Food Tours Around Paris?

[spyturtle008]

I'll be taking my first trip to Paris soon, and am curious to know if there are any food tours (cheese, wine?) in the area that fellow Chowhounds would recommend. Thanks in advance!

[Parigi]

Another vote for Julot. I recently had the privilege of watching him prepare his nirvana roast chicken. Since then, neither my chicken nor I have been the same.

[John Talbott]

I'm really late here because I read the subject line and thought the OP wanted a food tour of St Denis, Marne la Vallee, Ivry etc.. In any case, Julot is most knowledgeable altho' I've never had a tour outside a resto with him.

[ulterior epicure]

I second Dr. Talbott's recommendation for fair Julot.

[bakerboyz]

I will be coming to Paris for my first visit in early April and would love to do a walking food tour. I did notice however that Julot's website is no longer operating when I clicked on the link above from 2008. Any other suggestions? I am planning on taking a 1 day cooking class, perhaps in bread baking at "Cook 'N With Class".

[Parigi]

Julot's new site:
http://www.julotzeblog.com/

[andaba]

Having recently done several Paris food walks, the best by far are by Context Travel. Barbara Austin was delightful and really knows her stuff--she used to be a cook, unlike some of the other American food-tour guides, whose knowledge is pretty superficial beyond showing off their insider's relationships with a couple of chefs.

[Luna2372]

Thanks for this, I want to return to Paris in the fall of 2012 and think this would be a great idea.

[megzimbeck]

I agree that Julot (aka Julien, aka Souphie) would be wonderful for a personalized tour - especially anything to do with bakeries. Have you seen the map (http://bit.ly/c47yU5) he made of his favorite boulangeries? It's awesome.

Moshi Moshi mentioned Context Travel (http://www.contexttravel.com/city/Paris/all_walking_tours/Cuisine) and I can tell you that they're pretty great. Of course, I work for them and am in no way objective. In terms of pricing, the walks cost €70-80 for 2.5 hours (it almost always stretches to 3hrs), including copious tastings (bread, cheese, chocolate, pastry, Armagnac...) along the way. Groups are small (6 people max) enough to receive a warm welcome in the tiniest of shops. Walks are led exclusively by chefs or food writers.

I've also heard a lot of really nice reviews about walks by Wendy Lyn at The Paris Kitchen - http://thepariskitchen.com/

Hope you find something good!

[bakerboyz]

The Context tours sound great but how to choose from: The Bobo Palate, Belly of Paris, Baguette to Bistro and Paris Market Walk? Any thoughts on which to choose?

[Moshi Moshi]

I've been researching similar for my upcoming trip as well. Not sure if this is exactly what you have in mind. Hope it helps:

http://www.contexttravel.com/paris/tours/cuisine/
http://www.frenchlinks.com/foodandwinetours.html
http://www.lindamathieu.com/paris/theme/index.shtml
http://www.paristalks.com/home/
http://www.promenadesgourmandes.com/

[lpennin104]

Barbara at Paris Talks is fabulous. She's a long time resident of Paris and a gourmet cook. Just gave us a fabulous gourmet tour in Paris. She was so much fun and very knowledgible.

[toitoi]

Try

http://www.julotlespinceaux.com/

perhaps, not exactly what you're looking for, but a start.

[spyturtle008]

Wow, great site -- thanks! I'm afraid something like a personalized tour would likely be beyond my budget -- an idea what the charges for something like this would be, ballpark?

[ulterior epicure]

spyturtle008,

I wouldn't assume as much. Just email Julien. I'm sure he'll be more than willing to work with you.

u.e.

[mdietrich]

Let Julien help you plan your trip. He is a very kind and generous person., who wants only to share his passion and knowledge of food and France with you. Don't be concerned with fees, just email him.

[tupac17616]

I'll second Julot, but I'd say it's even more than just a start. I think he's exactly what you're looking for! Ultra knowledgeable.

[txgrl99]

I'll also put in a vote for Julot. I'm not sure what you consider to be in your budget, but after researching such things fairly extensively, I think you are getting an incredible value for the service he offers (basically a food tour customized to your specific tastes). He takes a lot of time to understand what you like, expect, enjoy, etc. And anyone that reads this board knows how passionate and knowledgeable he is about great Parisian food. We have a day booked with him in early January and can't wait. Email him and he can definitely give you more specific information about price, services, etc.

[Moshi Moshi]

Just perused the Julot website - looks awesome! Go for it.