Spotlight on Marti–Tour Guide

Marti Bommarito was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan. She began cooking at a very early age as the entire family–including her father–bonded by preparing dinner together regularly. She gained further inspiration from her watching her Sicilian grandmother make homemade sausage, bread, pasta and sauce from homegrown tomatoes and basil.  In the late 70s she lived la vie bohème in Paris, France, and later studied Italian and Italian Renaissance culture and language in Italy.  She graduated summa cum laude from Arizona State University with a degree in Art History.

Marti in the kitchen 

Marti attributes her adventuresome palate to the fact that she was “raised in a household where the only dinner-table rule was that you had to at least try everything before leaving the table. Cleaning your plate was not a requirement but disliking something that you had never tasted before was frowned upon.” And, after moving to California 15 years ago, she caught the wine bug after going wine tasting for the first time in Temecula.

In a previous life, Marti was a legal secretary for 15 years before joining La Jolla Wine Tours in April 2011.  When Marti is not leading tours, she is practicing yoga, reading, swimming, cooking, or discussing food and wine with other foodies and wine enthusiasts.