Chef
Arnaud Donckele
Chef de Cuisine, Cheval Blanc Paris (Plénitude & Restaurants)
- Discipline
- Chef
- Based in
- Paris, France
Known for
- Double three-Michelin-star chef at La Vague d'Or (Saint-Tropez) and Plénitude (Paris)
- Innovative sauce creation and development, with approximately 40 signature sauce recipes
- Emphasis on terroir-driven cuisine using local Provençal and Norman products
- Named world's best chef in 2019 by Le Chef magazine
i. Biography
The Path
Classical French kitchen progression runs through stations before authorship. École Ferrandi provided the formal base for Arnaud Donckele before a trainee post at Goumard Prunier in Paris, France (until 1996). From 1996, the craft narrowed and deepened at Les Prés d'Eugénie-les-Bains, France: intern, cooking assistant, semi-chef de partie, chef de partie, then saucer chef at Les Prés d'Eugénie-les-Bains, France (until 1998). The upper-service circuit that followed kept the work inside demanding houses rather than generalist roles. In 1998, Arnaud Donckele moved to Restaurant Louis XV de Monaco as third cooking assistant, then took a kitchen role during conscription at Hôtel Matignon in Paris, France, followed by a kitchen role at restaurant of the Plaza Athénée in Paris, France. The senior bridge was sous-chef at Lasserre (2001–2004); today, Arnaud is chef of La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez (since 2004) and chef of Plénitude at Cheval Blanc Paris. “Honestly, my dream would have been to be a farmer. It was fantastic.” Arnaud has said.
Today
A house style built around sauce needs continuity, repetition, and a dining room willing to read seasoning as structure. Since 2004, Donckele has been chef and head chef in Saint-Tropez, France. In Paris, he also leads Plénitude, placing his sauce-centered language in a grand dining room there. Sauce is treated here as the primary grammar of the plate, not a finishing gesture. Donckele often has guests taste a sauce alone before it meets the main ingredient, making the sequence explicit: aroma and texture first, then the ingredient, then the completed dish. The method gives local produce a frame without removing the sauce from scrutiny.
Recognition
Peer and guide recognition has tracked both the Saint-Tropez house and the chef’s sauce-led practice. Arnaud's honors include Three Michelin stars for La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez (2013), Two Michelin stars for La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez (2010), Chef of the Year (2013), Jeune chef de l'avenir (2012), Official label of 5 stars for La Vague d'Or (2012), and Four toques for his France guide (2008).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Arnaud
Where did Arnaud Donckele train or study?
Arnaud Donckele trained at École Ferrandi.
What recognition has Arnaud Donckele received?
Three Michelin stars for La Vague d'Or at Cheval Blanc St-Tropez (2013).
