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MARKET TOURS >
PRIVATE GROUP
TOURS
Let your groups discover
what these publications are saying about Boston's most unique tour...
"In Paul Revere's backyard, tour guide extraordinaire
Michele Topor, revolutionizes the way you look at one of Boston's most historic
neighborhoods. Only it has nothing to do with the redcoats. Red sauce? Now
that's another story." –- Food Network Best of the Best
"...there is no better guide to one of the premier
food neighborhoods in the country than professional chef Michele Topor." --
Delta Sky
"All I ever really needed to know I learned
on the North End Market Tour...She'll leave your head spinning and your belly full,
for Topor is a culinary dynamo." -- Panorama Magazine
"Although agents anywhere can sell her personal
tours with confidence, local agents should consider making them a part of any inbound
endeavor. Her impeccable advice on Italian food and culture is dispensed freely
during the tasting tour..." -- ASTA Agency Management
North End Market Tours are ideal for groups and individuals,
whether on family outing or corporate meeting, group incentives, or spouse programs.
Menu of culinary adventures:
- Two or three-hour market tour with
tastes
- "La Dolce Vita" all day
tour with morning coffee and lunch
- morning market tour with cappuccino
and pastries at a local caffe
- market tour followed by lunch or
dinner at an authentic restaurant
- market tour followed with cooking
demonstration and lunch
- afternoon market tour followed by
merenda of espresso, granita or prosecco
- olive oil and/or balsamic vinegar
tasting
- Italian regional dinners at local
North End restaurants
All tours include:
- tastings of many authentic foods
- secrets on where to find authentic
ingredients, how to buy and prepare them
- handouts describing the stores
- insights on new restaurant "finds"
- historical insights into the North
End community and Italian culture
While we do not provide transportation, we can arrange
to have a guide meet the group at a local hotel prior to the tour to escort the
group into the neighborhood. Cost: $50 or $2 per person -- the greater of the two.
Tour prices do not include the 5% sales tax.
"LA DOLCE VITA"
All-day tour
$175.00 per person -- 8-12 people
$150.00 per person -- 13-0 people
The ultimate tour experience - spend the day touring and eating in “Little
Italy”. You begin with cappuccino and sfogliatelle at a local
café to learn about all of the types of coffee and bibite that are offered.
After a discussion of the immigrant history of the neighborhood, the evolution of
Italian- American food and how the style of shopping in a European community differs
from what we are used to in America, you begin your culinary walking tour of the
neighborhood. Like a cooking class on foot: glean insider cooking tips, gain resources
and knowledge on how to identify and where to buy the very best ingredients. After
working up an appetite, you will be ready to enjoy lunch at one of Michele’s
favorite trattorias. After lunch you continue your stroll through this old
world neighborhood, with some time to pick up a few treasures to take home.
"SI MANGIA BENE"
Three-hour tour
$45.00 per person -- 10-20 people
$40.00 per person -- 21-60 people
Our classic tour includes a brief history of the neighborhood, a description
of the evolution of Italian American food, and historical insights into the North
End community and Italian food culture. A total of 5 stores are visited including
a pastry shop, confection store, coffee/spice store, greengrocer, salumeria
(deli), and liquor store. Insights to restaurants are also shared.
"MANGIA-MANGIA"
Two-hour tour
$35.00 per person -- 10-20 people
$30.00 per person -- 21-60 people
This modified tour is great for large groups who have a busy schedule but want to
experience the neighborhood and learn about the most important of the Italian ingredients.
You will visit 5 stores as your guide weaves in a taste of Italian food culture
and neighborhood history.
MENU OF CULINARY OPTIONS
FOR GROUPS
Create a seamless experience and have your clients
enjoy a stop before or after the North End Market Tour.
"Prima Colazione"
(Breakfast)
About 1 hr. -- $15.00 pp
Before the morning North End Market Tour we begin with a stop at a local caffe.
Michele will discuss all the types of coffee drinks while we sip our favorite, accompanied
by a crispy sfogliatelle. As a prelude to the tour, she will also acquaint the participants
with the immigrant history of the neighborhood and how the style of shopping and
eating in Italy differs from what we are used to in America.
"Pranzo" (Lunch)
About 1 to 1-1/2 hrs. -- prices range
from $20-$28 pp,
includes tax, gratuity and one glass of wine
Follow the morning tour with lunch at Michele’s favorite trattoria. Please
call for a menu proposal.
"Pranzo e Scuola di
Cucina" (Lunch and cooking demo)
About 1-1/2 hrs. -- $60 pp, includes
tax and gratuity -- 20-50 people
Follow the morning tour with lunch and a demonstration cooking class. Includes one
antipasto, two pasta dishes served family-style, one glass of wine.
