Arnaud Donckele

Arnaud Donckele was born March 29, 1977 in Rouen, Seine-Maritime, and grew up in Manten-la-Jolie where his parents ran a charcuterie-traiteur business, and in Catenay with farmer grandparents from Flanders who instilled in him a deep connection to Normandy's agricultural traditions. He began his formal training at École Ferrandi and with Chef Georges Landriot at Goumard Prunier in Paris. He debuted in 1996 and eventually rose to become chef of La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez (formerly Résidence de la Pinède), earning three Michelin stars in 2013. He later opened Plénitude at Cheval Blanc Paris, which earned three stars in 2022. Named Gault & Millau's Chef of the Year in 2020, Donckele also runs Hakuba, Le Tout-Paris, La Terrasse, and Arnaud Donckele & Maxime Frédéric at Louis Vuitton in St-Tropez.