Ada Cóncaro

Argentine cook and gastronome

Biography

Ada Cóncaro (Buenos Aires, 1934 – Buenos Aires, 14 December 2010) was one of the leading names in Argentine cooking. She is best remembered as the founder of Tomo I, the Buenos Aires restaurant that became one of the most respected gastronomic institutions in the country.

She studied chemistry at the University of Buenos Aires and worked as a mathematics teacher in Patagonia before returning to the capital. In 1983 she opened Tomo I, which soon became known for its careful cooking and personal approach to hospitality. She had three children, and in time she handed the running of the kitchen to her son, Federico Fialayre.

Her legacy lives on through Tomo I and through the respect she holds within Argentine gastronomy, as an example of a restaurant project built on a professional path quite different from the kitchen.

Key contributions

• Founding of the Tomo I restaurant in Buenos Aires (1983), a reference point for Argentine gastronomy.
• Passing on the kitchen to her son Federico Fialayre, who took over its direction.