Michele Topor, Inc.

Michele was terrific and very knowledgeable. The shops and discussion were interesting, and the samples were an added bonus. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone interested in learning more about the North End and Italian cooking.

My sister found this tour online and suggested it was something she would like to do as a Christmas present - I am so glad she suggested it! Even though it was raining it didn't dampen our enjoyment. We received excellent history on the development of Italian food in this country, methods of cooking it, how to choose the best ingredients etc. We visited a butcher, a grocery store, a pastry shop and a liquor store - all with excellent narrative on what to look for. The visits included tasting of various small samples of the specialities in each, which certainly added to the enjoyment of the tour! Of course it primed us up to have lunch in one of the area restaurants right after the tour and sample the homemade pasta! And we certainly came away with a deeper appreciation of all that Boston's North End has to offer.

We would recommend this tour for anyone who loves Boston & appreciates great food.

This was such a fun informative tour!!! Jim, the tour guide is so knowledgable. The local shop visitations were a great experience. (The herbalist and the supermarket were my faves)The dim sum lunch was so great--without the tour guide we would have been too intimidated and wouldn't even know where to begin or what to eat. After Jim described wonderful Asian spring rolls, I was a bit disapointed when we didn't get to sample one.

I so appreciated the rich background of Jim Becker, our guide who could speak with shop keepers, the pharmacist, the bakers, etc. in Cantonese, thus opening doors to so many pleasant encounters. His knowledge, his enthusiasm, his guiding us to be culturally sensitive as we ate at the Restaurant , e.g. showing us how to place our chop sticks; the introduction to places where I am looking forward to return . These are just a few random thoughts . This was a gift for a few members in the family, and now my sister hinted at a gift for the trip for her and her husband as we discuss Christmas gifts. Thanks so much. Maureen

My wife and I are natives of the Boston area, and despite all of the times we have visited the North End in our lifetime we learned much that we did not know about Boston's beloved little Italy. Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic, and a pleasure to spend time with for the 3 hours wandering through the streets and shops on the tour. A very good mixture of history, humor, and education. Learned much about the food and what the best ingredients to look for and where to find them. The tour was well structured and paced. The sights, scents, and tastes were wonderful. I now know how to select the best eggplant when I am dispatched to the grocery store. We would highly recommend for locals as well as distant travelers. Everyone will enjoy.

I had lived in Boston for several years previously, but I still learned a lot on the tour. Michele is very knowledgeable. My wife and I will recommend to others.

My husband and I had gone on this tour 2 years ago and enjoyed it tremendously. My parents were coming to visit from out of town and we thought this would be fun to do with them. Not only did they absolutely love it, but we loved it the second time around! Michele's depth of knowledge about the area and the local and original cuisine is remarkable, and she is a fantastic guide and narrator. My entire family enthusiastically recommends this for anyone - locals and tourists alike! You will not be disappointed.

I thought the tour was great. Relatives were here for Thanksgiving and we have all seen the standard sites, multiple times. Learned about a living in the North End, not visiting there. Would definitely go back to some of the stores!

I was going to write to share how much we (my 2 sisters and I) enjoyed the tour. The tour guide on Sat. Nov. 22nd 10 AM tour, I think her name was Judy was wonderul. She was very knolwledgeable, enthuastic, and articulate. She was a great guide and make it most enjoyable. She involved everyone. She also went out of her way to make my sister, whose birthday it was, feel special by arranging for a cake for her as well as offering the samples we tried to her first. Each stop was interesting and different. The information shared during the walk was also very informative. One really learned alot about the North End as well as how the culture of that area evolved. We truly had a live, mini history lesson. I had planned e mail you to share what a wonderful guide you have in Judy. She surely represents your company well and does an outstanding job. People like her should be recognized for exceeding expectations. You ,as her employer, need to hear this feedback. Janet S. Eagan

This tour was very fun and very educational. I'll never look at a bottle of olive oil the same. My father is first-generation Italian-American, and it took him back to his childhood; he absolutely loved it. Our tour guide, Jim, was funny and very knowledgeable about Italian cooking and its history. I would recommend this tour very highly!

After many years of visiting Boston, we enjoyed having the opportunity to be in the North End for an extended time and learn about the Italian food traditions. The tour guide was very knowledgeable not only about the food but also about different aspects of the Italian language and culture. All of the shops were interesting. It was great to find out about recommended restaurants and then, to have a chance to eat dinner in one of them that night after the tour. We hope to go back and revisit some of the stores and of course, try another restaurant!

was given as a gift enjoyable fun experience Michelle was excellent looking for a fun diferent gift to someone or yourself can not go wrong

The Chinatown tour was awesome. Jim gave us history of China, information on the various provinces and their culture. He knew the Chinatown area and was familiar with all the stores and restaurants which we visited. I love walking through Chinatown areas; however, I am always reticent to go into shops in which I have not been recommended or already know as it is confusing. This was an eye opener to both understand more about the people and their area. I highly recommend this tour.

We did both the Chinatown and North End Tours with Jim. We learned about wines, pasta, cheese, spices and had wonderful samples at each place. We found terrific places and wonderful people. I highly recommend this tour!!