About Us
We are madly in love with Chicago and its food. Few things make us happier than discovering a new corner taqueria or getting a deal on an exotic jam at a neighborhood market. Actually, one thing does make us happier - making these discoveries while out riding our bikes.
We started Fork and the Road because we know there are a lot of other people out there eager to explore Chicago, get to know its neighborhoods, try unique food and talk to passionate restaurant owners, cooks and shopkeepers.
How it started
In summer 2008, one of us had the idea of organizing a bike ride where we would go around tasting gelato throughout Chicago. We set out on the Giro del gelato ("tour of gelato") with over a dozen friends and visited 5 gelaterias on one spectacular day.
We had so much fun on our gelato ride, we went on to plan a culinary Tour de France and the Vuelta a Tacos ("tour of tacos"). At the end of the summer, we decided to start Fork and the Road to share our tours with more people.
Our aim
We want to share with you unique places that aren't necessarily listed in guide books or "best of Chicago" lists. Sorry, but no deep dish pizzas or Italian beef on our tours. Instead, we'll spend most of our time at establishments you likely haven't heard of, sampling food you may not have tried before.
Instead of being limited to one neighborhood on foot or speeding madly around the city by car or public transportation, you'll experience Chicago's neighborhoods in an up-close and personal way whether you are a visitor or have lived in the city for years.
Ultimately, we hope you think of us as your fun cousins who know their food and always take you to the best places. We look forward to seeing you on a ride soon!
2012 update
Co-founder Sharon Bautista left Fork and the Road in 2012 to focus on her new job. Meet the ride guides who will be leading tours with me this summer. They all share the same passion for biking, eating great food and talking about biking and great food.
Brian spends his days editing newsletters for an asset and benefits management firm and his nights editing Graze, a Logan Square-based literary magazine that focuses on the stories that develop around the table and in the kitchen. He eating and biking habits are similar -- as often as possible, as well as possible, and with a smile on his face.
Jim is a network consultant who is an avid homebrewer and cook in his increasingly rare spare time. When not content with drinking his own creations at home, he's cycling all over Chicagoland in search of the best beers he can find--and taking the train home!
Joe likes a good story. When he bikes around the city, his eyes land on the unusual buildings and the signs with curious names. Besides deliciousness, Joe's interest in food is also driven by curiosity: about the people and places where our "ethnic" food is just what people eat all the time. By day, Joe is a web developer at the Chicago Tribune, where there are even more great Chicago stories everywhere. Once a week he shares his eclectic musical tastes on his WNUR-FM radio show, "Conference of the Birds."
Ultimately, we hope you think of us as your fun cousins who know their food and always take you to the best places. We look forward to seeing you on a ride soon!
Dimitra Tasiouras
Owner