Speaker Erik Wolf Erik Wolf is regarded as the founder of the culinary tourism industry. He is a successful destination marketer and tourism industry professional. Erik holds a B.A. in languages from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in travel marketing and international communication from the School of International Service at the American University in Washington, D.C. His career has included a wide variety of tourism and hospitality posts, including work as a meeting planner at Meridian International Center in Washington, D.C.; an internship at the former U.S. Travel and Tourism Administration in Sydney, Australia; Director of Sales and Marketing for the former Domenico Tours, based in New York City; as lecturer in travel marketing at New York University; and as Travel Industry Account Director for the Hong Kong-based Ion Global management consulting firm where he managed clients that included MCI WorldCom, Travelocity and Walt Disney World. In 2001 Erik settled down in beautiful Portland, Oregon, where he now calls home. Erik has been a culinary tourist his entire life. For Erik ,food is a way to communicate and connect intimately with locals. The more Erik traveled, the more he realized that many destinations offer travelers compelling value propositions in the form of truly unique food and beverage experiences, hence his passion for culinary tourism. speaker page