Five Ways to Involve Food and Drink on your Tours

Culinary tourism is a booming global trend. While hardly more than a decade ago taking a “food tour” was a new concept, today, companies offer food-inspired themed trips, even weeks-long experiences personally led by chefs that curate their favorite restaurants and share culinary insights along the way.

And it’s no wonder: food is a great way to experience a new destination. It tells a story, connects us with a place and with each other. Luckily, you don’t need to hire a traveling chef to add some gastronomic sizzle to the trips you organize. As a tour leader, here are five ways you can enhance the culinary experience of a place.

Find a Local Event

Local farmers markets can be found in the smallest of towns and in the center of large cities. They’re usually filled with purveyors of all sorts of goods made by regional farms and artisans. Do a Google search along your route for the towns’ names and “farmers market” to see if you can coordinate your itinerary and or even meal stops to create a special, local experience.

Do Your Own Tasting

When I lead tours in Maine, I have all my fellow travelers try their local cola, Moxie. It’s an “acquired taste” to say the least, and guests marvel at its strange bitterness. But they all love the experience of tasting a different drink. While buying individual cans for all your travelers might prove costly, I buy small paper dixie cups, and pour just enough to give my fellow travelers a little sip. You can do tastings at a beautiful sight, a park in a city, or on your bus or van. In winter time, I might even bring a thermos and make some hot chocolate in the breakfast room at the hotel, and share it later at a cold moment during the day.

Book a Cooking Class Instead of Dinner

Cooking classes often feature passionate chefs who are as good at storytelling as they are at cooking. It turns a good meal into a great, interactive, unforgettable experience. Replacing a standard sit-down meal with a cooking class helps travelers really connect with the ingredients and the story.

Don’t Forget the Stories

Whenever you share a snack, treat, or meal, think: what kind of story or context can I provide to make this food more memorable? Food connects us to place in a powerful way. For example, when I stop at a New York City pizza shop, I remember to share the history of the first Italians from Naples who sold pizza as an easy portable lunch for workers, and the fascinating stories of the first families that came over and sold this new snack to locals.

Ask to Have the Chef or Manager Speak to Your Group

Even when your meal’s cuisine doesn’t connect with the local culture, something else does: the staff. From the chef to the manager to the wait staff, these are people who live in the place you’re visiting. As a leader of a trip, take these opportunities to ask the chef or manager to come and speak to the group about their passion for what they do. I’ve been surprised and awed by listening to the culinary and entrepreneurial journeys taken by restaurant owners and chefs. And hearing of the ambitions and passions that the wait staff might have for their life makes a restaurant more human, and less of a service provided. And after all, that’s what food does at its best: creates connections, between people and places.

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT:

Being chosen as the host city for the 2024 National Council of Corvette Clubs Annual Conference.

WHAT I CAN DO FOR PLANNERS:

Visit Joplin loves to work with tour and travel planners to create customized itineraries for their travelers. Step-on guides from our organization are FREE; we simply ask that you make a donation to the Joplin Historical Society. We are also able to assist with catering needs, entertainment, and behind-the-scenes tours.

Brenna Group Sales Manager 5 Length in Industry: 4.5 Years

Barter Theatre offers first class theatre, ranging from musicals, plays, and even theatre for young audiences. We create an easy booking process for group trips. Theatre

Program Manager, Domestic Group Tours 11 Length in Industry: 18 Years Length at Current Job: 10 Years

WHAT I CAN DO FOR PLANNERS:

WHAT I CAN DO FOR PLANNERS: Visit Mississippi can develop itineraries on any theme and provide assistance with directing groups to “hidden treasures.”

• 601-359-3528

Senior

Sales

Manager 25 Length in Industry: 24 Years Length at Current Job: 1.5 Years

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT:

WHAT I CAN DO FOR PLANNERS:

Assistant Director of Sales

13 Length in Industry: 9 Years Length at Current Job: 9 Years

Kelsey Meyer, Visit LIncoln

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My proudest professional accomplishment has been growing Lincoln as a group tour destination. I truly enjoy sharing what makes Lincoln one of the best kept secrets in the Midwest.

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GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Being invited to open and operate a 5-Star Resort in Montenegro in 2022.

