Sign, Instructional

Object number2014.13.16 a-c

Date1951

MediumFoamboard; ink; laminate

Credit LineGift of Charles Pellegrini.

DescriptionSmoking signs from Tambellini's Ristorante.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth: 10 × 10 × 0.25 in. (25.4 × 25.4 × 0.6 cm)
Historical NotesItems from Tambellini's Ristorante, including signs. Items from Tambellini’s Ristorante, including reliefs by Ivo Zini, whisk, fryer basket, dinner plate, salad plate, platter, silverware, signs, wooden tokens, cloth napkins, server’s uniform (black apron, black bowtie, white dress shirt), paper to-go bag. Tambellini’s Ristorante on Seventh Street was a staple in Pittsburgh’s Cultural District for 63 years. Founded by sisters Mary Tambellini Pellegrini and Frances Tambellini D’Amico and their uncle Frank Tambellini, this branch of the Tambellini family operated one of eight Italian restaurants in Pittsburgh with the Tambellini name. Their partnership began in 1950 when the Tambellini family, along with Charles Tambellini, Charlie, Joe, and Paul Sodini, purchased the 7th Street Café at 106 7th Street. During the early years, their regulars were mill workers who enjoyed sandwiches and pasta dishes, and often ordered boilermakers to satisfy their thirst after a hard day of work. In 1967, Mary, Frances, and Frank bought Carl’s Bar at 139 7th Street and moved their café into a larger building, which allowed for restaurant style seating and a bar area for their full-time bartender, Nello Pellegrini, Mary’s husband. The new location became known as F. Tambellini’s 7th Street and began serving a variety of Italian dishes prepared in the Lucchese style. Chef Franco D’Amico, France’s husband, adapted some of their native Tuscan dishes to better suit the tastes of Pittsburghers; this included their legendary zucchini appetizer. So beloved was this dish that the kitchen cooked up to 50 pounds of the zucchini per day! Tambellini’s Ristorante capitalized on their location in the heart of the Cultural District, becoming a go-to fine dining restaurant for patrons of the nearby theaters. They dedicated a dining room to Italian composer Giacomo Puccini and commissioned artist and fellow Lucchese Ivo Zini to cast large fiberglas reliefs for the walls. These reliefs depict Madame Butterfly, Pagliacci, the walls of Lucca, and Puccini composing at his piano with Italian tenor Enrico Caruso looking on. Donor Charles Pellegrini, son of Mary and Nello Pellegrini, began working as a busboy at the restaurant as a teenager. After attending college and working in the steel industry for some years, Charles returned to Tambellini’s in the late 1980s and ran the establishment in its last 25 years with the help of his wife Janet.

Previous owner Tambellini's Ristorante

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