Tour de Forks

Italofile, March, 2008

You can eat well just about anywhere in Italy. But Italians know that Italy's culinary heart lies in Emilia Romagna: ragu alla Bolognese, premium balsamic vinegar from Modena, Parma ham, parmigiano cheese, mortadella: all of these scrumptious items come from Emilia Romagna. That's why epicures who want to get the most out of an Italian tour may be interested in Tour de Forks' Emilia Romagna Tour. This week-long tour, which takes place October 21-27, travels around Bologna, Modena, Parma, and Ravenna, giving guests a chance to sample the best of the region. We're licking our lips at the thought of it...

Oggi 7 Magazine, January 28, 2007
Foodies Take Tour de Forks’ Un-Tour to Italy
(translated from the Italian by Cristina Colasanto)

By Cristina Colasanto

Creators of culinary excursions to Sicily, Puglia, Sydney, Melbourne and Tasmania, the Tour de Forks trio has found the key ingredients for the perfect epicurean holiday: passion and curiosity about food, a healthy appetite and an open mind. Elite experiences customarily reserved for restaurant royalty, including jet setting to the island of Pantelleria for a Passito wine tasting or nibbling on sea urchin and bottarga - tuna caviar- while listening to the secrets of Sicily’s star chefs are all standard fare. And five-star accommodations like the 15th century convent transformed into luxury hotel, Eremo della Giubiliana are the rule not the exception.

Over crostini and a bottle of Pugliese Primitivo, we chatted with Tour de Forks founder Melissa Joachim - an Aussie with a passion for food and travel- co-founder Lisa Goldman - American writer and foodie on the New York City restaurant scene, and fellow organizer and native Sicilian Giuseppe Ricotta. They described the highlights of their tour to Sicily last spring, as well as future tours planned to eastern Sicily, Puglia and Basilicata.

What is unique about the Tour de Forks experience?
“ It's the un-tour tour,” Lisa Goldman explained. “Since we only take small groups of twelve or less, intimacy is encouraged. You're eating and drinking together and soon you're laughing together. “
“ And when we arrive at restaurants or food markets," Lisa added. "We're not in some big tour bus. It feels more like a small group of friends discovering new foods and new destinations together.”

Tour de Forks boasts an insider's experience. What do you mean by that?
Lisa quickly cited New York City chef Anita Lo, of Annisa Restaurant, who took one of their tours to Australia. According to Lo, ‘These are people whom chefs want to impress and who routinely get the best tables and the best service; these are the people you want at your dinner table. ..They are your insider's ticket to the culinary cognoscenti circle…’

Give me an example from the Sicily tour?
“ Our dinner with the Contessa Luisa Cammerata and her family in their palazzo in Palermo was once in a lifetime,” said Melissa Joachim. “From the white-gloved waiters in uniform serving a lavish six course dinner, to the tour of the family’s private art collection of ancient porcelain and pottery dating to before Christ, it was an unforgettable experience.”

What were some of the other highlights of the May tour to Sicily?
“ Author and food historian Mary Taylor Simeti gave a captivating tour of Capo food market,” said Lisa. “She taught us so much about Sicilian foods introducing us to the cedro fruit- a citron with a thick skin resembling a gigantic lemon- and to the secrets of cooking with these fresh foods. Simeti gave each member of the group a signed copy of her cookbook, “Sicilian Food,” which they can use as a reference when they return home.”

What are some important details often overlooked when selecting and planning for a culinary tour?
“ The travel time between destinations is an important factor,” said Giuseppe Ricotta. “We keep our bus trips under just three hours, and we are careful to balance planned activities with free time to explore on your own.”
“ Travelers should also understand how much hands-on cooking they will participate in and how many chef demonstrations they will be observing,” Melissa added. “Our tours get the group in the kitchen cooking, and with our small class size each person receives individual attention.”

What’s on the itinerary for 2007?
" During the month of May we have planned tours to the Eastern Coast of Sicily, including the Aioli islands of Lipari, Panarea, and Vulcano, as well as Taormina, Mt. Etna, Siracusa, Noto and Ragusa,” explained Giuseppe. “We’ll follow that up with our Classic Sicilian tour which stops in Palermo, Regaleali, Taormina, Noto, Ragusa, Siracusa and Pantelleria among other towns. Then in September, we launch our tour to Puglia and Basilicata."

What do you have planned for the Aeolian Islands?
“ In Lipari, we’ll be taking a cooking class with Chef Paolo, who will educate us about the specialties of the island,” said Giuseppe. “And the group is in for a treat. They’ll dine on a traditional wild rabbit dish- rarely made because it requires a full day of cooking and preparation.”
“We also have planned a night fishing expedition for totoni, which are akin to calamari but larger,” Melissa added. “Ideally, we’d like to catch, cook and eat on board. In Vulcano, guests will have the opportunity to visit the therapeutic sulfur baths. And from the island of Panarea, they’ll be treated to an evening viewing of volcanic fireworks off Vulcano’s coast.”

The Puglia and Basilicata itinerary is one of your newest tours. What attracted you to this region of Italy?
“ We selected Puglia and Basilicata because they are regions not well known to American travelers,” said Melissa. “We’ve found that discovering Sicily through its food and wine is to discover its history and culture. Similarly, we’d like to offer our guests the opportunity to see how different historical influences impact cuisine in Puglia and Basilicata.”

And what has the group to look forward to?
" An incredible week experiencing another side of Italy, said Melissa."Sopranos Family Cookbook author Michele Scicolone and her husband wine guide Charles Scicolone begin by leading the group to Locorotondo for artisanal salame and flinty white wine tastings.
One afternoon, nearby Corigliano, the group goes truffle hunting with Giuseppe Lolli and his dogs, which ends with them lunching on their new- found treasures.”
" In Altamura, we sample bread from town bakers who mix durum wheat and yeast -cultured for a half-century- to create the town's famous rustic and crusty loaves," added Melissa.
" Puglia is home to 50,000,000 olive trees that define its landscape," Lisa exclaimed. "And in Gallipoli, we spend the afternoon exploring the underground olive oil museum, followed by an olive oil tasting.”
Lisa explained that the region's lore reveals the origin of Galatina's dance: the
pizzica. According to locals while some women were picking tobacco, they were bitten by a tarantula spider. To cure themselves they danced to the rhythm of percussive sounds. In Galatina, guests take a tour of the Tarantate Museum and Santa Caterina.
" The architecture in Puglia is extraordinary," continued Lisa. "Circular in shape, and built from limestone without cement or mortar, the trulli structures were designed to make for easy disassembly in case of a tax collector's visit.
Our trip to Alberobello - trulli capitol of Puglia - will be like stepping into a fantastical Dr. Seuss adventure.”
For more information: tel. (212) 447 9640, e-mail info@tourdeforks.com or visit www.tourdeforks.com
Cristina Colasanto.

Bon Appetit Magazine, Sept, 2005
All-Star Sicily
New York based Tour de Forks is leading a guided trip this September to culinary hot spot Sicily. Highlights of the ten-day trip include a visit to one of Palermo's famous outdoor markets, a Sicilian degustation dinner at Il Duomo in the town of Ragusa, a cooking class with noted author Giovanna Tornabene, and a wine-tasting jaunt to the island of Pantelleria. The price tag includes scheduled meals and deluxe accommodations along the way.
Hugh Garvey.

New York Magazine, Nov, 2001
Chow Down Under
People go to Australia for many reasons the outback, the beaches: Now they’re going to eat. Tour de Forks is launching a culinary tour of Sydney and Melbourne, featuring tasting menus at restaurants (including, of course, Tetsuya’s) and a visit to the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival.