“The taste of tradition is always a new flavor”
In Principio fu Beppe
Giuseppe Montanaro was born in 1939 in Lequio Berria, a small town in the greenest heart of the Langhe.
Since his youth, the two souls of these hills have coexisted within him. On the one hand, the perseverance binding its inhabitants to the rites, traditions and rhythms dictated by the earth; on the other, a distinct creative genius, driven by an economically poor environment that was incredibly rich in excellent raw materials.
1950 Savona Restaurant
Giuseppe Montanaro, known as Beppe, left his small hometown in Alta Langa to start his career as a chef at Hotel Savona.
1960 From the Langhe across the oceans
At 18, Beppe boarded as a cook on cruise ships and measured with the great international cuisine.
1968 The “land of truffles”
Equipped with the experience gained at sea, Beppe returned
to the Langhe and he opened his restaurant Da Beppe, in Alba,
a reference point for truffle and mushroom enthusiasts.
1975 Tartuflanghe was founded
Beppe and his wife Domenica founded Tartuflanghe. Their idea is based on selecting and certifying the quality of Alba White Truffle and ship it all over the world. Innovative ideas then came out from the processing of truffles, which did not only include fresh ones.
1990 Tartufissima, the first pasta with a truffle heart
Beppe and Domenica created Tartufissima, the first artisan truffle pasta in the world, awarded as Best New Product of the Year during the 1992 Fancy Food Show in New York.
2005 Trifulòt, the mini revolution
Tartuflanghe opened its chocolate atelier where, after two years of experimentation, Trifulòt was born, the mini sweet Truffle perfect at any time of the day.
2009 Rethinking truffle
Truffle is not invented, but it can be re-imagined. In 2010, Perlage was created: made by directly extracting black truffle juice during cooking and transforming
it into spheres similar to caviar.
2010 To the frontiers of flavor, and beyond
Tartuflanghe created NoH2O®, the most
advanced system for the natural preservation
of precious truffles in the world. A cryodesiccation process capable of maintaining the organoleptic, nutritional and aromatic characteristics of all truffle species, including the Alba White Truffle.
2020 Truffle for everyone
The experience gained in the processing of truffles and its use in recipes that can understand and go beyond tradition are the foundation for Tartuflanghe’s “democratic” revolution.
Chips, Truffle bite and Dried fruits coated with truffles bring out the essence of flavor to the everyday table: truffles are truly for everyone.
From the Langhe across the oceans
Cooking is Beppe’s vocation, and the Hotel Savona in Alba was where he worked his magic. In the 1950s, the hotel’s restaurant was the most important laboratory to test the recipes that would later be part of Piedmont’s traditional cuisine in which, even then, the White Truffle reigned supreme, that «diamond
of the earth» dug from the surrounding woods. Beppe's curiosity and his desire to get involved pushed him beyond the horizons of the Langhe. At the age of eighteen, he worked as a cook on cruise ships. First on the Nassau, then on the Princess Patricia, followed by the Victoria and the Riviera. A life filled with
adventures and qualified professional experience. In the 1960s, the kitchens of cruise ships were the most stimulating places to deepen one’s knowledge of flavors, ingredients, techniques and procedures that would become the future of international cuisine.
The land of truffles
Equipped with the experience gained at sea, Beppe returned to his childhood hills. In 1968 he opened his restaurant Da Beppe, located in the historic center of Alba, the capital of the Langhe, which was starting
the journey to becoming the queen of the prized White Truffle and fine food and wine. Here, Beppe met Domenica who would become his wife and support him during the growth of the restaurant and, a few years later, the establishment of Tartuflanghe. Shortly Da Beppe conquered a loyal following. The renowned Michelin guide indicated it as a reference point for truffle and mushroom enthusiasts. Every weekend, Beppe and Domenica served traditional dishes to clients, slicing about 10 kg of truffles acquired from trusted trifolao, the local truffle hunters who hunted the hills of the Langhe for its most precious fruit in autumn.
1975, Tartuflanghe was founded
The success of the restaurant and the growing demand for truffles led Beppe and Domenica to establish Tartuflanghe. Their idea is based on selecting and certifying the quality of local truffles shipped all over the world. Then, they thought of something new: why not offer the most prestigious, noble and exclusive local product to everyone, through simple and tasty recipes, drawn from tradition but processed in an innovative way, in order to be accessible all year round?