Brussels Airlines takes off with new Star Chef Arabelle Meirlaen

As from early 2025, Business Class guests on long-haul flights will discover the chef’s cuisine

Brussels, December 13th, 2024 - From January 2025, Business Class passengers on Brussels Airlines' long-haul flights will enjoy a new gastronomic experience. The menu has been carefully concocted by Michelin-starred chef Arabelle Meirlaen, of the eponymous restaurant in Marchin. She becomes the fifteenth Michelin-starred chef in a series of Belgian top chefs, with whom the airline has been delighting its passengers with exquisite cuisine since 2013. The star chef from the province of Liège succeeds to chef Michaël Vrijmoed.

Arabelle Meirlaen began her culinary career in January 1999 at the ‘Grand Place’ of Huy in the small restaurant ‘Li Cwerneu’. In September 2013, with her partner Pierre Thirifays, she moved the restaurant to their bright house in Marchin in the province of Liège, where her vegetable garden is located.
​Chef Meirlaen - who is the first woman to be voted Chef of the Year 2014 by Gault&Millau - creates beautiful, crisp, feminine cuisine featuring sumptuous dishes concocted with the seasons in mind.

"Brussels Airlines is proud to be Belgium’s flying ambassador, showcasing the best our country has to offer. Onboard, we bring passengers the flavors of Belgium through carefully crafted cuisine. We’re excited to partner with Chef Arabelle Meirlaen, whose creative and intuitive approach highlights the beauty of vegetables and spices. Starting this January, her seasonal menus will rotate every three months. Passengers will also enjoy a selection of regional beers, including a special seasonal brew ‘Arabelle’ created by our Star Chef herself."
​- Philip Mortier, Inflight Product Manager, Brussels Airlines

Flying the best of Belgium around the world
​Arabelle Meirlaen is a Michelin-starred chef and holds the distinction of being the longest-standing female starred chef in Belgium. In addition to her one star, she has also earned the Michelin Green Star, recognizing chefs who champion sustainability through resource preservation, biodiversity, reducing food waste, and reducing the reliance on non-renewable energy.

"My philosophy is rooted in creating wholesome and healthy food. The garden is my endless source of inspiration, where nature’s beauty shapes my vision. To me, cooking mirrors life itself: vibrant, flavorful, textured, and infused with love and deep emotion. It’s my heartfelt wish that every Brussels Airlines guest experiences that as well. Becoming part of the airline’s prestigious tradition of Star Chefs isn’t just an honor - it’s the fulfillment of a personal dream. I’m thrilled to share this journey and my passion with travelers from around the world."
​- Arabelle Meirlaen

About Brussels Airlines’ Star Chef
​What started more than ten years ago with gourmet menus by Michelin-starred chef Geert Van Hecke has grown into a true tradition for travelers on intercontinental flights with Brussels Airlines. ​ A Belgian Star Chef is invited to create a three-course menu based on typically Belgian recipes and ingredients. As in previous years, the accompanying Belgian and international wines are carefully chosen by Master of Wine, Jan De Clercq and beer sommelier Sofie Vanrafelghem selected the Belgian, local beers.

 

Discover Arabelle Meirlaen’s menu for the first quarter of 2025, here:

Menu_January2025.pdf

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About Brussels Airlines

Brussels Airlines is the home carrier of Belgium and one of the four network airlines of the Lufthansa Group. It connects the European capital from Brussels Airport with over 90 destinations, 18 of which are in Sub Saharan Africa. The company employs more than 3,500 people and operates 44 aircraft.

Brussels Airlines aims to emit 50% less CO2 by 2030 compared to 2019 and plans to be carbon neutral by 2050. The airline is participating in the Stargate Project led by Brussels Airport and is therefore part of the testing ground for sustainable aviation at its home base. In addition, the airline signed the Circular Economy agreement of the Antwerp Management School in 2021. The airline was the first to transport Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) through the CEPS-pipeline connecting Brussels Airport early 2023. By end 2024, Brussels Airlines will have welcomed five state-of-the-art Airbus A320neo allowing the airline to significantly lower its CO2- and noise-emissions on its medium-haul network.

As an ambassador of its country, Brussels Airlines brings the world to Belgium and the best of Belgium to the world, among others through collaborations with Belgian Star Chefs, Belgian culinary products and the Belgian Icons, specially painted aircraft that honour a Belgian iconic person, team or event to promote Belgian culture worldwide.

More information on brusselsairlines.com 


About Star Alliance

Established in 1997 as the first truly global airline alliance, the Star Alliance network was founded on a customer value proposition of global reach, worldwide recognition, and seamless service. Since its inception, it has offered the largest and most comprehensive airline network, with a strong emphasis on enhancing the customer experience throughout the entire Alliance journey.

Overall, the Star Alliance network currently offers more than 17,500 daily flights to over 1,150 airports in almost 190 countries.

Star Alliance Press Office: +65 8729 6691; mediarelations@staralliance.com
More information on staralliance.com

Contact

b.house Zone General Aviation - Airport Building 26 1831 Diegem

+32 2 723 89 90

press@brusselsairlines.com

www.brusselsairlines.com