Executive Chef Cesare Lanfranconi
Chef Cesare Lanfranconi grew up steeped in the flavors of his grandmother’s cooking. Originally from Northern Italy, Lanfranconi and his family enjoyed Sunday meals with his grandmother, who would cook a feast for family and friends.
“She’d go down to the garden to pick whatever vegetables were ripe and make some raviolis,” Lanfranconi recalls. Now, miles from his hometown, Lanfranconi is calling back on the traditional cuisine of his childhood in his new role as general manager and executive chef at Tutti Bene. Located in Bozeman’s historic downtown, Tutti Bene opened in September 2025 and offers a menu that blends traditional Italian flavors with Montana-raised ingredients.
“Everything she made was very seasonal and spontaneous,” Lanfranconi says, “and we want to emulate that here.”
A venture taken on by Mary and Tim Barnard, Tutti Bene has been in the works for decades. “We’ve been talking about this for 20 years,” Mary says. Having successfully operated Barnard Construction in Bozeman for over 50 years, the family was ready for something new. And when they turned talk into the reality of starting and owning a restaurant, they brought on longtime friend Hans Maissen, a hospitality manager and consultant, to oversee their dream project.
Maissen in turn set up a meeting in Bozeman between the Barnards and Lanfranconi, who previously worked in Washington, D.C., at Galileo and Ristorante Tosca. “I was here for two days and I said, ‘Sign me up,’” Lanfranconi says. “It was my first time in Montana, but I instantly loved it and felt right at home. I’m from Lecco in the northern part of Italy, where the Alps begin, and I grew up skiing because my mother was a ski instructor.”
While he followed his mother’s lead on the slopes, in the kitchen he took his inspiration from his grandmother. This carries through today, and as chef at Tutti Bene, Lanfranconi enjoys using ingredients in season when they are at the peak of their flavors.
Lately he’s had his attention on ingredients like pumpkin transformed into a hearty gnocchi and mushrooms used for a variety of dishes that are sourced from Bozeman’s own cultivator, SporeAttic.
To keep these fungi fresh, the restaurant has its own mushroom “cage”—a glass enclosure that not only creates a stunning visual but also controls the temperature and humidity for optimal cultivation. “We grow them in there for about six days,” Lanfranconi says. “When they are fully mature we harvest them and add them to our cuisine.”
Other vegetables on the menu are sourced from another local producer, Chance Farm in Bozeman. “They’re bringing us beautiful spinach, lettuce, microgreens, beets, cauliflower, onions, shishito peppers,” he says. “They send us two deliveries a week. You name it, they have it.”
Paired alongside meats sourced from farms in Bozeman and Belgrade, as well as Chicago steak purveyor Allen Brothers, these ingredients combine to create a menu that honors both Montana and Italy. “By using a lot of local ingredients we are being a part of the community—not only a physical presence, but also from a culinary standpoint,” Lanfranconi says.
With input from the Barnards, who love Italian food, the chef created a menu that offers recognizable classics like spaghetti and meatballs, Caesar salad, veal scallopini, and tiramisù, but also has a carpaccio that uses bison instead of beef to bring in some of that Western flavor.
The Barnards take inspiration from places they’ve traveled, including Italy, France, New York City, and the Caribbean, bringing back to Montana some of what they experienced on their journeys—and part of that is a touch of elegance.
“It was my first time in Montana, but I instantly loved it and felt right at home. I’m from Lecco in the northern part of Italy, where the Alps begin, and I grew up skiing because my mother was a ski instructor.” —Chef Cesare Lanfranconi
Tutti Bene seeks to offer something different to the Bozeman food scene. To this end, the restaurant features elevated cuisine that isn’t commonly found in Montana. This includes roasted Guinea hen, Mediterranean sea bass, Ossobuco alla Milanese, and Crudo di Ricciola.
Another of these epicurean delights is the lobster risotto, which is one of Lanfranconi’s specialties. “A lot of rice is grown where I grew up in Italy so I’m a scholar of risotto,” he says.
While the food is sophisticated, the team is careful to keep the scene from feeling too formal. “We don’t want people wearing tuxes,” Mary says, “but we wanted to see a tablecloth once in a while, still making it fun and not stuffy.”
To achieve this feeling, the Barnards chose decor that foregoes the dark woods and mountain artwork found in many other establishments. Mary says they were going for an “elegant, but at the same time vibrant and alive feel,” accomplished with a bold and colorful interior.
Designed by Paul Duesing, another long-time friend of both the Barnards and Maissen, Tutti Bene features an array of original paintings created especially for the restaurant through Radovan & Garrett Art Advisory, natural textures highlighted by light-wood trim, soft leather chairs, and green glass lamps.
The restaurant also boasts a floor-to-ceiling—and nearly wall-to-wall—rectangular wine wall that houses the establishment’s 1,600 bottles, which span 160 labels both domestic and imported, including a fine selection from Italy. The wine wall features different temperature settings for white and red varietals.
Overall, the space’s geometric designs, earthy imagery, and bright colors come together for a look that’s part Art Deco brasserie and part modern fine dining. The timeless yet contemporary feel not only fits within downtown’s century-old Baltimore Building but also adds new life to the recently renovated structure where Mary worked in a law firm 40 years ago.
Mary waxes nostalgic discussing her time living within the Bozeman community. She talks about Tim and their children, concluding that at its heart, Tutti Bene is a family restaurant, whether that family comes from Bozeman, Italy, or someplace in between.
Having put down roots in Bozeman, Lanfranconi is already up at Bridger during the winter and hiking in the mountains in the summer. Down the line, he’s looking forward to fishing on the area rivers.
As for the Barnards, one is likely to find them at the restaurant, often with their children and grandkids. The little ones love the bison carpaccio and an octopus dish called Polipo Grigliato. Though they are also big fans of the bison, Mary and Tim lean toward the Crudo di Ricciola (yellowtail), eggplant parmigiana, and swordfish piccata.
“We come with our family and everyone has a great time,” says Mary. “But the best part is sitting in the back and watching other people enjoying themselves. It’s a happy place and that’s exactly what we wanted.”
