about your hosts
about your hosts
We’re Tara and John, a husband-and-wife team obsessed with exploring the world one bite, sip, and story at a time.
Tara: A digital marketer in the wine industry with 7+ years of experience, passionate about uncovering the stories behind each bottle.
John: A Certified Sommelier and wine specialist, with over a decade of experience in the wine world, who loves pairing culture with cuisine.
Together, we’ve traveled extensively (including living in Italy!), tasting, toasting, and discovering the quirks that make each culture unique. Now, we bring those experiences straight to you through our podcast and YouTube channel.
A podcast bringing the world to your ears—and your appetite.
Meet Tara & John: Your Guides to Food, Drink & Culture
Travel is about more than destinations. It’s about experiences, stories, and connections. But we know not everyone can hop on a plane every week (us included, sadly!). That’s why we created Taste Toast Travel:
✈️ To bring global culture to you, from the comfort of your own home.
✈️ To explore the world through food and drink, uncovering the history, traditions, and stories behind each bite or sip.
✈️ To share authentic experiences, whether it’s a festival in Spain, a wine village in France, or a street food adventure in Japan.
We’re here for the curious, the food-obsessed, the armchair travelers, and anyone who wants a taste of the world—even between your 9-to-5.
food, drink, and travel has always been part of our life...
Why We Created Taste Toast Travel
about tara
Tara's taste for travel came at the age of 19 when she studied abroad in Florence, which also happened to be her first time out of the U.S. After quickly falling in love with Italy (as most do), this kick started her deep passion for discovering more. More adventure, more mouthwatering global cuisine, and more exotic and exciting beverages as time went on. Growing up around the wine industry of Sonoma County, it's only fitting she fell into a job in a tasting room after working for Gap, Inc. for 8 years.
After several trips to Italy and countries beyond for pleasure throughout her early 20s, she moved back to Florence in 2017. She earned her TEFL Certification, then journeyed to Rome for the opportunity to teach English to the Italian military at the Ministero della Difesa. She returned in 2018, met John while working at a winery in Napa, then three months later they found themselves happily dating and living at a winery just outside of Siena, Italy.
After three months, they returned home and Tara began her career in digital marketing for the wine industry, and continues this work to this day. She's also the brains behind Taste Toast Travel, but her most important "title" is Mama to their daugther, Audrey.
wife + mama | digital marketer | brains behind the pod
As a Certified Sommelier and CSW with an MBA in Wine Business Management—plus 10+ years of wine industry experience—John is a breadth of knowledge when it comes to all things food, beverages, and how the hospitality world works.
Through working for some of the most noteworthy and well-known names in Sonoma and Napa (think: Beringer and Inglenook), John's passion for all things tasting, toasting, and traveling goes beyond the wine industry.
With his questionable dad jokes and admittedly dry sense of humor, he's all about bringing an entertaining mix of industry know-how and good banter to the podcast.
certified sommelier | hospitality extraordinaire | certified specialist of wine
about john
