Meet Our Staff
Unlike many adventure tour companies, Mexican Travel Adventures employs educators with specialized training in tourism, culinary arts, and language arts. Our core staff will be with you from beginning to end... guiding and assisting to ensure you and your companions enjoy a most enjoyable Mexican travel adventure.
Robert Garlough
Internationally recognized for his work in culinary education, Bob Garlough founded the acclaimed Secchia Institute for Culinary Education at Grand Rapids Community College, and served as its Director for over twenty years. His formal education includes earning an Associates Degree in Culinary Arts, Bachelors Degree in Restaurant, Travel and Tourism Management, and a Masters Degree in Education and Training. During his career, Robert has worked in a variety of food service operations and taught culinary arts at the high school, community college and university level. As a professor of hospitality education, chef Garlough has authored several leading culinary textbooks. He is the winner of numerous state, national and international culinary competition awards, and has successfully managed Team USA World Pastry Cup (Lyon, France), the GRJC International Culinary Olympic Team (Frankfurt, Germany) and the Culinary Student Team USA (Malta). As a globetrotting adventurer with a passion for discovering foreign cuisines and cultures, Professor Garlough has personally led hundreds of culinary students, adventuresome couples, and serious cookery professionals on international tours to over thirty countries on six continents. Having been exposed to the riches of Mexico for many years, he has purchased property in Huatulco, Oaxaca from where he plans to spend much of his life exploring this fabled land while sharing his discoveries with others. Based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Professor Garlough founded Mexican Travel Adventures, where he serves as the company President and Tour Group Coordinator.
Ana María Olmos
Having lived and worked throughout her native country of Mexico, Ana María Olmos was born in Mexico City. Educated with both a Bachelors and Masters Degree in Tourism Studies, her professional career has spanned many academic, cultural and hospitality arenas. Some of Ana María’s professional experiences comprise working with different governmental agencies within Mexico, including the National Press Corp and the College of Professional and Technical Education (CONALEP). She has developed numerous educational and cultural relations throughout the world, with a specialization in Latin American tourism. With her passion for education and tourism, she has been directly responsible for the organization and management of several state, national and international conferences on Latin American tourism and gastronomy. Through her many contacts, Ana María has helped countless students gain international training and work opportunities in the hospitality and tourism industry. Fluent in Spanish and English, she has taught foreign languages in the United States and Mexico, and has also worked for hotels in both countries. Based in Guadalajara, Jalisco, she represents several agencies in Mexico, including Centro Superior de Hoteleria y Turismo de Valencia. As a proud daughter of Mexico, Ana María now shares her love for the country’s rugged beauty, ancient and traditional cultures, and magnificent gastronomy as a Tour Leader for Mexican Travel Adventures.
Manuela Ninassi
As Coordinator of Foreign Languages for Edmonton Catholic Schools, Manuela Ninassi splits her time between homes in Edmonton, Canada and La Crucecita, Oaxaca, Mexico. Manuela decided that as a Language Arts teacher for her school system, it was very important for her pronunciations and accents to be truly authentic. Now fluent in English, Italian, French and Spanish, Manuela has studied many different languages and cultures in foreign schools, but found her real education had occurred when she traveled throughout the countries she visited. Manuela has led many groups of students to destinations throughout the world, but found Mexico to be the place she wants to call home. Manuela brings a true passion for the Mexican way of life, and the ability to engage others with her infectious enthusiasm for learning foreign cultures. Manuela works as a Tour Leader for Mexican Travel Adventures.
Dave Poortvliet
Dave Poortvliet is a man of many talents and interests. After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in communications, Dave worked in the Silicon Valley at Alta Vista, where he honed his considerable skills in computer information systems. This foundation led to his present position as Web Manager for Grand Valley State University, maintaining a web site with over 700,000 web pages and attracting over 100,000 visits per day. On a daily basis, Dave manages a team of both student and professional web developers, sharing his expertise on web development and design. In addition to his work for the university, Dave is owner and creator of Trendy Pet (www.trendypet.com), an e-commerce pet products website that markets raised pet feeders worldwide. His deep interest in the Caribbean culture has taken him to many exotic island nations, and locations throughout Mexico. And as a freelance web developer and designer, his clientele includes President Gerald R. Ford’s Memorial site and the Ford Foundation web site. We are proud to have Dave on our team as Web Master for Mexican Travel Adventures.
Local Guides and Experts
In addition to our core staff at Mexican Travel Adventures, we always use the services of selected guides and experts with whom we’ve contracted to help us provide an exceptional experience for our clients. On every tour we will use local professionals to help us tell the story of Mexico, and help you gain the most from your experiences with us. Although this local expertise is an added expense to our costs, we feel it is important to supplement the general knowledge of our MTA Tour Leaders with specific expertise.
