Civenna sits above the lake, with sweeping views but a drive down to the shoreline restaurants that isn’t always what you want to do with overtired children at 7pm. Having the chef arrive at the villa means dinner starts on the family’s schedule, not a reservation’s. No car seats, no waiting for a table, no menu translation at 8pm with a hungry six-year-old.
For this family, the evening was built around one philosophy: if the adults want to treat themselves well on this trip, the kids deserve exactly the same level of care — not a lesser version of the evening, just a version genuinely suited to them. Nobody at this table was “just the kids’ menu.”
What changes when the chef comes to you
Civenna sits above the lake, with sweeping views but a drive down to the shoreline restaurants that isn’t always what you want to do with overtired children at 7pm. Having the chef arrive at the villa means dinner starts on the family’s schedule, not a reservation’s. No car seats, no waiting for a table, no menu translation at 8pm with a hungry six-year-old.
For this family, the evening was built around one philosophy: if the adults want to treat themselves well on this trip, the kids deserve exactly the same level of care — not a lesser version of the evening, just a version genuinely suited to them. Nobody at this table was “just the kids’ menu.”
The evening opened with one dish for the whole table. Soft polenta, a fonduta made with local cheese, and lardo laid over the top, left to melt slowly into the warmth of the polenta underneath — simple, comforting, and the kind of dish that works for a six-year-old and an adult in exactly the same way, with nothing adjusted between the two.
The starter that followed was shared by everyone too. Tagliatelle alla bolognese, both the pasta and the ragù made entirely by hand — a simple dish, but the kind that works precisely because it’s simple and done properly, and one that the aunt and uncle enjoyed just as much as the two kids did, each portion simply sized to the person eating it.
The main course branched into two versions of the same idea. The adults had veal Milanese from the Percorso Milano menu — breaded and pan-fried, served with roasted red onions, crispy fried sage, and a green celery salad dressed with celery oil and celery leaf powder. The children had the same cutlet, prepared far more simply: breaded veal with tomato and basil, no elaborate garnish, nothing that would go untouched. Same protein, same care in the cooking, a completely different — and completely appropriate — presentation for a six-year-old’s palate.
Portion size follows the child, not a fixed “kids’ plate”: if a child is used to eating closer to what the adults eat, the same dish can simply be served in a smaller portion instead of being swapped for something simpler.
More than one way to make a child's plate genuinely good
Beyond what this particular family chose, the children’s side of the menu usually draws from a handful of dependable options, each built the same way: simple, but never cutting corners on ingredients.
- Basil pesto, made from basil grown in the chef’s own garden, served with tomato or simply “in bianco” with top quality olive oil — a plate that looks unassuming but runs on genuinely good raw ingredients.
- Pan-seared chicken breast, kept deliberately tender, finished with a light breadcrumb crust on top — not breaded and deep-fried, which would be heavy for a child, but with enough crunch from the bread to still feel like a proper, satisfying bite.
- Artisanal burgers and meatballs, made in-house rather than anything pre-packaged.
- Vegetables chosen with the parents, who usually know exactly what their kids will and won’t eat — rather than guessing.
This is a detail that matters more than people expect: a private chef for a family isn’t “adult food, smaller portion,” and it isn’t a lesser menu either. It’s food built specifically for children’s palates, with the same standard of ingredients and the same attention as everything else on the table — because the kids at this table are the guests of tomorrow, not an afterthought today.
How it works in a villa like this one
For a family staying in Civenna, the typical flow looks like this:
- Before arrival: a short conversation covers the villa’s kitchen, number of guests, ages of the children, any allergies or intolerances, and the vegetables and dishes each child actually enjoys — parents usually know exactly what will and won’t get eaten, and that shapes both menus from the start.
- Chef arrives about an hour before the agreed dinner time — unloading the car, setting the table, and organizing the villa’s kitchen, using the space as it is, no outside equipment needed for most menus.
- Dinner is served course by course, with the children’s menu timed to come out first if the family prefers the kids to eat and move on while the adults continue at their own pace.
- Kitchen is left as it was found — cleaned, reset, no trace of the evening’s work.
No commute for the children, no compromise on the parents’ evening, and no dishes to wash after a long day on the lake.
Why this matters more on Lake Como specifically
Civenna’s charm is its elevation and its quiet — but that same quiet means fewer restaurant options within easy reach, especially with children in tow. Families visiting Lake Como from the US often underestimate how much time (and patience) a restaurant outing with kids can take once travel time up and down the hillside towns is factored in. Bringing the chef to the villa removes that entirely, and turns what could be a stressful logistics puzzle into the calmest part of the day.
Good to know
- Kids’ menus are built around each child’s actual preferences and any allergies — always confirmed in advance, never guessed at.
- The same evening can comfortably serve an elevated menu for the adults and a genuinely kid-approved menu at the same table.
- Works in any villa kitchen in Civenna and the surrounding Lake Como hillside towns, no special equipment required.
If you’re planning a family stay in Civenna, or anywhere on Lake Como, and want an evening where the only thing left to do is sit down at the table, get in touch to talk through the menu, the ages of the children, and the timing that works best for your family.