“New Times Chow Bella” How a Food Tour Works

Reply

We recently received some bad publicity from the New Times blog Chow Bella about the restaurants we select for our Downtown Phoenix Evening Dine Around food tour and felt it was our turn to explain the inner workings of a Food Tour and defend some inaccurate reporting. I think if the author of the new times blog would have identified herself and asked why we chose the restaurants we did, she might have had a different view. I mean that is usually what true journalist do, they ask questions and form their opinions based on ALL of the information. I guess bloggers just get to say what they say. That’s okay because our blog is our platform to tell everyone how a successful food tour is run.

To run a successful “walking” food tour you have to take into consideration a number of different things.

  1. That it is a walking food tour, so our restaurants have to be in close proximity. Anything much more then 2 total miles and it’s a bit much.
  2. One of our tours is an evening tour, therefore, we can’t take our guest down dimly lit side streets and have them fear getting mugged. Not that Downtown Phoenix is dangerous, but people who aren’t from here don’t know that.
  3. We also have to take into consideration that our tours have up to 16 people, restaurants like the Breadfruit can’t handle that big of a group during their peak dinner service. Trust me we wanted Breadfruit, but it just wouldn’t work. We have to work with what we have within the logistics of our tour route.
  4. A food tour is as much about the owner/manager/chef’s passion & presentation as it is the food and as much as the New Times author blasted us for using Big Fat Greek, you have to admit the setting on the patio at the Arizona Center is awesome and the show that they give our guests with the flaming cheese is a show stopper and since 75% of our guests are from out of town they really like Big Fat Greek and don’t care that there are several in the Valley. Furthermore, the particular location we use is owned by a gentleman named Juan who owns 2 Big Fat Greeks in the Valley and has passion for his restaurant and the food they put out, including the homemade Baklava that is made in house daily.
  5. The author of the article mentioned that the manager of 1130 endlessly pimped out "Food Tours are Fun"their restaurant. That’s the point, it’s free advertising for them. It’s no secret why 1130 has the most repeat visitors then any of our other restaurant partners. Any of you who have ever been on a food tour know that the 20 minutes or so that tour goers are in the restaurant, is 20 minutes that the restaurants get to tell you why you should come back. Would you have known that 1130 has a very large private dining room that can be rented out for FREE? Most people wouldn’t know that, but because of our tour now they do, and 1130 has booked 2 parties with people who learned about the FREE room on our tour.

So there are a few specific things I want to point out and defend about the New Times article that was written about us.

As for the comment about our tour being an over-priced tourist trap, we take offense to that considering that the prices of food tours around the country vary in price from $40 to over $100. And we take into offense that the author did not have her facts straight when she said there was a $10 alcohol charge on a $70 ticket. Our tickets are $68 and full price tickets include alcohol.

Instead of looking for what’s wrong with our tour, I really wish the author would have taken into consideration that we are shining a light on the food and history culture that Downtown Phoenix has to offer and rather than bash us, maybe applaud us for bringing people, Phoenix natives & tourists, to the Downtown area, an area that a lot of people don’t think about when they think of food. I sure know that everyone involved with the Downtown Urban revitalization, the Greater Phoenix Convention & Visitors Bureau and the Downtown Phoenix Partnership are happy that we chose Downtown for our tour and they have welcomed us with open arms. And that we appreciate.

In the world of food you can’t please everyone because everyone claims they are a foodie. What makes someone a foodie? What we don’t appreciate is that the author of this article didn’t take the time to ask us what went in to the creation of our tour and why we chose the restaurants we chose. We ask the author, if she hasn’t been on other food tours, which she said she she hasn’t, we know because we ask everyone at the beginning of the tour if they have ever been on a food tour and she said NO, please go on other food tours and then compare ours to the others you go on because across the board, every single person who has been on our food tour that has been on other food tours says that our tour ranks up there with the best and that our food tour offers more food and definately more alcohol "A Toast with Friends"than most tours.

Finally, because this is the first time we have heard of anyone absolutely hating our tour or I guess we should say, making someone cry, we want to offer the author her MONEY BACK because we believe in a good customer experience and if she feels it was an over prices tourist trap that is not our goal so please call us and we will refund your money.

