William BÉQUIN
Chef : Le Tout-Paris - Cheval Blanc Paris Chef de partie : 2 restaurants Sous Chef : La Vague d’Or – Cheval Blanc St-Tropez After cooking all over France, William Béquin is now at the helm of Tout-Paris (3 toques), the chic and contemporary brasserie on the 7th floor of the Cheval Blanc Paris, across from the Pont-Neuf. There, he serves refined and sophisticated cuisine.
Presentation
His story begins in the Sarthe, his home department, where William Béquin got his start at the family’s traditional restaurant alongside his father, Yannick, whom he readily credits as a key figure in his career. After two years of vocational training (BEP), the young chef prepared for his vocational baccalaureate (bac pro) as a commis in the kitchens of the Grand Hôtel de Solesmes—still in his home region—under Chef Didier Serre. He then headed to Brittany to work at the Domaine de Rochevilaine (2 toques), where he rose from commis to chef de partie.
With the Changing Seasons
In 2011, his career continued to evolve, this time in tune with the seasons. He spent his winters at K2 (3 toques) in Courchevel with Nicolas Sale and Jean-Rémi Caillon. In the summer, he headed south to the Résidence de la Pinède in Saint-Tropez, whose restaurant, La Vague d’Or, holds 5 toques. He thus alternated between the two establishments.
In 2016, he took part in the reopening of the Ritz. He spent four years atL’Espadon (3 toques), the gourmet restaurant at the Parisian luxury hotel. This experience proved “essential” to his transition to *Tout-Paris* (3 toques), where he rose to the top position upon his arrival in 2020.
And through the people he’s met
At every stage of his career, William Béquin has taken the best from his colleagues and mentor chefs. Each has contributed “their own special touch,” he says with a laugh. Arnaud Donckele pushes him in the kitchen: “He makes me want to never give up,” he explains. Nicolas Sale, for his part, helped him grow: “He helped me improve my management style and taught me luxury hotel cuisine. I couldn’t have done what I do at Le Cheval Blanc without my time at the Ritz.”
A lover of seafood thanks to his various experiences along the coast, he doesn’t hesitate to give the menu for Paris’s high society a strong seaside flair, with gourmet and generous cuisine. When it comes to meat, “I love crapaudine-style pigeon,” he says.
A dish that’s been a staple for years? “Bouillabaisse! Since 2013, I’ve been putting my own spin on it depending on the restaurant.” When he’s not thinking of new ways to reinvent contemporary French brasserie cuisine, William Béquin competes in pizza contests with his friend Kevin Vernet. The duo became French “Pizza Due” champions in 2025, before narrowly missing the podium with a4th-place finish at the world championships in 2026.
His restaurants
