Chestnut Season in Saint-Tropez: Autumn Arrives in the Maures
As the Collobrières chestnut fairs close, Saint-Tropez turns to autumn: chestnuts, wild mushrooms, new openings and a menu built for the villa table.
October is when Saint-Tropez exhales. The summer crowds have gone, the light turns golden, and the kitchens of the Var shift towards deeper, slower flavours. Yesterday marked the close of one of the region's most authentic food moments, the Fêtes de la Châtaigne in Collobrières. It is a village about 40 km west of Saint-Tropez, and it held its fair on three Sundays this year: 11, 18 and 25 October.
The Chestnut Capital of the Var
Every autumn, Collobrières becomes the chestnut capital of the Var. Its steep, cobbled streets fill with local producers, artisans and the scent of chestnuts roasting over a wood fire. Visitors taste roasted chestnuts, crème de marron and marrons glacés, and many walk among the chestnut groves of the Massif des Maures.
The craft behind the cream is simple and exacting. Chestnuts are harvested by hand from September to November. They are then cooked and peeled, and the flesh is extracted, pressed and blended with sugar. It is a humble product, yet in a chef's hands it turns into something quietly luxurious.
What Is New at the Tropezian Table
The 2026 season has brought real news to the gastronomic scene. COMO Le Beauvallon reopened on 24 April, with Yannick Alléno leading the culinary direction. Its restaurant, Beauvallon Sur Mer, welcomes non-residents as well as hotel guests. In the village, Mauro Colagreco is behind the table at Monsieur Dior and Café Dior, on Rue François Sibilli.
Colagreco was also the patron of this year's Les Chefs à Saint-Tropez fêtent les producteurs, held from 2 to 4 May. The event brought more than 150 chefs and 250 producers to Place des Lices and Salle Jean Despas. One highlight was a battle of chefs reinterpreting artichoke barigoule, the classic Provençal dish. The message of the weekend was the one our own chefs cook by: great cooking starts with the people who grow, catch and make the ingredients.
An Autumn Menu for Your Villa
Autumn in the Var rewards a table that follows the market. Inland, wild mushrooms appear briefly and are worth seizing. Late tomatoes and peppers linger, and the Maures chestnuts arrive. Here is how a private chef might bring these together for an evening at your villa.
Begin with a silky chestnut velouté, finished with sautéed wild mushrooms and a thread of new-harvest olive oil. Follow with a slow-cooked daube, the kind of dish that makes the whole house smell wonderful. Then offer a Provençal cheese course. Banon, the goat's cheese wrapped in chestnut leaves, is at its best in early autumn. Serve it with figs, late grapes and a spoonful of chestnut honey. Close with a chestnut cream dessert, light and not too sweet, so that the evening ends gently.
None of this needs a grand occasion. It needs good produce, patient cooking and a table with a view of the autumn bay. If you would like a seasonal dinner like this in your villa, a private chef in Saint-Tropez can shape the menu around your guests and the week's market.