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Marketing

Director 23 Length in Industry: 6 Years Length at Current Job: 6 Years

Todd Read, SoIN Tourism 21 Length inIndustry: 8 Years

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Todd@GoSoIN.com

Tourism Account Director 9 Length in Industry: 20 Years Length at Current Job: 8 Years

Colache, Meet AC

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• 812-280-8082

609-226-5035

Lambert, Anderson Madison CVB Marketing Tourism Director

Gabriele Madison, Palm Springs Aerial Tramway 41 Length in Industry: 30 Years

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Maureen Length at Current Job: 25 Years maureen@visitamcvb.com • 765-643-5633

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: Founding member of Indiana Foodways Alliance, a statewide nonprofit organization that promotes local restaurants through the development of culinary trails.

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• Established, rooted relationships with hotel and venue partners

Jessica

Seders, Visit Gillette-Wright

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Executive Director 2 Length in Industry: 8 Years Length at Current Job: 3 Years jessica@visitgillettewright.com • 307-686-0040

Sonya

Shipshewana/LaGrange Executive Director 43 Length in Industry: 30+ Years Length at Current Job: 3 Months director@lagrangecountycvb.org • 574-344-0943 GROUP TRAVEL ALL-STARS

L Nash, CTIS, CTP, Visit

SMERF Tour & Travel Market Manager

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Simply, every smile I see on the faces of the guests that visit the Chicago Southland. Now, what I ENJOY the most is turning an ordinary FAM that tour operators are already familiar with into an unforgettable, fun and educational experience.

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• 708-895-8200

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Stepping into my current position! If you had told me five years ago that I’d be leading a sales team I would have thought you were crazy. I owe a lot to my former boss and mentor.

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The Museum of the American Revolution works with several markets from adult and senior groups to student and youth groups. Our team’s goal is to make the booking process as easy as possible.

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Growing the Wyoming brand in the group travel industry through the creation of our Wyoming Itinerary Guide along with our That’s WY Byway Box.

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Outside of connecting you with our partners around the state of Wyoming, we can provide resources and information to help create unique itineraries and experiences for your groups to unknown and off-the-beaten path locations.

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8

Length at Current Job:

Years in Industry: 17 Years

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Director of Sales

19

Length at Current Job:

22 Years

Length in Industry:

33 Years

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Creating a Docent led Tour program for The Huntington, allowing Groups to have a very special interactive experience of this unique institution.

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• 626-405-2240

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My proudest accomplishment is being able to help so many visitors experience the spectacle that is One World Observatory.

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• 212-602-0961

14

Length at Current Job:

1 Year

Length in Industry:

17 Years

Lindsay Methlie, Destination Gettysburg

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Watching employees I hired as line level grow into successful management positions.

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• Sample Itineraries

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My proudest accomplishment is graduating top of my program at the University of South Carolina. I have a Bachelor of Science in Tourism Management...go Gamecocks!

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Being the father to 2 amazing sons and the husband of my beautiful wife of 30 years! And of course in my 26 year career at Collette (the Greatest Family owned/run American Travel Company) I have made a lifetime of friendships.

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Tourism & Education Sales

22 Length in Industry: 23 Years Length at Current Job: 23 Years

CRM

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4 Length in Industry: 20+ Years Length at Current Job: 17 Years pam@huntsville.org • (256) 551-2204

Length

Peter Waugh, RiseNY - Running Subway Productions

Earning the trust, respect, and friendship of my clients and colleagues.

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If you’re looking for an Outside of Ordinary mystery trip or a stop-over with your groupfriendly hotels, restaurants and shopping, we can assist you.

28

Length at Current Job: 5 Years

Length in Industry: 13 Years

Length at Current Job: 8 Years

30 Length in Industry: 25 Years

GREATEST ACCOMPLISHMENT: kbirrell@mt.gov • 406-841-2898 visitorservices@reaganfoundation.org • 805-577-4066

Knowing that a tour I helped to inspire is offered for sale, and then seeing that coach arrive. Helping travel trade create itineraries including Montana’s hidden gems and special places is so satisfying!

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Length at Current Job: 30 Years

40 Length in Industry: 30 Years

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34

Length at Current Job: One Year, 8 Months

Length in Industry: One Year, 8 Months olivia@visitvincennes.org

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• 812-886-0400

GROUP TRAVEL ALL-STARS

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My proudest accomplishment happened just recently, actually. I was able to work with a planner I had met at a tradeshow the year before. We worked on a customized itinerary for her group. When the motorcoach arrived I truly was so excited.

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My proudest accomplishment in the tourism industry is the role I have played in the region becoming a recognized premier destination.

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• 605-355-3600