Thank you.

Jay Veniard | Co-Owner
Taste It Tours

ABC 15 Chooses Downtown Phoenix Walking Tour as Must See Hidden Gem

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Need an idea for something fun to do while visiting Phoenix? Or do you live in Phoenix and are in search of all the hidden gems Phoenix has to offer?

Look no further, ABC 15 reporter Brandon Hamilton found us and thinks our tour is a MUST try.

To go directly to our booking page and book your tour click here.

Fox 10 Features An Inside Look of Taste It Tours

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Looking for something fun to do in Phoenix? Check out Taste It Tours. Taste It Tours day tour, featured by Fox 10, takes you on a 3-3 1/2 culinary adventure with our Downtown Phoenix Walking Food Tour. Come sample amazing food & drinks while learning a little bit about the history of Downtown Phoenix.

To go directly to our booking page to schedule your tour, click here.

Taste It Tours: History, scenery and cuisine in Phoenix: MyFoxPHOENIX.com

Taste It Tours Through the Eyes of Kellie Hwang of The Arizona Republic

Discover downtown Phoenix through Taste it Tours
by Kellie Hwang – Apr. 4, 2012 10:28 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com

City walking tours incorporate sight, hearing, touch and smell. But on a new downtown walking tour, taste is the most important of the senses.

Taste It Tours gives visitors an in-depth look at downtown Phoenix’s rich history, as well as a taste of the culinary destinations it has to offer. The concept was developed by Arizona native Jessica Combest, who went on several food tours and decided downtown Phoenix needed one.

“I kept noticing what could be better about tours I had been on,” she said. “I have such a deep passion for downtown Phoenix and wanted to showcase that. After the tour, most of the time the participants will go back to the restaurants we visited.”

The 3½-hour-long tours run three times a week and include five to six restaurant stops in which guests try signature dishes and cocktails. Along the way, a tour guide discusses history and different points of interest.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, food lovers gathered at the Westin Downtown Phoenix’s restaurant, Province, a farm-to-table restaurant that features fresh, locally grown ingredients. These concepts were important to Combest when choosing the tour locations. ”We didn’t want to settle, and wanted the tour to have restaurants that feature made-from-scratch dishes prepared daily,” she said. “We also haven’t included any chain restaurants — it was important to support local business.”

Province was ready for the tour with a long table set up. Participants introduced themselves, sharing if they had gone on a food tour before and if they considered themselves “sweet” or “savory.” The staff served red sangria made with citrus-cinnamon syrup, flatbread topped with chorizo and Manchego cheese and croquetas with ancho-chile aioli.

Eric and Lisa Christensen, both 30, of Gilbert, had been on several food tours in such cities as Denver, Seattle and Scottsdale. They rarely come to downtown Phoenix so decided to check out the tour.” We are always up for something new, and I like the concept of getting to know a city through food,” Lisa said. “It’s also great to get into five or six restaurants without having to make reservations. We get so much variety.”

The stop at Tom’s Tavern & 1929 Grill included food and history. The group learned that the original Tom’s Tavern opened in 1929 and previously was the city morgue, and was a popular gathering place for political figures. Tour participants dined on pork sliders and sipped Ratneritas, a margarita made with tequila, Cointreau, amaretto and lime and lemon juices. ”There is so much history with Tom’s, which is why it fits so nicely in this tour,” said Shawn Munson, operational manager for the restaurant. “Including a Thai restaurant and a pub in the tour shows the diversity we have in downtown. There are great places in downtown Phoenix, and hopefully the area can continue to grow with events like this.”

The tour also took participants to Seamus McCaffrey’s Irish Pub and Restaurant, where they dined on shepherd’s pie, Irish soda bread and Guinness Stout. At Thai Basil, diners enjoyed tom yum soup, pad Thai noodles and the signature Thai Basil dish while sipping on Singha, Chang and Phuket beers.

