One evening in September, the Gothic vaults of the Palais des Papes were transformed into a giant dining room. In the Grand Tinel, tables set by candlelight welcomed a few hundred lucky people who came to experience a unique dinner, between classified heritage and haute cuisine. On the menu, dishes signed by several of the most sought-after chefs of the moment. And behind this staging, a simple idea was emerging.
This September 7, 2026, Avignon hosted the second edition of , a charity dinner imagined by three-star chef Alexandre Mazzia. After a first act in 2025 at the Carrières des Lumières in Les Baux-de-Provence, the event took place at the Palais des Papes, under the vaults of the Grand Tinel illuminated by nearly 3,000 candles. Around 200 guests attended this evening hosted by the AM Académie and the Rotary Club Marseille Phoenix. The objective remained clear: to support projects in favor of youth and the fight against cancer, by offering a rare culinary experience.
Starry Night by Alexandre Mazzia at the Palais des Papes
For this second chapter, we left the rock of the Carrières des Lumières to invest one of the most emblematic monuments of Avignon. The evening combined lighting of the cloister and the Grand Tinel, an immersive atmosphere and precise service, as described by the media present. Supported by the AM Académie, co-founded by Alexandre Mazzia and sports educator Lamine Diarra, with the support of the Rotary Club Marseille Phoenix, it extends the chef’s commitment to youth, sport, nutrition and inclusion.
The first edition, in 2025, had already set the tone by raising 100,000 euros for the benefit of the AM Académie, the Paoli-Calmettes Institute, a leading Marseille center in the fight against cancer, and the Sourire à la Vie association which supports children with cancer. In 2026, part of the profits should help the AM Académie find a dedicated place in Marseille or elsewhere to accommodate its young basketball scholarship players, while the other will support new actions of the Paoli-Calmettes Institute. Each place purchased therefore took on a very concrete dimension for the guests.
Seven chefs and thirteen stars united for the same cause
If the guests had come to support solidarity causes, they above all discovered a brigade the likes of which we rarely see. Around Alexandre Mazzia, three-star chef at AM in Marseille and former player at US Avignon-Le Pontet, six big names in gastronomy had agreed to voluntarily cook a 14-handed menu in seven sequences, served in a Palais des Papes transformed into a temporary restaurant.
- Mauro Colagreco, Mirazur in Menton
- Hélène Darroze, chef of and of Marsan in Paris
- Glenn Viel, L’Oustau de Baumanière in Baux-de-Provence
- David Toutain, eponymous restaurant in Paris
- Christophe Bacquié, based at Mas des Eydins in the Luberon
- Brandon Dehan, pastry chef at Baumanière
These seven chefs have a total of thirteen Michelin stars, but that evening the competition faded behind the collective momentum. All of them had put aside commercial collaborations and inaugurations to offer their notoriety, their teams and their time to an action that goes far beyond the framework of their homes. In the spectacular setting of the Palais des Papes, haute cuisine has given itself a very simple mission: to offer pleasure in order to be useful.
AM Academy and Institut Paoli-Calmettes in the heart of Starry Night
Behind the name AM Académie hides an educational project designed by Alexandre Mazzia based on his own career as a high-level basketball player. The academy already supports young players identified for their potential, to whom it awards scholarships to join training centers, follow performance courses and learn to reconcile sport, schooling, nutrition and openness to others. Starry Night becomes an accelerator, helping to fund a physical location to bring these programs together.
Faced with this mission focused on youth, the Paoli-Calmettes Institute embodies the other pillar of the evening, with its teams engaged in oncology research and care in Marseille. The money already collected in 2025, then that expected after the 2026 edition, contributes to financing medical projects and support, also in connection with Sourire à la Vie which supports children with cancer. Between basketball courts and hospital services, weaves a link that the guests of Avignon can continue to follow via the communication of these structures.
What is The Starry Night by Alexandre Mazzia?
Starry Night is a charity dinner imagined by Alexandre Mazzia, organized in 2026 at the Palais des Papes in Avignon with seven chefs.
What causes does Starry Night support at the Palais des Papes?
The profits from the 2026 evening support the AM Académie, focused on youth and sport, and the Paoli-Calmettes Institute, a Marseille center specializing in the fight against cancer.
Which chefs are participating in La Nuit Etoilée 2026 in Avignon?
Cooking alongside Alexandre Mazzia were Mauro Colagreco, Hélène Darroze, Glenn Viel, David Toutain, Christophe Bacquié and pastry chef Brandon Dehan.
