ABOUT US
The people behind Boston Chocolate Tours come from backgrounds as varied as chocolate itself, but all of us are seriously passionate about the food of the gods.
Before any of us had any inkling that someday we’d be spending our days sharing this passion with others, we routinely devoured every tidbit of our favorite bean’s history and lore. We’d travel far and wide in search of new cacao-based experiences. Tracking down tiny boutique chocolatiers based on a wisp of a rumor. Seeking out high-profile experts to answer increasingly arcane questions. Along the way, of course, were endless tastings.
Eventually, it dawned on us that among friends and relatives, we ourselves were now considered the chocolate experts. The fact that all of us loved meeting new people and had rich experience in culinary event planning certainly didn’t hurt. Then, in early 2009, it seemed a lot of stars began to align. You could say that we founded a business. But it’s probably more accurate to say this business found us.
Remember that old saying about following your dreams? In our case, Boston Chocolate Tours is the delicious result.
DAVID __Founder, Ringleader, and Chief Taster
David Goldstein is a born entrepreneur. Dreaming up fun new business ventures is in his blood – just like chocolate. Fortunately for all of us, David’s wife Wendy and their three children wholeheartedly support the cacao addiction.
The path to Boston Chocolate Tours began with a stint as program director for Learning Adventure, a Boston-based education/recreation center. There, David organized ski and rafting tours, then went on to create a Boston bar tour that captured loads of attention (including that of The Wall Street Journal).
Hopelessly irrepressible, David next founded the acclaimed Mystery Café, America’s Original Murder Mystery Dinner Theater. His next startup, Teambonding, quickly became a leader in the intensely creative world of corporate team building. Teambonding has made the Inc. 5000 for the past three years running, and now divisions focused on philanthropic team building and culinary team building (Recipe For Success).
Chocolate historians will no doubt trace Boston Chocolate Tours origins back to David’s popular Chocolate Team Building events, which have now been enjoyed by literally hundreds of corporate groups across the U.S. He and his family have always been avid travelers and big fans of well-planed food tours, so this latest business idea came naturally. Of all the companies David has launched, he fondly refers to this one as his passion business. Anyone who knows him at all well knows he isn’t kidding.
For the record, our founder’s current favorite chocolate indulgence is Fran’s Salt Caramels from the Seattle Tour de Chocolat (this happens to be Obama’s favorite as well). But then, David steadfastly reserves the right to have more than one favorite.
LAUREN __Choco-Operations Manager
Like David, Lauren is an entrepreneur at heart. After graduating from Babson College, Lauren started her own holiday tea store, TeaLicious, in her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA. While she remains an avid Steelers fan, Lauren currently lives in the Boston area. She loves travel and adventure, and has been known to take a trip to Switzerland just for the chocolate! Luckily she found Boston Chocolate Tours, where she was able to satisfy her cravings for top quality chocolate and an entrepreneurial atmosphere right here in Boston. One of Lauren’s favorite things is discovering the wonderful artistry in local crafts, so she loves exploring the city scoping out potential tour stops (eating chocolate and calling it “research”). When she isn’t doing that, you might find Lauren exploring local craft fairs or just roaming the city with her dog.
OUR CHOCO-GUIDES
It takes a very special person indeed to successfully fill this role. Knowledgeable, fun loving, outgoing, resourceful and at least mildly hedonistic. You just never know when you’ll run across another of these exceptional beings – they are few and far between – so we’re always on the lookout. We will introduce you to new Boston Chocolate Tour guides as they find their way into our little world.
VICTORIA Lead Choco-Guide
Victoria began her lifetime of chocolate training growing up in suburban Connecticut. She first came to Boston to attend Emmanuel College on the Fenway, and has lived here ever since. Now, as a full-fledged city girl, Victoria is a freelance writer who enjoys trying new restaurants, attending fashion shows or other Boston events, and bargain shopping. Despite these urban pursuits, she still maintains a more earthy streak, and has recently taken to gardening. Though fresh veggies are now common in her house, she makes sure to keep her energy up by having chocolate for breakfast every morning. When she’s not giving chocolate tours, you can find Victoria sketching in the Public Garden, walking along the Charles, or as an extra in the upcoming Anna Faris movie!
