Introducing Lume, the avant-garde restaurant from Luigi Taglienti

Luigi Taglienti’s avant-garde restaurant Lume opened in Milan in 2016 and was awarded its first Michelin star within six months. It was then pronounced Best New European Restaurant at the prestigious OAD Awards in Paris. It holds four hats from the revered Espresso Guide, where five is the highest accolade. 

His culinary style is “heritage meets evolution”. In its design, dining experience and menu, Lume is committed to both honouring the past and looking to the future. Featuring Art Nouveau decorations, stone paving in the al fresco garden, an oversized birdcage, and an apple tree that grows inside the restaurant’s walls, Lume espouses a retrofuturistic style that perfectly matches Taglienti’s cooking.

Using raw materials as the centrepiece, Taglienti uses avant-garde cooking techniques to reimagine Italian classics. Hailing from Liguria, Taglienti credits his mother and grandmother for his early interest in culinary arts; they regularly cooked for local Tuscan nobility. Taglienti sees his technique as arising from ideas and inspiration, not the other way round; Lume represents the culmination of years of development in and out of restaurants. In the years he worked as chef at the elite Trussardi alla Scala, Taglienti’s reputation skyrocketed among Milanese gourmands.

We caught up with Taglienti to discuss his origins, his balance of modern and traditional styles and what diners can expect from his cooking.

Filippo L’Astorina, the Editor
Video: Laura Denti

To book a table at Lume, Via G Watt 37 20143 Milano Italy, call +39 02 80888624 or visit their website here.