Lisander turns to autumn’s most eloquent ingredient: chestnuts

The hand opens to reveal chestnuts still cradled in their papery husks, burnished mahogany and pale gold catching the light. Strands of dried grass frame the offering, earth still clinging to the kernel shells. This is how Lisander Ristorante approaches the turn of seasons on Lake Como: not through abstraction or nostalgia, but through the immediate, tangible presence of what autumn yields.

Chestnuts occupy a particular place in the culinary calendar. Unlike the abundance of late summer’s stone fruits or the imposing certainty of winter’s roots and grains, they arrive as something more delicate in character. Their sweetness is measured, almost understated, their texture inviting transformation. When roasted, they soften into something almost creamy; when ground to flour, they carry an ancient simplicity that speaks to centuries of European cooking. The kitchen at Lisander recognises this potential.

The restaurant’s approach to seasonal cooking finds its anchor in such ingredients. Rather than treating autumn as a time to reach for the heavier, earthier elements that dominate the season’s palette, the kitchen chooses to work with the nuance that chestnuts offer. Each preparation becomes a new interpretation, a chance to understand the ingredient more completely. The delicate sweetness that defines the chestnut becomes a point of departure rather than a fixed endpoint, allowing the kitchen to move thoughtfully through the possibilities the season unfolds.

This is Michelin starred cooking refined to its most essential gesture: begin with something of true quality and character, understand it completely, then imagine what it might become. The message travels quietly, with none of the performance sometimes attached to seasonal menus. Simply: this is autumn, and this is how we read it.

Imagery courtesy of Lisander Ristorante (@lisanderristorante).