michelin star in 2005 and, in 2007, his second, then only double star in Amsterdam.
In 2022, after handing over the baton to Onno Kokmeijer, he became Executive Chef: together with chef de cuisine Mike Klaassen, he revamped the menu and technical approach, obtaining in 2024 the confirmation of the two stars and the guide's praise for “technical and creative” cuisine.
Committed to training, in 2024 he coaches the Dutch team at the Bocuse d'Or Europe and sits on the jury at the national final in September, as well as holding master classes on crustaceans and modern terrines.
