"The cuisine I have developed throughout my career follows the same mentality as great teams: never settle, and always keep pushing to improve."
Overlooking Lake Como, surrounded by water, mountains and the understated elegance of Villa Carminati Resta, The Club On The Lake was created with the ambition of being more than simply a restaurant. It is a place where cuisine, hospitality and landscape come together; a space designed for slowing down, rediscovering a sense of intimacy and experiencing the lake through a contemporary vision of hospitality.
At the heart of its gastronomic identity is Terry Giacomello, a chef whose career has taken him through different kitchens, countries and cultures.
"I began my professional career working in my family’s trattoria, as cooking runs in the family. Then, little by little, I travelled around Italy, working in a number of high-level restaurants. I had a real passion for this profession and understood that I needed to start from the bottom. I kept developing until I moved abroad: first to France, then Spain, Brazil, Belgium, Denmark… I travelled the world, really."
His international journey includes some of the most influential experiences in contemporary cuisine: elBulli and Mugaritz in Spain, Noma in Denmark, as well as time spent working alongside Marc Veyrat and Michel Bras in France. Back in Italy came Michelin recognition, first at Inkiostro in Parma and later at Nin.
These were very different experiences, connected by a constant curiosity and a desire to explore new culinary languages. Como represents another chapter in that journey: not simply a kitchen to lead, but a place whose identity he can help shape.
"At The Club On The Lake, I want to bring a high level of hospitality, although of course it will continue to grow over time. This is an ‘armchair by the lake’, a place where you can find tranquillity and privacy. The aim is to create an identity of its own and continue developing innovation, so that it is not simply somewhere to go for dinner, but becomes a destination in itself."
The image of an "armchair by the lake" captures the idea perfectly. The experience begins before guests even reach the table: in the villa, in the view across the water, in the slower rhythm the landscape naturally encourages. Elegance is not conceived as formality, but as attention to detail. Welcome, service, cuisine and surroundings all have to speak the same language.
For Giacomello, fine dining cannot be separated from hospitality. The plate is only one part of the experience. What matters is how guests are welcomed, the relationship with those who accompany them throughout the evening, and the ability to create somewhere sophisticated without ever making it feel distant.
The same philosophy shapes the way he views his team. For him, a kitchen is first and foremost a collective endeavour.
"Everyone has to move in the same direction. You are the person providing the guidance — ‘this is the kind of work we need to do’ — and everyone else has to follow: the maître d’, the chef, the manager. You win by working as a team. It is the team that wins, not the individual. You have to involve people, motivate them through brainstorming and team building, but also analyse yourselves through briefings and debriefings. It is essential to discuss both the things that are not working, so you can understand how to solve them, and the things that are working, because even those can always be improved."
That pursuit of constant improvement is perhaps what defines his cuisine most clearly. Giacomello begins with technique and science, but never with the aim of creating something distant or purely conceptual. Behind the experimentation lies a deep respect for ingredients, precision and clarity in the final result.
He is also a demanding observer of what he eats. His judgement, however, has little to do with the prestige of an address or the complexity of a dish. A pizza, a gelato or an apparently simple plate can impress him just as much as fine dining, provided it is made with precision.
Among the places he appreciates locally, he mentions Davide Caranchini’s Ristorante Materia in Cernobbio and Pizzeria Donnarumma in the centre of Como. It also says something about the way he approaches the city: curious and direct, with no predetermined hierarchy between gastronomic cuisine and popular food culture.
His approach, however, remains deeply rooted in research.
"My cuisine is scientific. The mentality I have had throughout my career, and still have today, is the mentality of great football teams: never settle, keep pushing and always try to improve, because nobody is perfect."
It is a philosophy that feels naturally suited to The Club On The Lake. A place built around its landscape while remaining outward-looking, bringing together the international character of Lake Como and a contemporary idea of elegance.
Cuisine therefore becomes one element within a broader experience: the lake beyond the windows, the villa, the service, the sense of calm, the precision of every detail. And at its centre is the desire to create something with a distinctive identity, without ever losing sight of the simplest pleasure of hospitality.
