Who We Are

The International Kitchen, the world's premier culinary tour company, is dedicated to bringing you the best lifestyle and cuisine experiences in Italy, France, Spain and beyond. Founded in 1994 by Karen Herbst, The International Kitchen now offers over 90 unique trips.

Karen Herbst – Founder & President

Karen Herbst was for many years a research editor for Playboy Magazine, followed by a stint as a producer and director for five talk shows at CBS radio. She then left the full-time work force to raise her family of three sons. Upon her return in 1983, she chose to enter the travel industry, where she specialized in small group travel to Italy and France. In 1994 she decided to combine her travel experience with her lifelong passion for food and wine to create the The International Kitchen. She has personally handpicked the chefs, locations and excursions and works to ensure that every International Kitchen experience is unique, professional, and richly rewarding. Karen is recognized as one of the innovators of culinary travel, and, as an authority, is an advisor and frequent speaker to industry and professional groups. (She was a featured speaker at the Annual Symposium of the International Culinary Tourism Association, held in Helsingborg, Sweden in September 2006.) She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Italian Travel Promotional Council, a non-profit organization working in conjunction with the Italian Government Tourist Office, as well as a member of the Slow Food Organization and the James Beard Foundation. In 2004 Karen was the honored recipient of the La Medaille d'Argent du Tourisme, the French Silver Medal of Tourism awarded by the French government. In 2008 The International Kitchen was given the coveted award of "Best Special Interest Product" by the French Government Tourist Office. Karen is a member of the prestigious organization of Les Dames des Escoffier, the only organization of its kind: a world wide philanthropic society of professional women leaders in the fields of food, fine beverage and hospitality. The invitation-only membership, composed of 27 individual chapters across the United States and Canada, is highly diversified and reflects the multifaceted fields of contemporary gastronomy and hospitality. Karen is also a member of the Chaine des Rotisseurs, an international gastronomic association dedicated to both professionals and non professionals worldwide who appreciate cuisine, wine and dining. Email to info@theinternationalkitchen.com.

Peg Kern – Vice President

Margaret (Peg) Kern is a native of Ohio who received her BA in Italian from Columbia University and her MA and Ph.D. in Italian Literature from the University of Chicago, where she taught language and literature courses prior to joining The International Kitchen in 2004. She enjoys an obvious love for Italy, especially Rome, where she lived for over three years. Another of her favorite Italian regions is Sardinia, where she has passed many summers exploring the local food, culture, and beaches. She is passionate about travel and cooking, and her other hobbies include home improvement, reading, and writing. Although her knowledge of Italian culture makes her especially suited to helping plan your culinary trip to Italy, she is also proficient in French and has traveled extensively in France, especially Provence. She is an expert in our culinary vacations and would be happy to help you plan your trip!

Richard Davis – Group and Incentive Travel Specialist

Richard is welcomed to The International Kitchen as our Group and Incentive Travel Specialist. He will bring to this new department his many years of experience, in sales for Alitalia Airlines and most recently his association with a large Midwest tour operator specializing in Italy and Europe. He discovered his love for Europe and travel with his first French class in high school. This blossomed into a love of French and Italian history, about which he is very knowledgeable, along with an associate degree in the liberal arts. Over the years, Richard has also developed an interest in cooking, and particularly baking which he claims to be extremely therapeutic! He has an easy and open manner, a quick sense of humor and is always on hand to give any assistance. We are delighted he has joined our "family."

Jeanette Benedetti Boylan – Special Projects Coordinator

Tuscan born and bred, Jeanette Benedetti Boylan brings to The International Kitchen a love of good food and her culinary skills acquired at her Nonna's side. In fact, she was featured by the Chicago Sun Times for her famous Italian home cooking; if you were lucky, you were one of those honored with a dinner invitation! As Sales Manager for Alitalia Airlines, Jeanette traveled the world gaining an extensive appreciation for a wide variety of cuisines. She was also able to indulge her love of opera, working in the Artistic Administration Department of the Lyric Opera for a number of years. Jeanette was the recipient of a coveted award from the province of Lucca, acknowledging her as an Italian born American who has achieved notable success in her chosen field of business, and she was one of the founding members of the Chicago chapter of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, an association honoring authentic Italian restaurants, and is also a member of the Chicago Sister Cities International Program for Milan. Jeanette's charm, warm smile and big heart are rivaled only by her love and appreciation of good food! Click here to see Jeanette's recent food review in the "At Play" section of the Chicago Tribune (September 27, 2007)!

