Guest Stories: Sam Manolakas

A Culinary Life, a Cycling Heart

At the age of 12, while working at my grandfather’s restaurant, I knew that I wanted to be in the restaurant business. I attended college, studying hotel and restaurant management, and after graduation, I worked in the kitchen of a hotel in Kitzbühel, Austria.  I started working at Marie Callender’s restaurant in 1977, where I met my wife, Kerry. We were married in 1983, and she moved to Sacramento from Southern California.  We have three daughters and four grandchildren. We all live in Sacramento, CA, where I am a partner in the restaurant business with my sister.  We have three restaurants called Brookfields,  and have been in business since 1981.  I enjoy riding bikes and usually try to go on a biking adventure in Europe once a year.

My first trip with Ciclismo Classico was inspired by my sister, Stacy, who had taken a trip with Ciclismo a year before I went on my first tour.  Stacy rode across Italy with Frank and Dana, and couldn’t stop talking about the quality of the ride, the guides, the hotels, and the meals. I was sold. For my 60^th birthday, I booked a trip for my entire family, including my brother and his wife, my sister and her kids, and my wife and three adult daughters.  We rode from Salzburg to Prague, which was a fantastic tour. Prior to going on a bike tour with Ciclismo, I wasn’t nervous, but I was excited to see the European countryside from a totally different perspective, on the saddle of a bicycle.  The way you view the countryside is wonderful, along with the connections you make with the people along the way.

The guides, who are such an important part of the tour, are the BEST.  I think I have been on about 12 tours with Ciclismo, and the guides are more than your helpers during your cycle trip; they have become friends. I have kept in touch with many of the guides I have had on tours.  We have had them to our home in Sacramento, CA.  I was on a solo ride in Tuscany and decided I hadn’t had enough cycling.  In speaking with Marcello, he mentioned that he was going to tour a group across Italy.  I asked if there was any room on that tour, and there was, so I decided to add the ride across Italy. This ride was special because we were able to see the annual festival in Gubio, which was truly memorable.  On every ride I have done with Ciclismo, I received a call from Umberto (one of our first guides), who checks on me and my family. Truly a great guy.  The guides are not only great bicyclists, but also historians, wine and food experts, and warm individuals.

The 2023 trip from Munich to Verona was special.  I finally got to meet Frank and Dana, who toured with my sister in 2011.  What a wonderful couple, and long-time guides with Ciclismo. When we reached Verona, we had a wonderful dinner and a fantastic restaurant, where I celebrated my birthday with a group of new friends. It was a memorable evening.

Ciclismo is truly a first-class company, which focuses on great rides, wonderful guides, food, wine, and fantastic accommodations.