Forktown Food Tours — Local services in Portland

It’s been about a month since we completed the Forktown Tuscany Food Tour so we’ve had some time to gather our thoughts. Although our primary focus was, of course, the food, it turned out the beautiful visual memories of the countryside we collected as we travelled in our private Mercedes minivan, were at least as special. As expected, our tour leader, Heidi, selected generous and fantastic meals but the venues where we dined were unique and delightful. We ate in a renowned 100+ year butcher shop, in a tiny hilltop town where Amerigo Vespucci was born, at a small winery, a dairy farm, and a family farm, outdoors in Greve’s charming town square, and in a gorgeous private villa. Most all of these venues had sweeping views of Tuscany. All but 2 lunches and one dinner were included but honestly, we were happy to skip some meals! In addition to eating, we learned to make pasta, how wine is made, had a private, curated tour of the Accedemia, a walking history tour as well as a walking food tour in old Firenze, visit to several hill towns, and a walking history tour in old Siena. All this in 7 days. Our days were full but our tour leader, Heidi, paced the tour according to our small group’s energy level. We had enough downtime and free time. We were a group of 6 that were well matched and we enjoyed each other’s company. The entire experience was memorable and very worthwhile. Heidi is an excellent tour organizer and leader. She took care of all details so no worries for us! Plus she was able to answer all our questions, including those related to our travels after her tour. In fact, she made restaurant reservations for us, helped with transportation arrangements. If you’re interested in seeing much of the beautiful Tuscany landscape, enjoy small hill towns, and eat lots of delicious authentic Italian food in unique settings, all worry free, this tour will be...

There was once a time when I would scoff at the idea of taking any sort of tour to get to know a city and poked fun at the groups of gawking tourists exploring unknown territory. Forktown totally changed my perception on the matter and I can't sing their praises enough.

My friend and I (both Portland locals) opted for the N. Mississippi tour, led by Heidi. She was absolutely terrific - it was obvious that she has a true passion for this wonderful city and she delivered the perfect blend of amazing food alongside bits about our rich city history. Being residents of the city, we both left with information previously unknown to both of us... and experiences from some venues we hadn't set foot in yet.

Come to this tour hungry! These are not tiny nibbles or tastings you'll be getting, but a few hours of ample-sized portions (complete with beer and cocktails for those of you who wish to imbibe). While I will eat just about anything you put in front of me, my friend has a limited diet as a gluten free pescatarian... Heidi called ahead to each restaurant to ensure his diet needs would be met and he wouldn't be watching the rest of us enjoy our gluten-filled meaty goodness.

I highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting a unique way to...

I had the pleasure of working with Heidi, the owner of Forktown Food Tours to arrange a corporate team event. I seriously can't say enough about what a great company and experience it was. Heidi made the entire experience seamless. She worked with our team to accommodate multiple dietary restrictions, promptly answered calls and emails, and provide comprehensive details about the tour so that there was very few questions to ask. The tour itself was exceptionally well planned from start to finish. The restaurants and food/beverage selection was delicious and she provide fun information about both the city and the foodie scene in Portland. If your looking for enjoyable fun event for a group of people in Portland, you...