Sharon Kurth – Financial Manager

Sharon brings extensive financial expertise that she has gathered through over 30 years of her accounting career. She is delighted to be a part of The International Kitchen, as it reflects her love of travel, art, multi-cultural interests, and did we mention the wonderful food? Sharon's upbeat spirit and contagious laughter is greatly appreciated by the rest of the office. Currently her favorite cities are Florence and Sant' Agata sui Due Golfi, where she toured with The International Kitchen staff. But what does Sharon love more than art, travel and food? Her beautiful granddaughter, with whom she spends as much time as possible! And if being a grandmother didn't keep her busy enough, Sharon is also the Oak Park/Near West Suburbs Chapter Coordinator for Project Linus, a non-profit organization that provides blankets and afghans to comfort children in need.

Charles Blair – Technical Consultant and Product Development

Charles Blair is a native of the United Kingdom who has lived in the United States for many years. He holds advanced degrees from the University of Chicago, where he is employed as Co-Director of the Digital Library Development Center. In addition to his technical expertise, Charles has traveled extensively in Europe, making him a valuable asset in our product development. His appreciation of Italian culture and tradition is enhanced by his study and practice of Italian Renaissance swordsmanship.

Charlene Baizer – Sales Coordinator

Charlene comes to The International Kitchen with skills both as a chef and travel coordinator. She was born to an Italian family where food was always the center of the family. After earning her BA in Art History at the University of Wisconsin, Charlene spent a number of years working as a travel agent specializing in personal itineraries to Europe, South America, Africa and Asia as well as six years working as a chef with a well-known Chicago caterer. We welcome Charlene and know her talents and enthusiasm will be a great asset to the company.

Neil Burger – Photographer/Videographer

After having studied Digital Photography and the Fine Arts, Neil whisked off on a career as a videographer for the National Geographic channel in Washington D.C., opening doors he never dreamed of, taking him around the world shooting video and photography. It was there he realized that still-photography was his true passion. Later, when offered a position as a Professor of Studio Photography at Bradley University, he gladly accepted. A year later, Neil felt as if there was still more for him to achieve. He moved back to sweet home Chicago, and for the past seven years Neil has spearheaded Stronghold Photography. Stronghold primarily caters to the needs of designers, advertisers and marketing specialists, providing a wide range of photography and imaging needs. Neil concentrates mainly in the realm of food photography. His passions has graced him with the opportunity to travel the world shooting eclectic food for a variety clients. In addition to Neil’s almost unhealthy passion for creating images and traveling the globe, he also enjoys playing disc golf, reading, mountain biking, and anything chocolate.

Leonardo Balli

An avid traveller, Leonardo Balli has explored countries across the globe but always returns happily to his hometown of Florence, Italy. Leonardo has been involved in different aspects of the travel industry since attending a special Italian High School for Tourism. He lived in London for a number of his formative years and has worked in all aspects of hotel and resort management – from porter, part of a summer animation team, to Director. For an Italian tour operator he has led small and large groups abroad and even managed summer operations on the island of Crete. He has been owner and director of Geo Firias Tour Operator since 1995 and is proud to be a close collaborator with The International Kitchen since its inception. Leonardo works to ensure top quality, control, service and of course cuisine (!) for all International Kitchen programming in Tuscany. When not travelling Leonardo enjoys spending time with his daughter Olympia, going to the movies and listening to music from his wonderful terrace overlooking the Tuscan hills. His favourite city (other than Florence)? London. A destination he still has yet to visit ? Chile.

Eleonora Bugetti

Ele was born and raised in the countryside outside of Florence, where she still lives with her family. Her passion for local traditions and interest in tracing her ancestors' biographies are part of her everyday life: she is currently working on a special degree on the History of Tuscany at Florence University. As well, she works for the Geo Firias office (The International Kitchen's local representative and office in Florence), where she takes an active part in creating our cooking packages. Ele is also an accomplished singer and songwriter! She hopes to have the opportunity to help people understand that Tuscany is something more than a tourist destination: each town has an own story to tell through its art, its food, its inhabitants. Through her work she hopes to provide you with the essential instruments to be a good listener to these stories: you don't need anything more!!

