Taste Toast Travel
Hey, friends! Welcome to the Taste Toast Travel Podcast!
We're your hosts and resident foodies, epicureans, and lovers of all things travel and exploration, John and Tara.
John is a certified Sommelier and a Certified Specialist of Wine, and has worked in the wine and hospitality industry for over 10 years.
Tara has worked in the wine industry for eight years both in hospitality and digital marketing.
When we first met, we bonded over our love of eating, drinking, and traveling the world. That passion has only grown over time, now we want to share this passion with you from an insider perspective.
On this podcast, you can expect a wide range of topics on all things food, travel, and beverage. This includes non-alcoholic drinks, too, because we don't discriminate here!
That means we'll dig into things like where to go, where to stay and what to eat or drink along the way. We'll be serving tea on hot topics and big news, dig into the cultural significance and impacts that food, drink, and travel have on our lives, and we'll even bring on guests to join us who are just as excited, passionate, and knowledgeable about tasting, toasting, and traveling as we are.
And, because we're not your ordinary foodie and travel-focused podcast, you can definitely expect some pop culture topics here, too.
We're only scratching the surface and have a lot more in store that we can't wait to share with you all.
Grab your favorite beverage, get comfortable, and enjoy the journey with us. Cheers!
Episodes
23 episodes
022. Have Air Travel Anxiety? Here's How to Stay Calm While Traveling!
Tara’s taking over the podcast with a solo episode all about air travel and flight anxiety.Given recent aviation incidents and the overall atmosphere of uncertainty in the air travel industry, we’re offering some practical tips to help y...
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Episode 22
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24:43
021. Wine Tasting Dos and Don'ts (from Wine Industry Insiders)
If you or someone you know is planning a trip to Napa or Sonoma, you NEED to hear this episode! We’re putting our wine industry insider hats on and sharing our tips (and essential etiquette) for wine tasting in Sonoma and Napa!We’re cha...
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Episode 21
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47:37
020. Our Formula 1 Grand Prix Experience in Italy & Predictions for the 2025 Season
If you’re a Formula 1 fan, you’re going to love this episode! We’re breaking down our F1 Grand Prix experience in Monza, Italy that we went to on our honeymoon.Join us as we recount this incredible experience, but also hear about things ...
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Episode 20
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55:42
019. Lessons from a Global Citizen and Expat Parent with Angela Vitiello
Today we’re joined by Angela Vitiello! She is the founder and owner of Expat Parenting Collective and Vitiello Consulting—two organizations focused on self-leadership, thought leadership and leadership development.Angela is also a true ...
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Episode 19
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51:10
018. The Greatest Wine Fraud in History
If you haven’t heard about the biggest wine fraud in history, buckle up… because this story is a doozy. We’re putting our true crime hats on today and diving into the enthralling story of Rudy Kurniawan, one of the most notorious wine fraudster...
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Episode 18
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48:40
017. To Italy and Beyond: The Art of Exploration and Travel with TV Host & Travel Expert Kathy McCabe
Today we’re welcoming special guest Kathy McCabe, the creator of Dream of Italy and her newest show on PBS, Dream of Europe!In this inspiring episode, Kathy shares her incredible experiences and insights from over two decades in the trav...
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Episode 18
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48:13
016. Is Wine a Dying Breed? A Realistic Picture of the Alcohol Industry
We’re digging into a huge question being posed right now: what’s the future of the wine and alcohol industry? Is it truly a dying breed?As wine industry insiders, we’re exploring the current state of the wine world and spilling ALL the ...
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Episode 16
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1:05:13
015. Major Starbucks Changes & Questionable Coffee Culture
We're digging into the current state of coffee culture in America (and how far we have to go) with a particular focus on good ol' Starbucks, which has experienced some slumping sales and unfavorable customer experiences.With their new CE...
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Episode 15
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48:33
014. Healing Through Travel: How Exploration Can Help Us Grieve and Transform
We have a really special episode of Taste Toast Travel for you today! For those who don’t know, Tara is also a Certified Grief and Transformational Life Coach and got into this work after losing her parents to cancer several years ago within si...
