aTTavola
Attavola was born in 2000 as a food export company focused on high quality products from every region of Italy. With a mission to bring and develop the small artisan producers into the US market and let the masses know of true Italian food excellence, Gioacchino Passalacqua, Attavola owner, did a capillary search for unique small companies, crossing Italy from the North to the South. This opportunity was to know the territory in a very deep way, as well as building a strong relationship with the producers throughout the years.
Thanks to his philosophy and belief that the Italian gastronomy has to be explained and understood in the right way, so the history and traditions of Italy can be told also through its food, and driven by a strong knowledge of the territory, far from usual touristic areas, in 2004 Gioacchino started his adventure with Food and Wine Tours allowing people to travel and discover Italy, as a local person, not as a tourist, by coming into contact with all the most genuine and true aspects that our Country can offer.
Thanks to his passion for cooking and his chosen career, Gioacchino has learned to use the raw materials wisely and to recognize the real taste of the ingredients. From here, he began his career as a chef, cooperating with both Italian chefs, even Michelin-starred, organizing show cooking, cooking classes and theme nights, and US chefs, managing events and dinners. These menus contained, as ingredients, the artisan products exported. The aim has always been to introduce the tours and the real Italian cuisine, while allowing qualifying himself as a gastronomic guide.
What makes Attavola different is that this it is not a travel agency, not a tour operator, but a Company that is based from a deep knowledge of high quality Italian products from small farmers and artisan producers located throughout the Country and how much work and care is behind each product. The idea of putting into practice the fruit of his knowledge, selling the tours to his US customers, who buy the products, proposing them a partnership through which they are given the opportunity to live a unique experience as local people, while travelling in absolute comfort and guided by a professional and carefully selected staff, that is always working on satisfying guests’ needs. We would be more than glad to host you in one of our tours, in order for you to greater understand our passion, enthusiasm and dedication we work with.
Guide and Owner of aTTavola
Food and wine guide Gioacchino Passalacqua, born in Sicily, is an Italian food and wine importer/exporter, gastronome, tour guide, adventurer, who divides his time between Sicily, the rest of Italy and the States.
As a good Sicilian native, Gioacchino has developed relationships with food producers, olive oil companies, chocolatiers, wine makers, confectioners, restaurateurs and chefs, even Michelin stars chefs. He also has traveled the world in his business as an importer/exporter, taking part in food shows from Paris to San Francisco to Chicago to the famous Fancy Foods Show in New York City. Gioacchino has developed a keen sense of quality foods and wines and he passionately shares the riches of the Mediterranean through his unique trips, tastings and products.
