Anthony DENON

Chef : Shanael A “Grand de Demain 2026” awardee, Anthony Denon opened Shanael (3 toques) in Toulon in late 2025—his first restaurant, which he runs with his wife, Laëtitia. Plant-based cuisine takes center stage there.

Presentation

Born in 1988 in Villepinte, Anthony Denon began his career at age 17. He trained under Jean-François Piège at Les Ambassadeurs at the Hôtel de Crillon, then underAntoine Westermann, before joining Alain Ducasse, whose kitchens he worked in for nearly ten years: from Louis XV in Monaco to the Plaza Athénée, and then to Le Meurice alongside Christophe Saintagne, his mentor. After becoming head chef at Le Rech in 2017, he followed Christophe Saintagne to Le Papillon in 2018, before taking charge of the kitchens at the Auberge du Jeu de Paume in Chantilly in 2020, and then at Le Baudelaire in Paris in 2022. “ It really teaches us to respect ingredients; it teaches us how to become a chef. It simply teaches us how to be a man.”

Plant-Based and Zero-Waste Cuisine

While working with Alain Ducasse, Anthony Denon learned to throw nothing away and to transform everything—a philosophy he turned into a book, *Il en reste!*, published in 2022. At Shanael, plant-based ingredients take center stage on a menu that follows the market. “ I find it very interesting to explore new avenues in the world of grains, plant-based cuisine, and zero waste. For me, this is the cuisine of tomorrow.”

At Shanael, a family-run restaurant across from the Opera House

In December 2025, the chef left Paris for Toulon, where his in-laws live. Together with his wife Laëtitia, who manages the dining room, he takes over Au Sourd, a longtime seafood institution on Place de l’Opéra, and transforms it into Shanael (3 toques), a combination of their two children’s first names. “For over ten years, my family has followed me to my restaurants, whether in Paris or the provinces. They’ve made a lot of sacrifices for me. I felt the need to return the favor a little—that is, to create a family-run restaurant.”

A few months after opening, he received the 2026 Grand de Demain award at the Gault&Millau Tour Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur. “I’m from Guadeloupe, and Guadeloupe also needs all these chefs from the overseas territories who are working in France. This is a victory that extends beyond the Var.” Looking ahead, the ambition is a collective one: “We won’t set any limits for ourselves, but it has to come from the team.”