North End Market Tour

Jim our guide made the day. He was prompt, personable, professional, organized and knowledgeable. I would love to do a another tour in another location with him as the group leader. Thank you Marcy

For anyone wanting an introduction to the cultural histrory of the N orth End, with a slant toward the culinary traditions, this is a very enjoyable tour. Jim , our guide , showed genuine appreciation for the italian and Italian American traditions that have made the North End a cultural treasure of America's immigrant history. I enjoyed learning about authentic traditions and adaptations that have become iconid Italian American standards. While the tour indulges in culinary pleasures, the history and culture of Italian Americans was woven into each stop along the tour. Add to that cooking tips and the "insiders guide" to the North End, and you've got a winning tour. Thanki you Jim for sharing your expertise and personal experiences and preferences-- and Thank you for not cancelling the tour even though our "group" was smalll enough to become a private tour. It was a wonder ful morning.

My past experiences with group tours has been such lousy experiences and a waste of time, I nearly changed my mind several times before showing up for this tour. I have such little patience for walking from one historical and disconnected tourist site to another while tacitly avoiding the present and local life of the area. Michele Topor's tour was such a breath of fresh air! It wasn't about past cultures long gone, but the living culture and just enough history to provide a context to the beliefs and habits. The hands-on and personable experience made it an authentic and relevant learning opportunity. The knowledge shared was something to bring home and act upon. I've found myself reflecting upon my cooking and eating habits days after the tour. When asked about my trip to Boston, the Topor tour comes out as the most memorable event. My only fear is that it might become too popular and negatively impact the intimacy of the experience. If only it could be Boston's best kept secret!

I wish we could have seen the hardware store and a butcher shop.....

The North End Culinary Tour was wonderful. My friend and I are both pretty good cooks and consider ourselves to be very knowledgeable with regard to cuisine, having made lots of trips to Italy. We were surprised to learn many new things on this tour, not only about food, but also about the history of the North End and the Italian culture in general. Our guide was very informative, interesting and fun. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting the Boston area. Mangia!

I loved the tour. It truly gave the flavor of the community.

My husband and I enjoyed the tour and found it very informative.

We were not sure what to expect when we signed on for the North End Market Tour. What a joy it turned out to be. Our guide was a former chef and restaurant owner. Not only did he show us local markets, but he spoke knowingly about several cooking tools, such as balsamic vinegar, olive oil, spices, nuts, etc. He took us to little markets, bakeries, liqueur and wine markets that are not known to the common tourist. He explained the layout of the small community and gave us suggestions for restaurants. We would highly recommend this tour, even to the local Bostonians.

Our guide Jim was wonderful. His enthusiasm and general demeaner added to the atmosphere and increased the groups (15 in the tour) desire to learn more. My ancestors are Italian. Jim was able to utilize examples that finally made me understand why they do/did things in a particular way. Jim mentioned that he was trying to put together a chinatown tour, if I am in the area I definiately will inquire. Thanks for offering this tour, it was great.

I consider myself to be extremely knowledgeable about Italian food, but I learned some useful things. It was great to finally find out where to get the best ingredients, since this town seems to be big on omerta about that sort of thing.