Venice Chefs Get Crafty With Fall's Favorite Squash

Pumpkin pie, roasted pumpkin seeds and pumpkin spice lattes. The annual treats are always good for a taste of nostalgia and a signal that despite the heat it's truly autumn in L.A. But Venice's top chefs put a whole new spin on the humble squash and other locally grown gourds. Here's a look at some of the showstoppers spotted around town. 

Chef Jason Neroni at The Rose roasts pumpkin in a hearth.

Hearth-roasted pumpkin with chorizo pomegranate salsa and vincoto vinaigrette. (Photo by The Rose)

And mashes them into pumpkin hummus.

Pumpkin hummus with pomegranate pepita salsa. (Photo by The Rose)

Before squash, there's sweet, delicate squash blossoms, and chef Travis Lett of Gjelina, Gjelina Take Away and Gjusta adorns them on his famous pizza. 

Gjelina's squash blossom pizza with cherry tomatoes, thyme, burrata and Parmesan. (Photo by Lincoln & Rose)

And how about those ricotta-stuffed fried squash blossoms at Scopa Italian Roots?

Scopa Italian Roots crispy squash blossoms stuffed with ricotta and mozarella. (Photo by Vanessa B. via Yelp)

Chef Ash ups the ante on a red Russian kale salad, part of his new lunch menu at Chez Tex.

Fairytale pumpkin, red Russian kale and pomegranate. (Photo by Chez Tex)

Chef Casey Lane's honey roasted butternut squash could double as dessert on The Tasting Kitchen's October bill of fare. 

Roasted butternut squash with honey and walnuts. (Photo by The Tasting Kitchen)

Chef Nyesha Arrington's squash dish at Leona is what won over L.A. Times food critic Jonathan Gold. 

"At Leona, roast dumpling squash makes a statement." —Jonathan Gold, Los Angeles Times

Chef Scott Winegard at Plant Food + Wine transforms blasé spaghetti squash into pure decadence with a medley of wild mushrooms and porcini cream.

New on the fall menu at Plant Food + Wine. (Photo by chef Scott Winegard) 

For something sweet, Superba Food + Bread's pastry chef Carlos Enriquez is making pumpkin pop tarts.

Pie dough filled with a cinderella roasted pumpkin filling made with piloncillo (an unrefined brown sugar), vanilla beans, butter and cinnamon. (Photo by Superba Food + Bread)

And because October in L.A. means heat waves, Salt & Straw's head ice cream maker Tyler Malek comes to the rescue with a citrusy pumpkin-lemon sherbet, part of his sweet and spooky Halloween series.

Salt & Straw's jack o’ lantern pumpkin sherbet is made with fresh-scooped pumpkin juice and spiked with swirls of tart lemon sherbet for a brighter spin on autumn pumpkin treats. (Photo by Salt & Straw Venice)