Executive Chef of Al Lago (Il Sereno, Lake Como), with training across Italy, the UK, and the US. Since 2017 he has led a cuisine that earned and has maintained a MICHELIN star, shaping a precise, vegetable-forward, contemporary identity on the shores of Como.
Born in Naples, he started in pastry at 14 and, after culinary school, chose the kitchen for good. Early experiences took him to England (chef de partie) and then to the United States, where he honed both technique and language—building blocks for a career that would weave fine dining with high-end hospitality.
In 2008 he returned to Italy to join Arquade at Villa del Quar with Bruno Barbieri (2 MICHELIN Stars), a step that deepened his discipline and sensitivity to product. He then moved to the Bulgari Hotel Milan under Elio Sironi, where the 5-star environment taught service, consistency, and control. In 2010 he headed south to Palazzo Sasso/Ravello with Pino Lavarra (today Palazzo Avino), a territory-driven kitchen with French inflections and two stars.
A defining chapter followed at the Grand Hotel a Villa Feltrinelli with Stefano Baiocco, where his “vegetable literacy” took shape through herbs, infusions, and formal precision. He returned to Milan for the Armani Hotel opening (2011–2013) as executive sous chef—experience that prepared short immersions in three-star kitchens: Bo Innovation (Hong Kong) and Manresa (Los Gatos).
His first Executive Chef role came at Turbigo on the Navigli; he later coordinated for Seven Stars Galleria during EXPO Milan with the James Beard American Restaurant. In 2016 he met the Contreras family and joined Sereno Hotels: Il Sereno in Torno became his home base, and from 2019 he also oversees Le Sereno in St. Barth as Corporate Chef.
In 2017 Al Lago received a MICHELIN star (confirmed over the years), a milestone Lenzi reads as affirmation of his voice: essential compositions, a central vegetable thread, lake fish, measured acidity, selective use of Asian techniques, and a dining room in constant dialogue with the cellar. In 2025, Al Lago remains among the starred restaurants on Lake Como.
Away from the pass, discipline and sport (weightlifting, yoga, cycling) fuel his idea of “clean” energy in service of the craft: focus, clarity, economy of movement. The same line is evident in Sereno’s tasting menus, where the vegetable component is structure rather than garnish.
