La Via Gaia × Osteria Come to the Table
Italy is Waiting
Small-group culinary journeys through the heart of Italian life
Italy is where La Via Gaia co-founders Claudia and Jeff Michaud met, fell in love, and embarked on a life together. When married, they came to the US, opening Osteria, where Jeff would win the James Beard Foundation Award for "Best Chef Mid Atlantic". And there, while raising a daughter, they decided it was time to share their passion for all things Italian with custom culinary trips, unlike other food tours available today.
Some trips take you to a place. La Via Gaia takes you into one. Born from the culinary world that Jeff and Claudia Michaud have spent their lives building, these small-group journeys offer something rare: Italy as it's actually lived — at the family table, in the cellar, behind the kitchen door.
Jeff brings the palate and the relationships — the Michelin-starred chefs, the multi-generational producers, the artisans who've never hosted a tour group before. Claudia brings the warmth and the instinct for what makes a moment feel like a memory. Together, they've created a way of traveling that feels less like a tour and more like being welcomed into a life you didn't know you were missing.
You'll dine in extraordinary places — some famous, some known only to those who've earned the trust. You'll cook with the people who've been making these dishes for generations. And you'll do it all alongside a small group of fellow travelers and a hand-selected guest — a celebrated chef or hospitality luminary who joins you for the journey.
Past & upcoming guests
Donato Poto · Nicholas Elmi · Joe Sasto · Greg Vernick · Michael Scelfo · Gerard Craft · Nicholas Elmi · Joe Sasto · Antimo DiMeo · Amanda Shulman · Alex Kemp