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Episode 14
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40:44
013. Mindful, Sustainable, and Positive Relationships with Food with Nutritionist Aderet Dana Hoch
Welcome to our first guest episode of the Taste Toast Travel Podcast! Today we’re joined by Aderet who is a Registered Dietitian and Founder of her private practice, Dining With Nature. She’s an advocate for mindful, sustainable ea...
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Episode 13
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59:38
012. Becoming an Italian Citizen by Descent (and an important new eligibility update!)
Curious about the process of becoming an Italian citizen by descent? Well, John went through this (lengthy) process, and we’re breaking it down for ya today! But more importantly, we’re digging into this because there’s been an important update...
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Episode 12
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42:35
011. The Process of Becoming a Certified Sommelier
We’re digging into one of John’s most FAQ’s: what it was like to become a Certified Sommelier!John, with over 10 years of experience in the wine and hospitality industry, shares his unexpected beginnings with a criminology degree and hi...
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Episode 11
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53:30
010. Unpacking Our Trip to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, & Italy (with an 8 month old)
Buckle up! We’re recounting our two-week trip that began in Tara’s home states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania, where she born and raised for the first ten years of her life.We continue on to Florence and Rome, Italy for six days. We’re ...
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Episode 10
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1:10:33
009. Wine Tasting Horror Stories (from Winery Insiders!)
As seasoned veterans of the wine and hospitality industry, we have MANY stories of wine tastings gone wrong. In this episode, we’re spilling the tea (or wine, we should say).We’re sharing some of our most unforgettable and amusing horro...
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Episode 9
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37:32
008. Airplane Etiquette (and Not Being THAT Passenger)
Let’s talk airplane etiquette! We’re airing out common pet peeves and filing our grievances with air travel. From how to handle security lines to packing and overhead bin protocol, to the do’s and don'ts of seat reclining, arm rest usage, and b...
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Episode 7
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1:05:11
007. What's ACTUALLY in Your Wine? We're Spilling!
What’s REALLY in your wine? As your two California wine industry insiders, we’re spilling the tea (or wine, in this case).We kick off the conversation by digging into a recent controversy in the wine industry: winemaker Adam Lee's provo...
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Episode 7
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53:13
006. Traveling to Napa & Sonoma: What to Do and What to Avoid (From Locals!)
Traveling to Napa or Sonoma wine country, or know someone who is? This is an episode you’ll want to hear!We’re using our insider knowledge as locals (and the fact that we grew up here) to give you our top tips and recommendations for vi...
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Episode 6
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56:36
005. Debunking 9 Wine Myths and Misconceptions
Join us as we debunk nine common wine myths and misconceptions! With 17+ years in the wine and hospitality industry, we’re bringing you our insider knowledge and and stories into this episode.We’ll dig into topics like whether older win...
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Episode 5
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51:33
004. Travel: Seeking Adventure and Growing Through Exploration
We're back and sharing our passion for food, drink and travel—with an emphasis on the travel component today!Here we chat about some of our own personal travel experiences, but moreover talk about the significance of traveling on our li...
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Episode 4
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54:13
003. Toast: Sipping, Sharing, and How Drinks Bond Us
It's time to raise a toast... to episode 3, that is!In this episode we dive into the cultural significance and historical impact of various beverages, both alcoholic and non-alcoholic. We also delve into the importance of drinks in soci...
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Episode 3
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48:47
002. Taste (Food!): The Cultural Connector and Mouthwatering Motivator
Welcome to episode 2, y'all!As with the theme of "Taste Toast Travel", today we're tackling "taste" and sharing a little of our background in the wine and hospitality industry, but mostly exploring our shared passion for food, drink, an...
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Episode 2
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48:34
001. The Who, What, and Why Behind Taste Toast Travel
Welcome to the first episode of the Taste Toast Travel Podcast! We felt like this was the perfect opportunity to introduce ourselves, share our background, dig into the who, what, and why behind the podcast, and why you should tune...
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Episode 1
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33:28