"Merenda" (Afternoon
snack)
About 1 hr. -- $15 pp
Following the afternoon tour we stop at a local caffe to enjoy a refreshing espresso,
gelato or a glass of Prosecco. Michele will discuss all the types of coffee drinks
as well as answer any questions about any of the wonderful Italian products discovered
on tour.
"Cena" (Dinner)
Prices range from $52 - $56 pp
Includes tax, gratuity and one glass of house wine
Follow the afternoon tour with a rustic, multi-course dinner served "family
style" at one of our favorite haunts. Please call for a menu proposal.
"La Cucina Regionale"
(Regional dinner)
Price varies according to menus &
wines -- please inquire
Italian cooking is a varied cuisine reflecting
the changing landscape, climate and cultural heritage of each region. Let Michele
arrange a specially prepared multi-course dinner complemented with wines representing
a particular region of Italy. Pick your favorite or discover and experience a new
region. An informal talk will be conducted throughout the meal to describe the region,
the staple food and wine products, the menu, and tips on preparing the dishes at
home.
"La Scuola di Cucina"
(Cooking class)
15 persons min, 25 max -- please
inquire
Cooking classes make great team-building for business groups. Have fun while creating
a five-course dinner from scratch. The menu is based on the season so that the freshest
available ingredients can be used. Class begins with a discussion of the menu, recipes
and food products. The group is divided into teams and each team directed by a visiting
chef. Printed recipes are provided.
"Assaggi" (Tastings)
Price varies according to food products
-- please inquire
Tasting sessions can be arranged for olive oils, vinegars, cured meats, salt, cheese
or any other Italian food products. Taste, compare, experience, evaluate and chronicle
the various qualities. Have fun! Pick your favorite flavor. The more you learn,
the more you'll pay attention to what you're buying and eating.
While we do not provide transportation, we can arrange
to have a guide meet the group at a local hotel prior to the tour to escort the
group into the neighborhood.
$50 or $2pp – or greater of the two
GENERAL INFORMATION
- At nearly every stop, we’ll enjoy
small tastes of specific Italian food ingredients so that the participants may experience
benchmark flavors to incorporate into their own cooking and dining adventures. As
you will see, gli ingredienti veraci – authentic ingredients – are the key to
la
bellissima cucina italiana.
- While we go inside most of the establishments
that make up the tour, getting to and from each stop requires being outside in the
elements. Appropriate outerwear and comfortable walking shoes are highly recommended
(as is bringing an umbrella, if necessary).
- Since the stores are very small,
groups over 20 people may be divided into smaller groups with separate guides.
- Handouts describing the stores are
provided.
- Tours are held rain or shine.
- Please schedule a rest room stop
for your group before entering Boston. Bathrooms are available for emergencies only.
- Your final tour guarantee is due
7 days prior to the tour.
- Please see our
FAQ page for additional information.
SCHEDULING
Due to the popularity of our tours, we strongly suggest
that you book tours well in advance.
- Group tours can be scheduled Monday,
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday from 9am, ending at 6:30pm.
- Group tour rates do not apply to
regularly scheduled tours on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
- We will do our best to provide a
customized or specialty tour to meet your group's needs.
Why we don't do large group tours on Saturdays
Please note that Saturday is the day families return
to visit friends, family and shopkeepers while doing their weekly "fare la
spesa" shopping. We respect this tradition and strive to maintain
the integrity of this neighborhood. Since the neighborhood and the stores are quite
small, we do not schedule large group tours on Saturdays. We may, during winter
season, stretch a private group size to 20 but never more than that and only in
the quiet winter months.
RESERVATION AND PAYMENT
Group tickets sold over 15 days prior to a tour date:
- A $200 non-refundable deposit is
required to hold a specific date and time.
- Remaining balance (non-refundable)
is due and payable 10 days prior to
the event.
Group tickets sold less than 15 days from tour date:
- Full payment by credit card is required
to hold a specific date and time.
PAYMENT OPTIONS
- Check or credit card (AMEX, Visa,
MC).
- 5% sales tax is not included in the price.
CANCELLATIONS
- The deposit is refundable up to 60
days prior to the tour with written cancellation for tours booked more than 60 days
prior to the tour date.
- No refunds are given for no-shows.
- A $25 service fee is charged for
returned checks.
TAX EXEMPTION
If a group claims tax-exempt status in Massachusetts,
a copy of the Form ST-2 Certificate of Exemption must be supplied, at the time of
the initial deposit. The correct tour fee (minus sales tax) will be written on the
group reservation contract form to be returned with payment. The accompanying group
reservation contract must be signed and dated by a legal representative of the group,
indicating acceptance of and agreement with all terms of this group policy.
Please inquire for rates of other culinary adventures.
For custom and group tour information,
call 617-523-6032, or e-mail Michele@FoodToursOfBoston.com
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