Along the way, tour guide Marlene Amodeo told the group about successful rancher and landowner Dwight B. Heard and talked about the historical Hotel San Carlos and its famous guests, as well as some infamous supernatural visitors.
“I never come to downtown Phoenix, and I knew nothing about its history,” Amodeo said. “So I started to do research and checked out some books, and became fascinated with everything I learned.”

Read more: http://www.azcentral.com/thingstodo/dining/articles/2012/04/04/20120404discover-downtown-phoenix-through-taste-tours.html#ixzz1r7LJ3FTa

Excellent Food, Fantastic Drinks and Great Conversation = The Best Team Building Event in Your Company’s History

Team Building Doesn’t Have to be Competitive To Be Successful

Don’t make your employees compete against each other during Team Builders. Let then enjoy themselves. Let them relax and connect with co-workers, bosses, executives. Often times we get lost in the thinking that having employees compete against each other brings everyone closer together. It doesn’t and I’m going to tell you why.

The Top 5 Reasons why Most Team Building Events are a Waste of Time.

Taste It Tours can customize a Team Building Event specifically for your company/organization. What’s better than a group of co-workers spending part of the day walking the streets of Downtown Phoenix enjoying near perfect weather and sampling the most delicious food and drinks Phoenix has to offer. Oh, and I guess I should mention that we will throw in a little history in while we are at it?

Read more about Team Building with Taste It Tours, or call Jessica at (480) 274-3569.

Why Taste It Tours Walking Food Tours are Great for Team Builders and Corporate Events

Team Building in Phoenix, Arizona

Corporate Team Building

The sun shines more than 300 days a year in Phoenix. Combine this temperate climate with luxurious resorts and unlimited opportunities for recreation (golf, spas, etc.) and you have the perfect location for your next meeting or management retreat.

The awe-inspiring diversity of Arizona’s rich history, diverse culinary culture and urban delights make team building with Taste It Tours even more memorable. Explore the food, shops, and hidden treasures of Downtown Phoenix during our Culinary Walking Food Tour. A 3-4 hour culinary food tour can be customized with games, food trivia or even Chef inspired challenges that will make you team/corporate outing an exhilarating and unforgettable experience, perfect for corporate events and team building exercises.

5 Top Reasons why your company should do a Food Tour for your next Company Team Builder:

1.    Explore & learn about Phoenix

Whether you are a local or just visiting the Phoenix area, a walking food tour gives you the opportunity to explore the Downtown Phoenix area and learn a little bit about the history and architecture of Downtown Phoenix. I mean how many locals know that the roof of the San Carlos Hotel is the very spot of Phoenix’s first recorded suicide?

2.    Let’s talk about food

That’s the real reason you are going on a walking food tour right? The Downtown Phoenix Walking Food Tour hosted by Taste It Tours is just that, a walking food tour, so bring comfortable shoes, but it is soooo much more. It’s more like a culinary experience that will tantalize your taste buds. Even the most discerning Foodie will appreciate the restaurant and food selections that were hand selected after weeks of “Research & Development.” Yeah our job, if you want to call it that, is really hard. No not really, but sampling all this great food is NOT good for the waist line. Time to go work out or just do another tour.

3.    Get to know the people you work with

Nothing brings groups/co-workers together like good food and great conversation. Even the most introverted person will at least have one meaningful conversation with another tour member or one of our guides. We like to have our guest interact with each other while on our tours. After all, we are all on the tour for great food, a little history, and a damn good time. Right?  At least I hope that’s why we are on the tour. Our tour guides like to have a good time and make sure everyone in the group has a good time. REMEMBER, we are not in high school anymore…..so no cliques.

4.    Get out of your culinary comfort zone

Our goal is to introduce people to food that they might not normally try. If you are anything like us, you go to a restaurant saying, “I’m gonna try something different today.” But when it comes time for your order you say, “I’ll have the usual.” Boooooorrrrrrring!!! Come on, break out, and get out of that comfort zone. Not daring enough, don’t worry there is a good chance you will step out of your comfort zone with some of the food selections on our tour. Who knows, maybe frog legs or pig’s feet? Just kidding. You got nervous for a second. But you might be lucky enough to sample some delectable Thai food or maybe a Sheppard’s Pie. We also eat at a restaurant that started in the Phoenix morgue…very exciting!

