His father was passionate for cooking and hunting and read cookbooks from the Robert Laffont collection, written by Michel Guérard, Roger Vergé, Alain Chapel, Jacques Maximin or even the Troisgros.

At age 16, Arnaud Donckele decided to go to Paris to prepare a BEP (Brevet d'Études Professionnelles) in cooking despite the reticence of his parents.

In 1996, he did an internship in the three starred restaurant Les Prés d'Eugénie of Michel Guérard in Eugénie-les-Bains and decided to stay, giving up his training course at the same time.

In 1998, he sent a spontaneous application to Alain Ducasse who hired him at the Restaurant Louis XV de Monaco, as third cooking assistant before the executive chef Franck Cerruti made him progress.

He then did his conscription in the kitchens of the Hôtel Matignon, which permitted Alain Ducasse to keep him at the restaurant of the Plaza Athénée in Paris, before returning to Monaco.