Our team

Aaron Schorsch

Owner- Saveur the Journey

Aaron Schorsch is the owner of Saveur the Journey where he combines his passions of food, travel, outdoor adventures, and culture. He grew up in rural New Hampshire and has lived and traveled extensively in the US and abroad. Aaron learned to snowboard while teaching English in the French Alps but later took up Telemark Skiing. While he still likes to drop a knee on occasion you are more likely to find him with fixed heels shredding the backcountry or resort in a style he likes to call “joyful abandon.” Aaron is a student of food who has worked throughout the food system from growing seed and farming of vegetables, fruits, and livestock to cooking in high end restaurants and managing farmer’s markets. He loves to talk about, think about, dream about and especially, cook and eat food. He is a member of Slow Food international and has been a US delegate at Terra Madre in Turin, Italy.

Victor McNeil

IFMGA Certified Ski Guide--Japan, Argentina, France, Oregon

Victor McNeil is a native of the Pacific Northwest and currently lives in Northeast Oregon with his wife and two golden retrievers. You will find Victor working and recreating in the mountains year around, from guiding three week expeditions on Denali to ski guiding in his home mountain range the Wallowas with his company Eagle Cap Mountain Guides. Victor has a passion for travel and exploration and has skied around the world. In 2016 he became the third certified Splitboard Mountaineering Guide through the American Mountain Guides Association in the country. Victor now “splits” his time between split boarding and skiing. When not ski guiding, he also runs a non-profit avalanche forecasting center in the Wallowas. Victor loves sliding on snow and can’t wait to share some turns with you.

Rachele Ellena

Tour Leader--Piemonte Culinary Adventure

Rachele is a native of Piemonte, growing up in Turin and studying at the Slow Food University of Gastronomic Sciences in nearby Pollenzo. She comes from a family of restaurateurs and chefs and has food connections throughout the region and beyond. Rachele is an Anthropologist and Ethnobotanist who works as a food researcher fellow at Slow Foods’ University of Gastronomic Sciences where she runs projects focusing on socio-cultural factors affecting dietary habits and shaping food systems. Her current projects are in Kenya and
Tanzania on internal migration and informal food networks. Rachele is passionate about her work and is excited to show off her Piemonte.

Juan Barros

Local ski/culture guide--Argentina

Juan Cruz Garcia Barros was born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Juan started skiing when he was 16 years old, and from that moment he never stopped. Juan started his career as a ski instructor in Colorado (USA) while he was in university getting his Business degree. Then he started working in Las Leñas Ski Resort in Argentina, which led to him moving to Mendoza, Argentina‘s amazing wine province, and home to the biggest mountains in the country, the Central Andes. Furthermore, his ski instructor career took him to Japan, where Juan worked for the past 4 winters, and where he got into ski guiding and also working as a photographer. Currently he is finishing his masters degree in Sustainable Development in Japan and eagerly waiting for winter in both hemispheres!

Victoria Sacks

Logistics coordinator--Japan Ski Trip

Having spent two years as the only foreigner in a small Japanese town, Victoria has plenty of experience figuring out how things work in the far east. Victoria studied Chemistry and Japanese at NYU and took off after graduation to teach English abroad. It was her Japanese countryside “inaka” education that gave Victoria a real flavor of Japan and she is still famous for her Taiko playing skills down south. Victoria especially loves eating and bathing in Japan and has extensive experience traveling around to try new things. Victoria is very excited to show Saveur the Journey “her” Japan and introduce everyone to the quirks that make Japan so special.

Caroline "Caro" Pascal

Chef, logistics, hospitality--France

"Caro" is a France native who has lived in the Haute Savoie region of France for over 40 years. She is a woman of many talents and passions and loves cooking, traveling, art, and people. Caro works as nurse in Switzerland but joins the Saveur the Journey groups to cook creative dishes, take care of logistics, and make sure everyone is happy. She is a daring chef with a deft touch. Her warmth and the attention she gives to everyone makes her a favorite.

François Haug

Logistics, snow-sports, and culinary support--France

François grew up in the Haute Savoie region of France. He has a degree in horticulture and is passionate about food, wine, snowboarding, and traveling. François has an intimate knowledge of the Portes du Soleil ski area and is especially fond of the French resorts Châtel and Avoriaz. He has the gifts of French charm, quick wit, and and easy-going personality.

Ludovic Erard

IFMGA Ski Guide--France

Ludovic is a native of Grenoble France where he works as a fully certified IFMGA guide. Ludovic assists Saveur the Journey‘s Ski trip to the French Alps by leading groups down the famous ’Vallée Blanche." He also is the lead guide for expert level skiers and boarders at the free-ride mecca of La Grave. Ludovic is calm, confident, and extremely skilled.

Kelly McNeil

Ski tail guide

Kelly grew up in Eastern Wyoming where she started exploring the mountains at an early age. After receiving her PhD from Oregon State University in 2009 she began a career as a professor at Eastern Oregon University, where much of her work focuses on public health and research in outdoor physical activities including the study of behavior in outdoor environments. She has traveled around the world skiing, climbing, hiking and exploring, including to Peru, Mexico and Bhutan.

Since 2017 Kelly has helped organize and run operations at the Wallowa Avalanche Center, including teaching avalanche courses for both motorized and non-motorized users and serves as a Pro Avalanche Observer.

Vidar Segerström

Logistics coordinator, lead fly fishing guide--Sweden

Vidar is a native to Swedish Lapland, having grown up in Jokkmokk and fishing and hunting in the Swedish Fjäll. He works as a guide, as well as doing research for wind turbine farms. Vidar is an accomplished outdoor chef, owns a cafe, is a father of 3, and loves helping people catch big fish. He has many skills, a quick smile, is a great problem solver, and loves boats. Vidar is spontaneous, thoughtful, and a great people person.

Monica Wuthrich

Tour Leader- Piemonte Culinary Adventure

Monica Wuthrich is an enthusiastic Italian foodie and a native of Piemonte. She holds a bachelor‘s degree in Food Technology at Slow Foods’ University of Gastronomic Sciences in Pollenzo, Italy. She loves cooking, and enjoys sharing her passion for food & wine with people from all over the world. In addition to being the cooking school manager of Scuola di cucina Lorenzo De’ Medici, she also organizes cooking classes out of her house, in the city of Torino. Her aim is to combine food with the culture, traditions, habits and customs of the Italian way of life.

Eva Gunnare

Logistics/tour guide/chef--Sweden and France

Eva is a forager, food creator, and culture guide and has her own company, called "Essence of Lapland" in Jokkmokk, Sweden. She is an expert in wild edible/medincinal plants and a fantastic chef. In addition to helping with Saveur the Journey’s Swedish Adventure, Eva lived in Grenoble, France for 7 months and loves French cuisine, culture, and countryside. She offers her vast experience with edible plants and tastes, and provides her unique perspective on food, culture, and nature.