Arnaud Donckele
Distinguished as the best starred chef in the world by his peers for the year 2019 and designated Chef of the Year by the Gault et Millau, recognized for his immense talent, creativity and the poetry of his creations, and yet... When you meet him, what strikes you is this humility, genuinity and sincerity. No pretension when he tells his story and speaks with deep affection of his parents, butchers and caterers. Arnaud Donckele has been immersed in a culinary universe from a very young age, and to spend as much time as possible with his parents, he is used to having a small work surface at their side in the family laboratory. "My father had a real love for cooking and hunting," he recalls.
And this love in return won over Arnaud, who decided without any hesitation as early as the 10th grade, to devote himself fully to learning to cook. Admiring a friend, a student at FERRANDI Paris who made dishes every weekend, he joined the school to take a BEP in cooking: "I remember my first day very well. They found me an establishment and a place to live: I am grateful to them," he says. I'm also very grateful for the teaching, the pedagogy and the kindness of his teachers, for whom he had a very strong admiration.
Arnaud threw himself wholeheartedly into his apprenticeship at the school and with chef Georges Landriot at the Goumard Prunier establishment for two years. Two years during which he acquired a solid foundation, "a culinary foundation," he says. He then went on to Les Prés d'Eugénie, Michel Guérard's three-star establishment, where he worked as a clerk for Olivier Brulard, Meilleur Ouvrier de France. The joy of working in a large company was such that he decided to stop his studies and became a 'demi-chef de partie', then chef de partie and chef saucier at only 21 years old. And there he meets his future wife.
Eager for new experiences, he sends a letter to Alain Ducasse who recruits him at the prestigious louis XV in Monaco, then it will be Lasserre, for nearly three years, where he officiates with happiness under the leadership of Jean-Louis Nomicos.
He obtains his job as a chef in the starred establishment La Vague d'or located at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea in Saint-Tropez. He was awarded a 2nd star in 2010 and then in 2013, the grail, a 3rd star at only 35 years old. But there's no question of him getting carried away: to explain his exceptional career, he emphasizes the unfailing commitment of his teams and the permanent support of his wife. As for stress, he considers it beneficial "because it leads to excellence and the will not to disappoint.
In 2021, a new challenge looms: he will be the conductor of the much-anticipated gourmet restaurant at the "Cheval Blanc Paris" hotel, at La Samaritaine, with an exceptional view of the Seine and the Pont Neuf. He was once again awarded three stars by the Michelin Guide, in March 2022, for the restaurant Plénitude - Cheval Blanc Paris.
But when he has the opportunity to go back to his old school, as he did for the first time in 2014, or very recently during the "A table les soignants" operation, it is with real emotion that he returns to the kitchen where he did his practical work and passed his exam: "it's my kitchen" he says. It's my kitchen," he says. One of his two sons now attends the school. The passion for gastronomy is not ready to die out in the Donckele family...