5.    Last but not least…

Oh shoot….. I really don’t have a last but not least. AWKWARD!!! I’ll just change the title to 4 Reasons Why a Walking Food Tour with Taste It Tours is Fun. No I won’t, I’ll just make something up as I go along. I’ve been a resident here in Arizona for 8 years now and just recently discovered how AWESOME the Downtown area really is. Most companies end up doing the same BORING things for corporate team building events and it gets old. You know what I’m talking about, bowling, Dave & Busters, Go-Kart racing, ball games, etc. All of those ideas are played out. Companies are always looking for new ways to build sales teams, get to know co-workers and BOOST company moral. There is NO BETTER to do this than with excellent food, great drinks and good conversation provided by Taste It Tours. We hope to see all of you on one of our tours. Tours start at 1pm and we try to be done by 4:30pm dropping you off where we started which happens to be happy hour. Corporate events are usually done during the week but can be flexible on days of the week and start and end times.

At Taste It Tours, we believe that if you are looking to inject some excitement into your next corporate event, we can assure you that our culinary walking food tour is EXACTLY what you’re seeking! A corporate event at Taste It Tours is one that your employees will be talking about for a long time to come; in fact, don’t be surprised if they request to come back!

For more information click here or just call (480) 274-3569 and ask for Jessica


Food Predictions for 2012

Top Ten 2012 Food Predictions….Foodie Humor!

We can’t take credit for writing this witty bit of foodie humor. We borrowed this blog post from our friend Lisa Armstrong at Local Roots Food Tours in Sacramento. And it looks like she borrowed it from Garrett Snyder (SearchandDevour.Wordpress.com). That’s what blogging and social media are all about, right? Sharing and giving credit when other people have good stuff you want to feature on your site. So anyway, ENJOY.

Top 10 Foodie Humorous Predictions for 2012.   Do you agree with any?

Food Prediction #1: 2012 will be marked a stunning resurgence of the pot pie

Food Prediction #2: In 2012 mixologists will begin illegally distilling their own spirits. Several are maimed by a freak still explosion.

Food Prediction #3: LA Chef Ludo finally opens permanent LA restaurant. Reservations are made via a massive game of rock-paper-scissors

Food Prediction #4: Coffee enters a unheard of ’4th wave’. Beans are now accompanied by a brief biography of each plant they come from.

Food Prediction #5: Chef Ricardo Zarate shockingly retires from cooking after discovering the lucrative profits of Alpaca farming.

Food Prediction #6: Onsite gardens at restaurants are replaced by onsite livestock pens. Chefs become dangerously attached 2 their meat.

Food Prediction #7: Vinny Dotolo and Jon Shook complete their scientific quest to successfully deep-fry every known food item.

Food Prediction #8: Homemade dairy products. Churning your own butter will no longer be used solely as a sexual euphemism.

Food Prediction #9: Roy Choi is revealed to be the evil clone of David Chang spawned by a miso fermenting experiment gone horribly wrong.

Food Prediction#10: Secret pop-up dinners will utilize blindfolds, treasure maps, and kidnapping.

 

5 Reasons Why a Walking Food Tour with Taste It Tours is Fun

  1. Explore & learn about Phoenix

    Whether you are a local or just visiting the Phoenix area, a walking food tour gives you the opportunity to explore the Downtown Phoenix area and learn a little bit about the history and architecture of Downtown Phoenix. I mean how many locals know that the roof of the San Carlos Hotel is the very spot of Phoenix’s first recorded suicide?

  2. Let’s talk about food

    That’s the real reason you are going on a walking food tour right? The Downtown Phoenix Walking Food Tour hosted by Taste It Tours is just that, a walking food tour, so bring comfortable shoes, but it is soooo much more. It’s more like a culinary experience that will tantalize your taste buds. Even the most discerning Foodie will appreciate the restaurant and food selections that were hand selected after weeks of “Research & Development.” Yeah our job, if you want to call it that, is really hard. No not really, but sampling all this great food is NOT good for the waist line. Time to go work out or just do another tour.

