Michelin Guide: 3 stars for French chefs Arnaud Donckele and Dimitri Droisneau

The two chefs are joining the very exclusive club of triple-starred restaurants, which now has 31 tables in France, compared to 30 last year.

After an edition published despite the pandemic in 2021, the Michelin guide has returned its prize list. Chefs Arnaud Donckele in Paris and Dimitri Droisneau in Cassis (Bouches-du-Rhône) have been awarded three stars in France by the Michelin guide, the supreme award in the world of gastronomy, the organizers announced on Tuesday March 22 during a a ceremony in Cognac (Charente). They have joined the very closed club of triple-starred restaurants which now has 31 tables in France (compared to 30 last year).

41 new first-star establishments

Holding a “rather relaxed” gastronomy Arnaud Donckele, 44, trained at the school of Gilles Goujon (L’Auberge du Vieux Puits) and Alain Ducasse (Plaza Athénée), where he invented his famous cooked bar on the scales. Already three Michelin stars for his restaurant in Saint-Tropez (south of France), his Parisian restaurant, opened last September and located in the heart of the Samaritaine department store, goes directly from zero to three stars. “When I arrived in Paris, it was with a lot of humility because there are only great chefs in Paris. I didn’t think we would get there so quickly,” he said. .

The other distinguished chef is Dimitri Droisneau who officiates at Villa Madie in Cassis. Less known than Arnaud Donckele, his restaurant, overlooking the Mediterranean, gives pride of place to aromatic cuisine. “We took this house nine years ago. We had a baby, we have a second one now. We live in the villa. We work in a paradise. We work with honesty and humility”, did he declare. As in the 2021 vintage, no three-star chef has been downgraded.

Note that several established chefs are rewarded with a star for their new establishments: Hélène Darroze at Villa La Coste, Mauro Colagreco in Roquebrune-Cap-Martin, Anne-Sophie Pic in Megève or Philippe Etchebest in Bordeaux. A way for the red guide to salute the resilience of the chefs who have not abandoned their project despite two years of health crisis. In total, 41 new addresses are awarded their first star, compared to 54 last year and six new restaurants, or 87 in total, are distinguished with a “green” star, introduced in 2020, for their eco-responsible approach.