HISTORY
“The taste of tradition is an ever-new flavor”
In the beginning there was Beppe .
Giuseppe Montanaro was born in 1939 in Lequio Berria, a tiny village in the greenest heart of the Langhe. From his youth, he embodied the two souls of these hills. On one hand, the tenacity that binds its inhabitants to the rituals, traditions, and rhythms dictated by the land; on the other, a marked propensity for ingenuity and creativity, driven by an economically poor environment yet incredibly rich in excellent raw materials.
From the Langhe to the Ocean
Beppe's vocation is cooking, and the Hotel Savona in Alba is the temple in which to practice it. In the 1950s, the Savona restaurant was the most important laboratory for the recipes that would codify traditional Piedmont cuisine, whose throne, even then, was occupied by the White Truffle, the "diamond of the earth" mined from the surrounding woods. Beppe's curiosity and desire to challenge himself pushed him beyond the horizons of the Langhe. At the age of eighteen, he embarked as a chef on cruise ships: the Nassau , the Princess Patricia , then the Victoria and the Riviera . A life of adventure and qualified professional experience. In the 1960s, cruise ship kitchens were the most concrete and stimulating opportunity to deepen one's understanding of the tastes, ingredients, techniques, and processes that would dictate the future of international catering.
The place of truffles
Strengthened by his experience at sea, Beppe returned to the hills of his childhood. In 1968, he opened Da Beppe restaurant , located in the historic center of Alba, the capital of the Langhe region, which, at that time, was beginning the journey that would crown it the queen of prized white truffles and excellent food and wine. Here, Beppe met Domenica, who would become his wife and accompany him first in the development of the restaurant and, a few years later, in the creation of Tartuflanghe. In a short time, Da Beppe gained a loyal following. The Michelin Guide recognized it as a reference point for truffle and mushroom enthusiasts. Every weekend, using traditional recipes, Beppe and Domenica serve diners around 10 kg of truffles purchased from trusted trifolao , the truffle hunters who, during the autumn, scour the Langhe hills in search of this most precious fruit.
1975, Tartuflanghe was born
The restaurant's success and the growing demand for truffles led Beppe and Domenica to found Tartuflanghe . The idea was to select and certify the quality of local truffles, shipped worldwide. But why not think of something new? Why not offer the most prestigious, noble, and exclusive local product to everyone, through simple and delicious recipes, inspired by tradition but prepared with innovative methods, accessible year-round?
