It isn’t a play on words, but it’s because Gabriele Tarchiani comes from a family of cabinet makers- restorers (his father was also an esteemed graphic arts teacher as well as a restorer of antique books ) and has developed a personal and passionate vocation for running a restaurant and for high class cooking . Gabriele himself, born into the business, after interrupting his architecture studies worked in cabinet making for nine years , concentrating on the restoration of antique wooden pieces. It was this work , (as he himself confides) that gave him an acute sense of chromatic values and the consistency of materials which was later to prove valid in his work as a restaurant proprietor and gourmet , a commitment which, in his way of offering food and drink , is a mission rather than a profession . The turning point for Gabriele was at the end of the sixties, when he decided to leave Italy and travel round the world to study the science of nutrition in the various countries . A fascinating experience; the cultural, economic, and religious aspects which characterise art and the art of cooking and offering food and drink at the various latitudes no longer appeared as a mere expression of everyday life but as the motivation behind a continual , committed search.

He lived in northern California for a considerable period , then graduated at the University of Berkley in History of Art in 1972 and in 1975 in Theatre Directing at the University of San Francisco, but it was in San Francisco that he held a series of seminars which were to prove decisive in the training of a large group of students, today established restaurant proprietors , catering professionals and consultants in the field of high level cooking . In 1978 he returned to Florence . After various jobs working for other people he finally opened his "Caffè Concerto" in Borgo Ognissanti (on the premises of an ex delicatessen and wine shop). When premises became available on the Lungarno, the present day "Caffè Concerto" was finally opened : it was 3 May 1985.



It’s a dream come true : offering one’s customers a place to meet where they can try genuine food and listen to good music from a discrete hi-fi sound system, without the worry of a fixed closing time or having to leave the table free. This is the real credo behind the idea of the restaurant which Gabriel has made into his life’s philosophy . A restaurant manager by choice , but also the restorer of a way of interpreting and offering high quality cooking . In the elegant and discreet premises of “Caffè Concerto” pleasantly situated on Lungarno Cristoforo Colombo, on the right bank of the important river around which one of the most beautiful cities in the world rises up . An alluring invitation to an elite gourmet world in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere as only Gabriel knows how to offer ( with his experience , elegance and courtesy , as a real restaurant proprietor ) to his guests .

"January 1st 2003. Welcome to a new adventure: TARGA Bistrot Fiorentino…"