Sharing our enthusiasm and commitment to the region are our Experience! The Finger Lakes team. These are the best in the business. Our tour guides and office staff are highly-trained wine and hospitality professionals – but they’re also enthusiastic locals, our friends and neighbors who have made their homes here. Even when they’re not guiding tours, our employees are the people in town who give the best directions, recommend the best restaurants, and generally know where the fun is happening around Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region.
Our Tour Guides
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Michael is E!FLX’s full time tour guide, so chances are good that you will have him as your guide! Michael came from the restaurant world of fine dining in PA, but decided to pivot to wine after he discovered the Tompkins Cortland CC Wine Marketing program here in the Finger Lakes. When not touring for E!FLX, you can find him working as a server at Damiani Wine Cellars. Michael loves baking and wooed us into hiring him through feeding us his amazing malted choolate cake balls
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Laura Sanders escaped the world of Academic Administration to devote herself to two of her passions – wine and rocks! Growing up as a daughter of a serious vinophile, she enjoys wines from around the world, but like the rest of us, is a true blue FLX wine fan. But give her a chance to guide one of our natural history hikes through our gorges, she will be the first to jump on it. She also runs our office, so one way or another, you’ll probably be speaking with her.
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Matt is our newest Tour Guide, specializing in our waterfall tours and natural history hikes. A longtime history buff and lover of the outdoors, Matt is a former guide at the Old Fort Erie area of Niagara Parks. Nowadays, he is well-known for his commitment as a member of the Ithaca Dragon Boat Team.
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Chris, our veteran E!FLX tour guide, is Mr. Hospitality. With over 7 years of touring and 10 years of fine dining expertise, and holding a WSET2 wine credential, expect him to provide fabulous insights about everything food and wine on all our tours. He is also an fabulous artist. Check out his work at Loomisart.
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Samantha is a perfect match for Experience! The Finger Lakes. She holds a BS in Geology and is also a Sales Associate at Triphammer Wines and Spirits, holds an AAS in wine marketing, and a WSET 2 Wine credential. As a result, you will see her guiding both our natural history tours of the gorges and our wine tours.
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As owner and Certified Sommelier, Laura Winter Falk offers premium Sommelier-curated experiences for those looking for the ultimate way to tour. Get ready to take a deep dive into the world of wines, as Laura helps you discover more about your palate, and Finger Lakes wines that will make it very happy!
Special Tour Guide Emeriti
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Rachel, while having relocated to Louisville, Kentucky, is one of our two special tour guide emeriti. Rachel is a yoga instructor, and runs Yoga retreats in Ithaca, Costa Rica, and other fabulous destinations. So, expect to see her when she is in the region. Learn more about her Yoga at Heart Thread Yoga.
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Steph, while relocated to Switzerland, is one of our special tour guide emeriti, and permanent member of the E!FLX family, and can at anytime show up back in the FLX for a pop-up tour or event. Steph is currently working as a Somm at BAR at Les Trois Rois in Basel.
Our Office Team
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As owner and CEO, Alan stays mostly behind the scenes taking care of the big stuff, but can be found occasionally doing a pop-up waterfalls and gorge hike, as our company’s original natural history guide.
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Laura Sanders started out with us as a Tour Guide, and now she is our full time office manager. If you call to book or ask questions, you will likely be speaking with Laura Sanders. Her experience as a Tour Guide and knowledge of the area assures that your experience in the region will be wonderful! She also still loves to tour, so don’t be surprised if she turns out to be your guide as well!
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Anissa is our business manager, handling the financial side of our biz, but can always be counted on for joining our team tastings for ‘quality assurance’ purposes.