Arnaud VIEL
Chef : 1 restaurant
"I trained as a chef, but I'm a self-taught entrepreneur", Arnaud Viel points out. After completing a CAP and BEP apprenticeship with chef Jacques Angot, he continued his studies with a CAP in pastry, chocolate and confectionery. In 1989, he joined Pierre Miécaze's brigade at the Sofitel du Cnit, La Défense, for two years. "It was a great experience, a bit of 'nouvelle cuisine'.
When his military service was over, he opened his first restaurant with his mother, L'Auberge de l'Ancienne Abbaye, in Argentan. He was only 21 at the time. "I was barely out of training! Proof of his talent, he was a finalist in the French Dessert Championship in 1996.
"In 1998, I wanted to break free. With his wife Cécilia Viel,he turned around this bankrupt establishment and added 18 rooms. This earned him a "Coup de Coeur" rating in the France 2000 guide. The chef creates a creative cuisine combining land and sea, and even offers courses. Since 2015, the couple have also owned the bistro Le Comptoir de Maria, in homage to their Sardinian and Corsican grandmother. Finally, in 2020, the family opened the hotel-restaurant Les Voyageurs, in Argentan, managed by the eldest son, Julien. After winning the Tradition d'Aujourd'hui du Grand Ouest trophy in 2018, Gault&Millau awarded the chef 3 toques and the Gault&Millau d'Or Normandie 2023.
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