I have lived in Philadelphia for 37 years and always wanted to do such a tour— a visit from friends in NY, who lack for nothing when it comes to food experiences, and love all things Italian, as I do, was the perfect excuse. The minute we met Jackie, we bonded and knew that we would not be disappointed. We were having so much fun talking that we temporarily forgot about our purpose: to eat! The varied tastings, most of it from purveyors whose families had been in the business for generations, and all of them friends of Jackie, who grew up in the neighborhood and was an endless font of information and stories, were divine. We chatted with the luncheon chef in the kitchen at Villa di Roma and the matriarch (93) holding court at Esposito’s. We went from one exquisite nibble to another: cheese and nuts at DiBruno’s; pasta and fresh mozzarella at Talluto’s; warm tortillas at Blue Corn; a pick-me-up espresso at Fante’s; the sweetest pignolo cookie at Isgro’s (we were already too full to take on the signature cannoli); and chicken cutlet PBR hoagie from George’s— which we ate much later for our supper! This was the best food tour ever, and since taking it yesterday, I have recommended it to 4 people, and look forward to taking all of Jackie’s tours, and repeating them with out of town guests. Jackie— you rock!