About Us
Tour de Forks is a boutique culinary travel company whose philosophy focuses on discovering a destination, its history and culture through its cuisine. The travel is experiential and adheres to the principles of the Slow Food movement; travelers engage with artisans, chefs, producers and observe time-honored traditions.
Our Commitment to Local Sustainability
Tour de Forks is committed to the sustainability of local communities through our support of small businesses, families and organizations that contribute to the preservation of their regional heritage. Our cultural travel experiences celebrate the artisanal food producers, family-owned wineries, local craftspeople, artists and boutique hoteliers that truly define their communities
Partners
Melissa Joachim
Melissa co-founded Tour de Forks in 2003, and was born in Melbourne, Australia. Melissa’s love for food and travel ignited when she traveled the world for three years, studying and living in Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. This passion grew and inspired the creation of Tour de Forks. Now a resident of New York City for over thirty years, Melissa has worked as a designer and art director for Newsweek, ABCNews, and Disney.
Lisa Goldman
Lisa is a co-founder and loves to travel and eat. This enthusiasm has found a home in Tour de Forks. Lisa works on the marketing, advertising, and sales end of Tour de Forks. Lisa received her Masters in Education at Columbia University. Prior to Tour de Forks, Lisa has worked as a freelance copywriter for American Express. Lisa also writes for children’s television. Lisa is a Bon Appetit Travel Advisory Board Member and a member of Slow Food.
Giuseppe Ricotta
Giuseppe joined Tour de Forks in 2004 to expand business to Italy. He was born in Palermo, Sicily. From the day he was born, food was central to Giuseppe’s life and he grew up surrounded by fabulous family cooks and eating organic produce. Before Tour de Forks, Giuseppe received an M.B.A from Fordham University in New York City and works as a business manager with extensive international experience.
Associates
Chef Anita Lo
Anita Lo is a French trained chef and cookbook author (Cooking Without Borders and SoLo, a Modern Cookbook for a Party of One which won Eater’s Cookbook of the Year and was nominated for an IACP award) based in New York City. She is best known for her work at annisa, a contemporary American fine dining restaurant in the West Village which she owned and operated for 17 years and which received a three star rating from the New York Times and a Michelin star among other accolades. Chef was the first female chef to collaborate for a state dinner at the white house under the Obama Administration. She has appeared on numerous television shows and films including Top Chef Masters, Iron Chef America and The Heat. Chef is currently working with the Tour de Forks, hosting culinary tours around the planet. She was recently awarded the Order of Agricultural Merit from the French government. Her website is chefanitalo.com
Debra Fioritto
Debra is a winner of the Culinary Trust’s Julia Child Endowment Fund Scholarship and specializes in travel and tours to France’s 71 government-designated gastronomic taste monuments, “The Sites of Exceptional Culinary Taste” (Les Sites Remarquables du Gout). Debra teaches French at the University of Indiana South Bend. She is an expert in the history, legend and lore of French Cuisine. She has eaten her way through most of the regions of France and is always in search of the perfect mariage of two food products. Debra has a degree in French and International Relations and has traveled and lived throughout Europe. Debra is a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals.
