“Taste the Apple: A French Guide’s Delicious Food Tours in New York”

On your stomachs, get set, visit! This could be the mantra of Julie Guedj, 38, tourist guide and professional taster who launched in New York a new guided tour service that is a hit with French people passing through and settled here: Taste the Apple. Of the food tours to discover the gastronomy and culture of different neighborhoods of New York.

A New Yorker by adoption for 15 years, this Marseillaise, holder of a degree in tourism, first worked for various agencies before going on her own. The recipe for the success of its gastronomic marathons? Original itineraries in French not seen elsewhere (she is about to launch that of Crown Heights in Brooklyn), trendy and proven food addresses but above all a lot of crisp stories about this city that she now calls “home sweet home”.

“If someone had told me in 2009 when I landed here that I would still be here 15 years later, I wouldn’t have believed it. I fell in love and addicted to this city very quickly, I lived hundreds of adventures there and I lived so many lives there. This city, it takes you, it takes you, it changes you. This is what I want to share with my clients. Not just the history of monuments and streets but the culture and life of its people”, enthuses Julie Guedj. And what could be better than 100% tastings made in USA to bite into the Big Apple with your teeth?

Start at the Stonewall in Greenwich Village

10am. That day, the meeting is given in front of the Stonewall Inn, an institution known to be the rallying point for LGBT activists after the 1969 riots and the exciting starting point for the visit dedicated to Greenwich. Taste The Apple’s bestseller! “It’s a classic visit, perfect for a first trip to New York because you’ll discover a very photogenic neighborhood, a film set very present in the New York imagination with its listed streets and charming 19th century townhouses” , explains the guide in the preamble.

For 30 minutes, while strolling through the opulent shaded streets, Julie Guedj recounts the history of the district, stops in front of the building which served as the setting for the “Friends” series, recommends an unknown jazz bar, or a speakeasy stashed behind a fast food restaurant, greets certain traders who know her well and shows backyards known only to her…

American classics on the menu

Mélanie, Jade and Tristan, the customers of the day, don’t miss a beat. And speaking of crumbs, it’s now time to discover the first gourmet address unearthed by their guide: a cookie factory frequented by locals. “Maybe don’t eat it whole”, warns Julie Guedj. Because in the process, it is not less than five other dishes or pastries that will have to be honored! Pizza, Mac&cheese, or even cupcakes… All the classics of American culture are on the menu.

For 2h30, gourmet tourists revel in anecdotes and snacks to end with a final sweet tasting in Washington Park. The culmination of a delicious walk on which the visitors of the day are full of praise. “It was great, very well documented, we didn’t see the time passing. Julie is super nice, we felt like we were walking with a girlfriend. » exclaims Jade, who has come to New York for her honeymoon. And her young husband to conclude “And I who thought that we didn’t eat well in the United States”. Taste the Apple, these are visits that trample on the clichés of American gastronomy while allowing you to cultivate yourself. Tested and digested. Finally, approved!