Elizabeth Namack

An academic year of college brought Elizabeth Namack, originally of Sarasota, Florida to Italy. In Florence she fell in love: with the culture, art, history, cuisine, and you guessed it – with her future husband. Needless to say she has not left since! Working in tourism is the perfect way for her to combine her warm personality and intellectual interests. With Geo Firias she works on developing specialized tour itineraries and accompanies groups sharing her knowledge and passion for all things Italian with guests. In addition to a diploma in painting restoration from the Italian Institution Palazzo Spinelli, she holds a BA in Art History from Smith College and a MA in the same subject from Syracuse University. When not working for Geo Firias Elizabeth enjoys cooking, hiking the Italian countryside and Iyengar yoga.

Elena Fulceri

Elena has spent over 3 academic years in 4 different continents to achieve her BA in environmental sciences. Working as a researcher for Food Science Australia in Sydney, Middle East and North Africa gave her a rounded experience and authentic pleasure in sharing and working within foreign cultures. Her interest in holistic medicine and healing plants brought her back to Florence, her hometown, in pursuit of of medieval alchemies and herbalists. After a MA in Promotion of food heritage in Tuscany and licensing as an official cheese taster, she has been working since 2004 to create tailor-made gourmet tours and accompany groups. Elena is delighted in welcoming The International Kitchen guests and giving them a glimpse into the Tuscan lifestyle at the table! Are you ready to become a wizard in the kitchen?

Ronald Holden – Director, Wine Tours

Ronald Holden, director of wine tours for our sister company, The International Vineyard, is the author of five books about wine touring and has helped us develop informal, off-the-beaten-path trips in France and Italy. A native of Oregon, Ronald attended schools in Switzerland and graduated from Yale University; after working for many years as a broadcast journalist in Portland, Seattle, Baltimore and Paris, he founded his own wine and travel company, which he headed up for fifteen years. His blog about food, wine and travel, Cornichon.org, was recently named to About.com’s list of the Top Ten Food Blogs Good Enough to Eat.

Fred Plotkin – Opera and Cuisine Tours

A native of New York but a citizen of the world, Fred is the author of nine books (and is now writing a biography of Michelangelo), was the performance manager of the Metropolitan Opera and has directed opera at La Scala. Among his books are the best-selling Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera and Classical Music 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Classical Music, both of which are considered the standard texts for learning these art forms. Other people know Fred for his peerless knowledge of Italian food and culture. He is the author of five Italian cookbooks and has been a finalist for the James Beard award, the Julia Child Cookbook award and the IACP cookbook award. His definitive Italy for the Gourmet Traveler received a new, entirely updated edition in May 2007 from Kyle Books. Fred appears frequently on television and radio. He is known to millions of listeners worldwide through his regular appearances on the Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network and the Met’s transmissions on Sirius Satellite Radio. He has cooked frequently on the Television Food Network as well as “Live with Regis and Kathie Lee,” and morning programs throughout America. Before joining The International Kitchen, he led very popular and highly-praised opera seminars and tours for Smithsonian Journeys. We could not be more pleased to have Fred lead The International Kitchen's Opera and Cuisine tours!

Tom & Randy Herbst – Sales Specialists

Tom and Randy join The International Kitchen based out of New York. A graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, Randy studied and worked at a vineyard in the Loire Valley and fell in love with French culture and cuisine. In addition to being an avid amateur chef and wine lover, Randy has worked extensively in the fashion and design world in San Francisco and Manhattan, where she worked with primarily Italian designers. Tom graduated from Kenyon College, with a degree in English literature. He has been a marketing and branding professional for the last 15 years. He has lived in Florence, worked in Milan and traveled internationally for the last two decades, and is also a great cook. Tom and Randy met while living in San Francisco and started their culinary married life together with their wedding at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa. They are proud parents of Hannah, another cooking prodigy in the making!