MEGAN Choco-Guide
If you had told Megan a few years ago that she’d one day be giving chocolate tours, she’d have said, “Yeah, in my dreams!” You can imagine her excitement when she discovered not only that chocolate walking tours exist, but also that she would get to lead them. In 2006, Megan earned a Masters degree at Oxford Brookes University with the intent to teach, but she much prefers using her skills to share her love of chocolate and history with others. When not stomping the chocolate trail, Megan gives history and architecture tours of Boston and organizes other people’s lives. In the few moments she keeps for herself, she can be found cuddled up with her Kindle or at the cinema.
JOANN Beacon Hill Choco-Guide
By joining the team at Boston Chocolate Tours, JoAnn, our Beacon Hill Tour Guide, instantly combined her favorite things: chocolate, Boston and people! Born and raised in New England, life truly is sweet for this Boston resident who comes to us by way of Colorado and Nantucket. “What I love most about the Beacon Hill Tour is that is it as much about the boutique stops as it is the chocolate. I have nicknamed it the nook ‘n cranny chocolate tour because it allows even the long-time local guest to discover hidden treasures in their own back yard. And for the calorie conscientious, the itinerary offers just the right amount of walking between tasting stops, so it is a guilt-free tour of indulgences.” When she is not designing fun and memorable chocolate experiences for her guests, JoAnn is designing interiors…and you can be assured that every client gets a chocolate on their pillow from this interior designer!
OUR CHOCOLATIERS
Taste of Chocolate’s experienced chocolatiers will guide you through the art of making delicious truffles by hand using couverture chocolate, fresh ingredients and a variety of natural flavorings.
VALERIE__Creator of the Chocolate Workshop
Valerie Conyngham is a graduate of The Cambridge School of Culinary Arts and earned her chocolate making stripes in the kitchen of Chez Henri. Valerie is a purist when it comes to chocolate making, using only the finest couverture and freshest ingredients. In addition to teaching chocolate making workshops with Boston Chocolate Tours she is bringing the joy of chocolate to Boston through the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay where she chairs the association’s Chocolate Group. Her chocolates have been featured at Toscanini’s Ice Cream and are currently available through private order.
TIM Executive Pastry Chef, Chocolatier
Tim Brown, a South African native, graduated the Hospitality & Industrial Training Board Culinary Academy in Cape Town, and apprenticed at Zevenwacht winery and at Restaurant Au Jardin, Cape Town, which is one of the Top 10 best restaurants in South Africa. Tim then left for England and thereafter to the US to be part of the team to open the Emerson Inn & Spa, in Mt. Tremper, New York. Tim has attended the CIA, Poughkeepsie, NY, and the Valrohna School of Chocolate in Hermitage, France, and has been the Executive Pastry Chef at the acclaimed Wheatley Hotel and at the Turnberry Isle Resort and Club in Miami, Tim, currently an instructor of Baking & Pastry at Johnson & Wales now joins Boston Chocolate School, Boston, MA, teaching An Evening of Chocolate & Wine and the Art of Chocolate where will produce WOW! quality chocolate classes.
DORIAN Executive Pastry Chef, Chocolatier
Dorian McCarron’s passion for chocolate runs so strong that he has not gone a day in over 12 years without eating it in some form. This passion for chocolate has led him to become renowned dessert and pastry chef in the Boston area. His work has been recognized by the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, Patriot Ledger, Brockton Enterprise and Pastry Art & Design Magazine and he has appeared on Chronicle. now a full time body piercer, when not crafting truffles and sharing his knowledge of chocolate, Dorian can be found photographing the streets of Boston or focusing on his other passions, tattooing and running his own Organic, Handcrafted Skin Care company (www.snuggleupsoap.com). His expertise and charismatic personality make our chocolate workshops a unique and enjoyable experience.
OUR WINE EXPERTS
HARRY Wine Expert
Harry Silverstein has served as Owner and President of Red, White & Bleu, a specialty food and wine retail business in Falls Church, VA, for the past three years. Additionally, he is in the process of opening Recipe, a comprehensive wine and specialty food marketplace in the Back Bay. Harry’s wine education extends back many years – he has traveled to several of the most renowned wine regions on Earth – and he is partial to Northern Rhone reds and whites. Prior to these experiences, Harry spent the previous ten years as a business and management strategist with a focus on market entry and growth strategies. He has a Masters of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business where, not coincidentally, he was co-chair of the Wine Club.