  3. Meet new people

    With anywhere from 2-16 people on our tours you are bound to meet someone new. Even the most introverted person will at least have one meaningful conversation with another tour member. We like to have our guest interact with each other while on our tours. After all, we are all on the tour for great food, a little history, and a damn good time. Right? At least I hope that’s why we are on the tour. Our tour guides like to have a good time and make sure everyone in the group has a good time. REMEMBER, we are not in high school anymore…..so no cliques.

  4. Get out of your culinary comfort zone

    Our goal is to introduce people to food that they might not normally try. If you are anything like us, you go to a restaurant saying, “I’m gonna try something different today.” But when it comes time for your order you say, “I’ll have the usual.” Boooooorrrrrrring!!! Come on, break out, get out of that comfort zone. Not daring enough, don’t worry there is a good chance you will step out of your comfort zone with some of the food selections on our tour. Who knows, maybe frog legs or pig’s feet? Just kidding. You got nervous for a second. But you might be lucky enough to sample some delectable Thai food or maybe a Sheppard’s Pie.

  5. Last but not least…

    Oh shoot….. I really don’t have a last but not least. AWKWARD!!! I’ll just change the title to 4 Reasons Why a Walking Food Tour with Taste It Tours is Fun. No I won’t, I’ll just make something up as I go along. I’ve been a Phoenix resident for 8 years now and just recently discovered how AWESOME the Downtown area really is. Most people look to Scottsdale for all the good restaurants and culinary hangouts, but look out Scottsdale, Downtown Phoenix is on a mission to take over as the culinary Mecca of the Phoenix area. And with a little help from the Downtown Phoenix Partnership, the Downtown Phoenix Ambassadors, Downtown Live, Taste It Tours and all of the other small businesses that make the Downtown area ROCK we just might make that happen. I know lofty goals, but you have to start somewhere, right?We hope to see all of you on one of our tours. Tours run from 1pm-4pm Thursday thru Sunday. Tickets can be purchased by calling 1-800-838-3006 or order online.

Downtown Phoenix Walking Food Tour Grand Opening

Taste It Tours Announces the Grand Opening of their Downtown Phoenix Walking Food Tour and Culinary Experience

Taste It Tours is Downtown Phoenix’s premier food tasting and cultural walking tour that offers you fantastic culinary culture. Taste It Food Tours introduces the local food scene on a neighborhood level. You’ll be entertained, informed and well fed. We will satisfy both your craving for good food and your curiosity about Downtown Phoenix. We introduce you to the restaurants making Phoenix’s food scene one of the hottest in the country. We lead you on an exploration of the history, roots and reasons Downtown Phoenix is becoming a food Mecca for locals and world travelers alike.

“Taste It Tours is excited to announce the Grand Opening of the first and only Walking Food Tour & Culinary Experience in Downtown Phoenix on December 29th. As a native of Phoenix I have witnessed the growth of Downtown Phoenix into a Urban hot spot. Coupled with the downtown areas rich history, and diverse food culture, Taste It Tours saw the Downtown area as being the logical starting point for the launch of our food tour.”

— Jessica Combest, Owner of Taste It Tours

For local Phoenicians and visitors alike, Taste It Tours allows all tour participants to learn about the neighborhoods and the city in which they live and visit as well as take advantage of knowing the best specialty food locations and local restaurants in Downtown Phoenix. Our three hour tours will tantalize the taste buds, entertain guests, and educate you on some of the rich history that shaped Phoenix as we know it.

About Taste it Tours

Taste It Tours is designed to satisfy both your craving for good food and your curiosity about Downtown Phoenix. Our innovative Downtown Phoenix walking tours are guided by local experts with years of experience leading groups. We cater to food lovers and travelers who want to experience Downtown Phoenix through its fantastic culinary culture and have fun doing it! No one walks away hungry on our tours.

Tickets start at $47 and can be purchased online at www.TasteItTours.com or by phone at 800-838-3006. Grand Opening Tours start December 29, 2011

Find out more: TasteItTours.com
Like Us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/tasteittours

Contact Information

Jay Veniard
Taste It Tours
Phoenix, Arizona, United States
jay@tasteittours.com
tasteittours.com