Today we’d like to introduce you to Karen Scalia.
Salem Food Tours was created and founded in 2012 by Karen. With a passion for fresh local foods, a love of cooking and history, and a background in event planning, she knew that sharing Salem’s past – including its illustrious spice trade history – with a taste of Salem’s amazing modern culinary scene was the perfect way for both locals and visits to understand and appreciate this much-loved city. Since its inception Salem Food Tours have garnered five star reviews and awards, including the Certificate of Excellence Award from Trip Advisor, They have been named one of the top Food Tours by the Huffpost, and have been featured on WCVB Chronicle, Fox CT Daytrippers, The Boston Globe, Vegetarian Times, and more. The Tours now include a variety of tour lengths, custom-crafted tours for corporate groups and private groups including Bridal Tours. A sister tour, the Salem Spirits Trolley, opened in 2016 and features locally made craft cider, beer, and distilled spirits. Karen and the Salem Food Tours donate their time and energy to numerous local activities and causes. Karen has served on the Board of Destination Salem including President. She is a member of Salem Chamber of Commerce. Her food and cultural event planning background has included work for Fortune 500 companies. She’s emceed food-related special events, such as hosting Giada de Laurentiis book tour stop at the North Shore Music Theater and local Chef Competitions. Karen is also a working actor and voiceover artist, and can be seen in various film, TV, and theater projects, and currently sits on the New England board of SAG-AFTRA. She was recently featured in the 2017 film Stronger.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
One of our first challenges was getting folks to understand the idea of a food tour. The second obstacle was the weather. Salem is an all-year destination and we knew we wanted to offer our Tours year round. There is something magical about Salem off season, when it’s quiet and the streets are all ours. We worked hard to get the info out to guests that walking tours in the winter are wonderful. You’re warm from eating, walking and sipping wine – it’s a lot of fun and a great way to break the inside blues.
Please tell us about Salem Food Tours.
Salem Food Tours are the original guided walking Food Tour in historic Salem, MA. Guests explore and enjoy tastings at some of Salem’s best food shops and restaurants. Since 2012 our Tours bring history to life through the senses. As our guests say, “It’s like a roaming dinner party!” During our Tours guests enjoy chats with chefs, shop-owners, and fellow foodies. We cover local history and culture, with a focus Salem’s illustrious maritime spice trade history. As a company, we are proud of our reputation for offering top notch customer service and quality experiences. We advocate strongly for Salem’s shops and restaurants, our mantra is to “Shop local and eat local.” Guests enjoy our trademark practices, such as providing guests an email post-tour of all the stops we made and a note about the tastings so they can go back and enjoy the wonderful locations. We also take photos during the Tour so guests can truly relax and let the afternoon unfold. Our experiences are fun and elegant. We can custom craft for private special occasions and corporate groups.
How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
As the culinary world continues to expand and grow, we see our Tours growing with those changes. There is a huge push to eat local, which we have always been an advocate of, with many of our Tour Partners sourcing local ingredients.
Pricing:
- Salem Food Tours are $54pp unless otherwise noted on our website. This includes all tastings.
- AM Coffee Walks are $22pp
- Afternoon Strolls are $36pp
- The Salem Spirits Trolley is $45pp
Contact Info:
- Address: Salem, MA
- Website: www.SalemFoodTours.com
- Phone: 978-594-8811
- Email: info@salemfoodtours.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/salemfoodtours/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalemFoodTours/
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/SalemFoodTours
- Other: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g60954-d4026055-Reviews-Salem_Food_Tours-Salem_Massachusetts.html
Image Credit:
Salem Food Tours
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